2026 SALA Conference: Advancing Standards in Sexual Abuse Litigation

Since being called to the bar in 2017, Mallory has almost exclusively acted on behalf of plaintiffs.  Mallory has a keen interest in righting systemic wrongs and holding institutions accountable for their actions.  For example, Mallory was part of the team that negotiated a first-of-its-kind settlement in Canada to recover health care costs related to the sale and marketing of opioid-based pain medicines.  Mallory is an experienced trial lawyer and has worked in the areas of plaintiff-side class actions, aviation accidents, medical malpractice, and other complex tort claims and appeals.  For the last several years, Mallory dedicated her practice to advancing claims on behalf of survivors of sexual violence.  In 2024, Mallory was trial counsel for the plaintiff in H.N. v. School District No. 61 (Greater Victoria), 2024 BCSC 128, in which the court granted $2.3 million dollars to the plaintiff for injuries arising from childhood sexual abuse.  At the time, this was the largest compensatory damages award ever given in Canada for sexual abuse.

Mallory joined Rice Parsons Leoni & Elliott LLP in November 2025 to continue fighting on behalf of vulnerable plaintiff litigants. 

Of significance, Mallory herself was injured as a child by a physician’s negligence, resulting in countless surgeries during her childhood and adolescence and litigation spanning several years.  Through this experience, Mallory gained the capacity to identify and empathize with her clients on a personal level.  She is ambitious, authentic, and resilient.

Roxi Cardinal is nehiyaw iskwew (Plains Cree) from Saddle Lake Cree Nation, AB, adopted and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, ON who makes her home in Ottawa ON. She is a kokum, author, and childhood sexual assault survivor living with complex ptsd. Roxi's lived experiences ground her national and international advocacy for 60s Scoop survivors who lives are impacted by intergenerational trauma and facilitates training for trauma informed pratices.

Roxi has organized six national 60s Scoop gatherings, speaks widely on MMIW2SG, gender‑based violence, and the impacts of colonial child‑welfare policies. She is the author of Ohpikiihaakan‑ohpihmeh (Raised Somewhere Else) and leads the GIS initiative Mapping the 60s Scoop Diaspora. Roxi is a recipient of the Ontario Premier’s Award for Outstanding Community Service.

The Honourable Justice Kathleen Erin Cullin sits in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Timmins, Ontario.

A graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Ontario, Justice Cullin practiced throughout Northeastern Ontario and appeared as lead counsel at all levels of Court in Ontario, including the Ontario Court of Appeal. Prior to her appointment, Justice Cullin practiced at Evans Bragagnolo and Sullivan in a general litigation practice before moving to Wallbridge Wallbridge where her practice was focused on Plaintiff’s personal injury litigation and professional malpractice. Justice Cullin was certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in Civil Litigation.

Suzie Dunn the Director of the Law and Technology Institute and an assistant professor at Dalhousie University’s Schulich School of Law. She teaches contracts, torts, law and technology, privacy, and legal ethics. Her research centers on the intersections of equality, technology and the law, with a specific focus on technology-facilitated gender-based violence, artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and social media. She is a research partner on a four-year SSHRC funded research project on young people’s experiences with sexual violence online, DIY Digital Safety. She is also a Senior Fellow with the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and a member of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund technology-facilitated violence committee.

Alicia Kennedy was a Crown prosecutor for 15 years, specializing in sexual violence and human trafficking cases. She has acted as complainant’s counsel in s. 276 & s. 278.3 applications, and spent a term in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court. She teaches the Law of Sexual Offences at Dalhousie’s Schulich School of Law and has taught Criminal Law in the Faculty of Law at the University of New Brunswick.

She recently joined Wagners, a nationally recognized law firm with a distinguished reputation in class actions and personal injury litigation. Alicia is helping to lead the firm’s sexual abuse practice, representing victims pursuing accountability and compensation through the civil system.

Dr. Mandi Gray is an assistant professor in Criminology at Trent University. She is the author of Suing for Silence: Sexual Violence and Defamation Law (UBC Press), which critically examines the growing trend of men accused of sexual violence suing anyone who attempts to hold them accountable. She is currently funded by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for a second book that will provide critical sociological insights into the experiences of survivors navigating the civil legal system for sexual assault. 

