Michele M. Leering

Michele is the Executive Director and also provides services to clients (her specialties have been workers' compensation and, more recently, social assistance). She also does community development and law reform work. In the past, she chaired the Belleville Task Force on Hunger and was involved in several anti-poverty organizing initiatives. More recently, she was a founding member of the Affordable Housing Action Network (AHAN). She has been the author/editor of several publications including Surviving the Nineties: The Guide to Living In a Low Income in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, Beyond Band-aids: A Community Response to Homelessness, and Community Legal Needs Assessment: Examining the Need for Access to Justice for Low-Income Residents of Lennox & Addington County. She has been employed by the clinic for more than 20 years having celebrated her twentieth anniversary in March 2005. She received both her law and political science degrees from the University of Western Ontario. She was called to the Bar in 1985. 

Gina L. Cockburn

Called to the bar in 1990, Gina worked in private practice, primarily in family law, until 2001 when she joined the clinic staff.  She was the Children's Lawyer for five years while in private practice.  Her focus in clinic work is social assistance and housing law.  She is the supervising lawyer of our housing team and is also the Chair of the Three Oaks Foundation Board of Directors.

Richard C. Ferriss

Richard obtained his law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School where he completed the Intensive Programme in Poverty Law at Parkdale Community Legal Services (PCLS) and worked as a Division Leader at CLASP, the law school’s student legal clinic. He worked at the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations (FMTA) as a Tenant Hotline Worker while in law school. Later he served on the Board of the FMTA. He also became Co-Chair on the Board of PCLS. After articling at Beard Winter LLP, a private law firm in Toronto, he was called to the Bar in 2002. He joined this clinic in August 2002 and left in June 2005 to work as a Staff Lawyer at West Toronto Community Legal Services. He rejoined this clinic in August 2006. Richard’s present work at the clinic focuses primarily on social assistance and housing.

David F. Little

(currently on temporary leave of absence from the clinic)

David was raised in Waterloo and obtained his bachelor's degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and his law degree from the University of Western Ontario.  He practiced commercial law in Toronto before coming to the Belleville area about 20 years ago.  He has been at the clinic for about 12 years, where most of his practice has been in the area of employment rights, especially workers' compensation.  He teaches social welfare and employment law courses at Loyalist College and is a frequent presenter at legal clinic conferences.

Deirdre M. McDade

Deirdre obtained both her honours degree in Political science and her law degree from Queens University. Called to the bar in 1995, Deirdre was in private practice doing litigation until she joined the clinic in September 1999.  Her work at the clinic focuses on social assistance cases, human rights and Criminal Injuries Compensation Board appeals.  She is active in the movement to end violence against women.  She is a past Board member of the Sexual Assault Crisis Centre in Kingston (1987-1996), a past Board member of 3 Oaks Shelter for Abused Women (1996-2000), a former volunteer coordinator at the SACQD (1991-1993), and a former member of the Quinte Coordinating Committee against Violence (2001-2005) and the Dedicated Domestic Violence Court (2003-2004).

John A. McKean

(currently seconded to the Clinic Resource Office)

John joined the clinic in 1999.  He practices in social assistance, disability (ODSP and CPP) and employment law.  John previously worked at two other legal clinics in Toronto before joining our clinic.  He is a former member of the Social Assistance Review Tribunal and was lead counsel on the Gray case, a precedent-setting decision from the Court of Appeal on the meaning of "disability" under the Ontario Disability Support Program Act as well as the Moon case, a precedent-setting case regarding the classification of self-employment income for those on a disability pension allowing them to deduct their expenses.

Jessica S. Michael

Jessica joined us in 2004, working primarily in the area of housing law.  Her clinic work currently focuses on employment law, human rights, workers compensation and CPP disability.  She received her law degree from Dalhousie University.  She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2004.

Victoria R. Watts 

(currently on a temporary leave of absence from the clinic.)

Victoria Watts was called to the Bar in 2002. She articled and practiced in the areas of union/labour law, human rights and employment law at a private law firm in Ottawa before coming to the clinic in August 2006. While at law school, she worked as a caseworker in the women’s division at the University of Ottawa Community Legal Clinic, and was a summer law student at our clinic (1998 & 1999). Victoria provides legal advice and representation primarily in the areas of social assistance, WSIB and employment law.

John No

Marieanne

Marieanne joined the clinic in 1997.  She is currently a community legal worker trained specifically in Ontario Disability Support Program appeals.  She is a law clerk who meets with clients to open files, obtains supportive medical evidence and represents clients at their hearings.  Marieanne works under the supervision of clinic lawyers.

Sharon Powell

Sharon has been with the clinic since August 2002.  She is one of our intake workers, and also is the case manager of all Criminal Injuries Compensation Board files for clients.  Sharon works under the supervision of clinic lawyers.

Lynda Morgan

Lynda started at the clinic as a legal secretary. In 1996 she became the Office Manager. Although she does not work directly with clients, she participates as much as possible in outreach projects including the Deaf Advisory Committee, the Provincial Learning Advisory Committee and attends local workshops. Lynda works directly with the Board of Directors of the clinic.

Diane French, Legal Secretary/Intake Worker

Diane has been with the clinic since November 1996.  Diane is one of four intake workers. An intake worker is the first person you talk to when you call the clinic for assistance with a problem.  Intake staff input information about a situation and either provide relevant information, make a referral or set up appointments with a legal worker for legal advice.  Diane also accompanies and assists duty counsel at the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal hearings.  As well, she puts together our newsletter, Bafflegab. It is usually distributed semi-annually to our clients, other clinics, agencies and support groups. Together we can make things happen!  

Carolyn Hamilton, Legal Secretary and Information Technology Lead

Carolyn joined the clinic in May 2003.  She is an intake worker and provides assistance to our Community Legal Worker (both administrative and meeting with clients) on Ontario Disability files as well as general administrative assistance to all legal workers. Carolyn is also our in-house information technology contact and is the webmaster for this site. 

Denise Bird, Legal Secretary/Support Staff

Denise joined the clinic in July 2003.  She is an intake worker and she provides administrative assistance to our legal workers and also manages our library database. Denise is the person to see if you wish to borrow any reference materials from us.