Laura Schemitsch is our newest lawyer who joined Heron Law Offices in 2023. Per office tradition, we have our new lawyers write a blog post introducing themselves to Heron followers.
Hello to the Heron Law Offices community! I’m Laura, a new lawyer on the team, here on the blog so you can get to know me a bit better.
I grew up in Toronto, Ontario, the oldest of four children. My family used to visit Vermont aka the “Green Mountain state” in the summer, and I always loved exploring the mountains.
Before attending law school in Ottawa, Ontario, I was a research assistant for five summers in the department of Orthopaedic Surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, conducting research studies and writing peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Even though I enjoyed my experiences in medical research, I was more drawn to pursuing law school, specifically criminal law at the time. I also completed a Master of Arts Degree in Art History from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
From 2015-2016 I lived in vibrant Sydney, Australia and Whistler, Canada where I worked in the hospitality industry. After living in Whistler, I always hoped to return to the beautiful Sea to Sky corridor permanently.
I started law school at the University of Ottawa in 2016. I found my passion for immigration and refugee law during law school in 2017 when I joined Capital Rainbow Refuge, a private sponsorship group that brings LGBTQIA2S+ refugees to Ottawa.
I articled and started my legal career as an immigration and refugee lawyer for Gerami Law Professional Corporation, a boutique immigration and refugee law firm in Ottawa, Canada. I was exposed to a wide range of matters including, refugee, appeals, protected person PR, family sponsorship, H & C, inadmissibility, work permit applications and judicial reviews. I moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in June 2020 and worked remotely for Gerami Law PC until November 2021. I moved to beautiful Squamish, BC, two years ago. I transferred my licence and was called to the bar in BC in November 2021. From November 2021 until June 2023, I practiced immigration and refugee law at Race and Company LLP, serving clients in the Sea to Sky corridor. During this period I expanded my practice to assist local business, employers and entrepreneurs.
My professional interests include: litigation, advocacy, immigration and refugee law, constitutional law, administrative law, human rights law and other related areas.
In my spare time, I enjoy hiking with my partner and our dog, camping, skiing, community work, jewellery making, dancing, writing and reading.
I am thrilled to practice immigration and refugee law at Heron Law Offices with Will, Katie, Jessye, Xiaoyi, Tobie, Candy and Azza. I will be practicing both as a solicitor and shifting my practice to litigation – especially for employers and employees. The team has been incredibly welcoming so far and I think you will be just as excited as I am to be a part of the innovative work everyone here is doing.