Rick Westhead is TSN’s Senior Correspondent and a two-time winner of Canadian sports writer of the year, presented by Sport Media Canada. Canadian Journalists for Freedom of Expression recognized him in 2023 with the Arnold Amber Award for Investigative Journalism. Westhead has won five Canadian Screen Awards for his original features for various TSN properties. In 2025, he was recognized for his “fearless reporting” by The Hockey News in its list of 100 People of Power and Influence in hockey. Prior to joining TSN, Westhead served as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star.

Anna Matas (pronounced “May-tas”) is the founder of Matas Legal, a boutique litigation firm in Toronto. In her varied practice she brings a trauma-informed approach to the representation of survivors of sexual violence, the defence of regulated professionals in civil litigation and regulatory matters, and the conduct of investigations. She has appeared before all levels of court and is known for her work on precedent-setting cases, including , where she acted as counsel for an intervenor at both the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada to advocate for the recognition of a tort of family violence. She recently acted as counsel for an intervenor at the Supreme Court of Canada in , the first anti-SLAPP case to be heard by the SCC since and .

At the outset of her career, Anna clerked for judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania, and the Special Court for Sierra Leone in Freetown, Sierra Leone. She also practiced at large, medium, and small firms before founding Matas Legal. Her domestic and international experience representing plaintiffs/complainants, defendants/respondents, and acting as a neutral shaped her belief in the importance of a trauma-informed law for everyone who interacts with the legal system.

Anna demonstrates her commitment to the profession and her community through board service and advocacy. In 2025, she joined the Board of Directors of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) and TAS’ Mid-Career Advocates’ Standing Committee, where she co-chairs the Women Advocates’ subgroup. From 2016 to 2024, Anna served on the Board of Directors of the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, including a term as Chair. She also devotes significant time to mentoring the next generation of lawyers, both within and outside her firm.

In 2024, Anna was the recipient of the President’s Award from the Women’s Law Association of Ontario, which recognizes leadership and excellence in the legal community. She has also been ranked repeatedly in and . She holds degrees in both civil and common law from McGill University and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Winnipeg.

Rosel Kim is a Senior Staff Lawyer at LEAF and the Chair of LEAF’s Technology-Facilitated Violence (TFV) Project, which explores equality-centred legal responses to technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV). She co-authored LEAF’s submissions to federal and provincial governments on proposed online harms and intimate image abuse legislation, and is regularly invited to speak about TFGBV to government committees, members of the media, and the broader legal community.

Rosel was named the 2023 Young Lawyer of the Year by the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers and a Lexpert Rising Star in 2024.

Bruce Hutchison is principal partner with Genest Murray LLP. Bruce started with Genest Murray as a student in 1989 and has practiced there since his call in 1991. He acts on behalf of insurers in the defence of claims and actions involving school boards, lawyers and government institutions as well as general and commercial liability matters. He has motion, application, trial, (jury and non-jury), and appeal experience appearing at all levels of Court in Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada.

He has received training as a fact finder and mediator.

He is Past President of the Toronto Lawyers’ Association (2006-2007).

He is Past Chair of Library Co., a corporation, mandated to undertake the central management of the Ontario county courthouse library system (2010-2012).

He is editor of Risk Management in Canadian Education published by Lexis/Nexis.

He is a frequent speaker at programs related to risk management, liability insurance and education law. 

Sandy is a leading personal injury trial lawyer in BC. Alongside her partner, Tanya Martin, she is also an adjunct professor teaching Law 433C: Special Topics in Tort Law (Personal Injury) at UBC Allard. She is a past president of the Vancouver Bar Association and a past president of the Lawyers’ Inn Society (Law Courts Inn). She currently sits on the board of directors for the Lawyers’ Assistance Program (LAPBC).

Prior to joining the plaintiffs’ bar in 2016, she worked for more than a decade as insurance defence counsel, in aviation, occupier’s liability, medical malpractice, and sexual abuse matters. For the past seven years, she has worked exclusively for plaintiffs with complex personal injury claims for losses arising from historical sexual abuse, traumatic brain injuries, orthopedic injuries, and chronic pain. She achieved a record personal injury judgment of $9.1 million for a severely brain injured plaintiff, in Uy v. Dhillon, 2020 BCSC 1302, a record judge-made punitive damages award against a Roman Catholic Diocese in a historical abuse claim, in Anderson v. Molon, 2020 BCSC 1247, and a $2.238 compensatory damages judgment for a childhood sexual abuse survivor in H.N. v. School District No. 61 (Greater Victoria), 2024 BCSC 128, a decision that is headed to the Supreme Court of Canada on the issue of vicarious liability. Recently, in May 2026, she proceeded to a judge-alone trial in Krats v. Hill, a case that may provide new case precedent on the issue of parental liability for sibling-on-sibling sexual abuse.

