Melissa jean-baptiste
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Melissa was an articling student at NLS. Born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, Melissa is fluent in both French and English. She completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Mcgill University. She then spent 4 years working at the head office of Legal Aid Ontario before deciding to go to law school with the ultimate goal of pursuing a career in social justice. Because of her linguistic abilities and ties to Quebec and Ontario, Melissa completed the University of Ottawa’s National program equipping her with both a civil law and J.D. law degree. She was lucky enough to complete her civil law degree abroad on exchange in the Rhône-Alpes region of France.
During her time in law school, Melissa was a junior student editor of the Canadian Journal of Women and the Law and worked part-time as a Family Mediation Coordinator at the Ottawa District office of Legal Aid Ontario. She volunteered with Reach Canada through the Pro Bono Students of Canada program and contributed towards their monthly newsletter writing pieces that brought awareness to issues affecting persons with disabilities. Melissa held positions on the national executive of the Black Law Students Association of Canada where she served two terms; one as the francophone representative and Vice-President of the Québec region and the second as at the VP of External Affairs. Melissa also honed her advocacy skills as a member of the University of Ottawa’s 2015 Wilson moot team, which focused on s.7 (right to life, liberty and security of the person), and s.15 (equality rights) of the Charter. Melissa is currently a staff lawyer at Kensington Bellwoods Community Legal Services |