A fourth-generation lawyer born and raised in Vancouver, John has dedicated his career to fighting for the legal rights of individuals and their families against corporations, governments, and insurance companies. After starting his career practicing labor and employment law, in 2005 John shifted to exclusively practicing plaintiff’s personal injury litigation including motor vehicle negligence, commercial host and occupier’s liability claims, medical, dental and other professional malpractice (naturopaths, chiropractors, etc.), and wrongful death family compensation claims. Since 2016 John’s practice has expanded to include wrongful denial of insurance coverage (life, disability, property, critical illness), product liability (dangerous/harmful goods and products), mass torts, and class action proceedings.

Advocacy is John’s greatest strength and privilege. He is dedicated to the craft of trial law. Known for providing exceptional, ethical service, John quarterbacks a legal support team that helps clients and their families navigate through some of the most upsetting and stressful periods of their lives. There is no substitute for good health and peace of mind – and there is no limit to the time, effort, and financial resources that John will devote to helping his clients heal as quickly as possible, obtain justice, and move forward with their lives. A joy of John’s job is getting to know his clients and their families. 

“I think what distinguishes our legal team is that we really, really care. We are relentless. RHE squares off against insurers, governments, and corporations every day, and sometimes fairness must be forced on them in the courtroom. So that is what we do. I am impatient with being told something is impossible and I believe in the reciprocal power of hope between lawyer and client. Most perceived impossibilities are actually just malnourished possibilities. Feed a tough case a steady diet of determination, strategy, resilience, hard work, humour, and hope, and that which can’t be done can be done.”

John’s injury law practice includes soft tissue injuries, chronic pain, psychological injury, and severe and catastrophic claims, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord trauma, neurological, orthopedic, and dental injuries. A significant component of John’s practice is devoted to negligent injury to children.

In 2018 John was the recipient of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC’s Champion of Justice a

Cynthia moved her wrongful death and personal injury practice from the partnership of a large, national law firm in 2021, attracted by the reputation and strength of Weir Bowen’s medical negligence group. Surrounded by a team of bold litigators, and knowledgeable support staff, Cynthia has also extended her practice to historical sexual assault claims, as a member of the national Sexual Abuse Lawyers Alliance. 

No matter what the cause of harm, Cynthia brings a respectful and trauma-informed approach to her work. She combines experience and empathy when guiding clients through the legal maze, recognizing the deeply personal nature of losses arising from motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, unsafe premises, defective products, and even negligent schools, churches, or clubs. 

As a former broadcast journalist, Cynthia leans heavily on well honed investigative and presentation skills to advocate for clients with confidence and clarity. She developed the nationally accredited Legal Media Relations program for the Canadian Bar Association, and appears as a guest each month on the “Ask The Lawyer,” broadcast across Alberta on the Windspeaker Radio Network. 

Cynthia grew up in a small Central Alberta town, and has never forgotten her roots. She is a firm believer in the power of plain language and straight talk to make even the most complex legal principles understandable to all of her clients. She ensures her clients understand what is happening, and are well-prepared for each step of the process, from initial consultation to claim resolution. 

Cynthia has been consistently named to the Best Lawyers in Canada for Personal Injury Litigation since 2021. Outside of law, Cynthia is the proud mother of two children, and two ridiculously spoiled doodle dogs.

Morgyn Chandler has been the Managing Partner of Hammerco Lawyers LLP since 2020. Hammerco is a boutique litigation firm in British Columbia with offices in Vancouver, Courtenay and Duncan. 

Morgyn leads Hammerco’s civil sexual assault practice group and works exclusively for survivors.  She has a reputation for successful resolution based on persuasive and astute legal strategies. 

Morgyn maintains a trauma-informed practice and is a powerful advocate for her clients against both individual and institutional defendants while prioritizing the needs and interests of survivors.  She has successfully represented clients in claims against professionals including lawyers and doctors, as well as religious institutions, Scouts Canada, and government institutions among others. Morgyn believes that survivors deserve to be heard, and respected, and deserve the opportunity to hold perpetrators accountable. 

Morgyn was recognized by her peers for her work in Personal Injury Litigation by Best Lawyers in Canada from 2020 through 2023 and in 2024 was named as a Lexpert Ranked Lawyer for Personal Injury. She is a sought after speaker and presenter in the field of sexual assault litigation and regularly presents with the Trial Lawyers Association of BC and Continuing Legal Education BC, and is frequently asked to comment in the media on sexual assault cases in Canada. 

Sadira is very knowledgeable in her focal practice areas of personal injury, sexual abuse and assault claims, medical malpractice, and disability insurance litigation. In acting for her clients, Sadira strives to approach each file in a trauma-informed and client-focused manner and aims to work with her clients, empowering them as they navigate through the civil claims systems in order to achieve their best possible outcomes.

Sadira also works with Tapper Cuddy’s workplace investigation unit, assisting organizations of all sizes in conducting investigations relating to complaints of harassment and other breaches of respectful workplace policies.  In conducting such investigations, Sadira works to engage an impartial and balanced approach where the principles of human rights and procedural fairness are of the utmost importance.

After obtaining her Bachelors and Masters degrees at the University of Winnipeg and Wilfrid Laurier University respectively, Sadira attended the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba, obtaining her Juris Doctorate in 2013.  Sadira then completed her articles with Tapper Cuddy LLP and has remained with the firm since her call to the Bar in 2014.

Sadira is actively engaged with the Manitoba Bar Association, having served as the chairs of both the Young Lawyers section and the Women Lawyers Forum, and currently sits on the MBA council.

Sadira is an associate member of the Birth Injury Lawyers’ Alliance and is currently engaged in the formation of a national alliance of lawyers who act for survivors of sexual abuse as a means of sharing resources and information and engaging in advocacy.

Kevin McLaren has practiced as a civil litigator for over 18 years. He has helped hundreds of clients settle personal injury claims, both simple and complex. He is an experienced trial lawyer and heads the firm’s Class Action practice. Kevin is a partner at the firm and joined Hammerco in 2013.

Kevin advocates for effective and efficient results for his clients. He represents individuals and business owners, never insurance companies. He accepts cases for clients and causes he believes in.

Erin received her Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University (2003) and her law degree from Queen’s University (2007).  She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2008.

Erin has over a decade of experience and a proven track record of success advocating for survivors of both recent and historical sexual and physical abuse. She represents plaintiffs from across Canada, demanding acknowledgment and compensation for the harms perpetrated or facilitated by individuals and institutions, including abuse by teachers, coaches, relatives, foster parents, doctors, and clergy.  Erin has a deep understanding of civil abuse litigation.  Her extensive experience allows her to work effectively with her clients to determine the best approach for each individual case. Erin is passionate about representing survivors and uses compassion, dedication, and strong advocacy skills to assist her clients.

Linda joined the Gluckstein family from a boutique litigation firm where she focused exclusively on civil litigation, defending tort litigants. She is now a key member of our Sexual Abuse group with the Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein team advocating solely for survivors of sexual abuse.

Over her almost 30 years of practice, Linda has appeared before all levels of courts in Ontario, along with appearances before numerous boards and at private arbitrations. She has been a speaker at many legal events and seminars.

She is a graduate of the University of Guelph (Honours B.A. 1991) and the University of Windsor (LL.B. 1994). She was called to the bar in 1996.

Linda is proud to be involved in initiatives to promote policies and practices to retain and advance women in law and to continue to serve as a mentor for many students and lawyers.

In an effort to continuously give back to the communities she serves, Linda sits on the Board of The Gatehouse and SACHA, two organizations committed to supporting survivors.

John dedicates his practice exclusively to representing persons who have suffered an injury or loss as a result of medical malpractice, car and truck accidents (or other serious personal injury claims), and institutional liability. He has a special interest in representing survivors in civil claims for childhood sexual abuse compensation claims.

John is particularly proud of the fact that he and the team at McKiggan Hebert have repeatedly been named  one of the  by Canadian Lawyer magazine. McKiggan Hebert was the only firm in Atlantic Canada to receive this prestigious recognition.

John’s colleagues have honoured his efforts and experience by electing him President of the .

John has been appointed King’s Counsel (K.C.), a designation used to recognize Canadian lawyers for exceptional merit and contribution to the legal profession.

John was nominated for an award for exemplary journalism covering issues related to the sexual exploitation of children by Beyond Borders ECPAT Canada, a national non-profit organization that advances the rights of children to be free from sexual exploitation, for his article published in The Lawyer Weekly: The Catholic Church and Sexual Abuse: Is the Church’s response real action or window dressing?

John has regularly been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyer in Canada® in the field of Personal Injury Law. In 2022, he was named  in the field of personal injury litigation. Best Lawyer has been called “the most respected referral list of attorney in practice.”