Members

Nabeel Peermohamed is an Associate with Brownlee LLP in Calgary, Alberta where he practices in the areas of insurance defence and civil litigation. As the firm’s team leader for the Calgary Civil Claims Duty Counsel program, he recruits and manages associates involved in the program. He served as President of the Society of Law Students at the University of Calgary, sat on the Board of Directors for Calgary Legal Guidance, and served as Program Coordinator for the Pro Bono Students Canada, University of Calgary chapter. An active member of the CBA Young Lawyers, Civil Litigation and Insurance Sections, Nabeel is a regular contributor to the CBA Newsletter. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree (2008) from McGill University, JD (2011) from the University of Calgary, and LL.M in Tax Law (2013) from the University of Toronto. Nabeel is passionate about fostering partnerships for pro bono legal services, advancing technology in the profession and mentoring young lawyers in their chosen career path.

Serving a two year term.

Chandan K. Sabharwal heads the Sabharwal Law Group in Surrey, BC and practices in the area of family law. She assists clients with parenting arrangements, parenting time, parental responsibilities, guardianship, child support, section 7 expenses, spousal support and property division. She holds a BA (2003) from the University of British Columbia and an LL.B. (2006) from the UBC Law School. She was called to the Bar in 2008. Born in Vancouver, Chandan lived in India during her childhood and speaks three languages: English, Punjabi and Hindi. She is an active volunteer with the CBA and the Canadian Diabetes Association. She provides her time to the Nanak Mission Sikh Charity Organization’s food kitchen in downtown Vancouver. She also sits on the Board of the Newton Business Improvement Association. Chandan loves to travel and spend time with her family.

Serving a two year term.

Dean Scaletta obtained his Bachelor of Commerce and his law degree from the University of Manitoba. He was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1982. He was in private practice until mid-1988 before joining the legal department of Manitoba Public Insurance. Dean is currently Director of Access, Privacy and Litigation at Manitoba Public Insurance. He was an elected member of the Manitoba Bar Association Council from 2001 to 2015, the last six years as Secretary-Treasurer. Dean has also been actively involved in the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association (CCCA), serving as the Manitoba Chair, on the Board of Directors, on the Interim Executive and as Treasurer. He was first elected as a Bencher of the Law Society of Manitoba in 2010 and has served on numerous Law Society committees.

Serving a one year term.

René Basque is a partner of Actus Law Droit in Moncton where his practice focuses on regulatory work, corporate litigation, outside corporate counsel and employment law. A fluently bilingual native of Tracadie-Sheila, he holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree (1980) and a Bachelor of Law degree (1988), both from the Université de Moncton. René was admitted to the bar in 1989. In addition to his practice, he worked as Public Intervener on behalf of the Attorney General of New Brunswick on a number of issues in front of the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board, including Enbridge Gas New Brunswick’s rate setting hearing, Irving Oil’s wholesale margin hearing and the Point Lepreau refurbishment hearing. René has been a member of the CBA since 1989. He was President of CBA-New Brunswick in 2006‒2007 and President of the CBA in 2016-2017. He is a past board member of the New Brunswick Law Society and the CBA’s excellence awards committee.

Serving a one year term.

A partner with Stewart McKelvey in St. John’s, Twila E. Reid practices in the areas of labour and employment law, commercial litigation and administrative Law. She is an active volunteer, both with the CBA and within her community. Twila has served as an executive member of the CBA National Administrative Law Section since 2014, and co-chair of the 2015 National Administrative, Labour and Employment Law Conference. The federal Department of Justice appointed her as the CBA representative on the NL Judicial Advisory Committee. Her other leadership positions include serving as Director of three organizations: Newfoundland & Labrador Employers’ Council, School Lunch Association, and the NL Sexual Assault Crisis and Prevention Centre. She is also a past Director of the St. John's Status of Women Council. Twila holds a BA Honours degree (1999) from Memorial University and an LL.B. from the University of New Brunswick (2002).

Serving a two year term.

Tricia Ralph serves as legal counsel for the Government of the Northwest Territories’ (GNWT) Department of Health and Health Authorities, and Department of Human Resources. She provides risk management and human resource advice. Her work includes defending the GNWT at labour arbitrations and serving as counsel for collective bargaining. She is a past-president of the CBA Northwest Territories Branch, and an active CBA volunteer, chairing and co-chairing Sections such as Privacy Law, Civil Litigation, Labour and Employment Law, and Young Lawyers. Tricia also co-chaired the NWT Law Society Truth and Reconciliation Response Committee. She has organized visits from Supreme Court of Canada Justices and Ministry of Justice officials to the NWT to interact with members of the Bar. She is contributing to the development of an intensive trial advocacy course. Tricia holds an Honours Bachelor of Science degree (2005) from Trent University, and an LL.B. and Master’s Degree in Health Administration (2009) from Dalhousie University. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2010 and the Northwest Territories Bar in 2011.

Serving a one year term.

Stephen Mansell is the Director of Policy and Planning for the Government of Nunavut. His work focuses on Aboriginal Law, government and legal policy. He is a long-serving CBA volunteer, working in numerous senior leadership roles at the Nunavut Branch level. He also served on the Executive of the Law Society of Nunavut. In his volunteer roles, he has dedicated his time to young lawyer initiatives—introducing the CBA-Inuksuk High School Moot Court, expanding access to continuing legal education in remote regions of the North, and creating a joint CBA-Law Society library. In 2015, he was chosen as the CBA Nunavut representative on the Nunavut Judicial Advisory Committee. A true Northerner, Stephen has also served two terms on Iqaluit City Council. He possesses a BA Honours degree in International Relations (2003) from Carleton University and a JD in Common Law (2015) from Osgood Hall Law School. He is currently completing a Bachelor of Circumpolar Studies at the University of the Arctic.

Serving a two year term.

Vivene Salmon is the Assistant Vice-President, Compliance at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Her practice areas include financial services, securities, corporate and privacy law. Elected to the CBA Board of Directors in 2017, she sits on the Finance Committee, where she is involved with all aspects of the CBA’s finances. She has volunteered her time with the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association (CCCA) as a member of the Advocacy and Professional Development Committees. Her commitment to the CBA has also included work with the Young Lawyers’ Section, the Ontario Chapter of the CCCA, as well as several Ontario Bar Association (OBA) Sections and working groups. She sat on the OBA Governance Committee, where she was involved in reviewing constitutions, policies and bylaws. She was also member of the Treasurer's Early Careers Roundtable at the Law Society of Upper Canada. In the community, she sits on the Board of Directors for METRAC - Action on Violence and participates as an Advisory Board Member for Food for the Poor Canada. Vivene possesses a BA Honours degree in Political Science (2000) from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Juris degree (2009) from the University of Ottawa. She also completed one year of a Master of Public Administration degree from Queen’s University. Vivene was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2010. She is a Certified Privacy Professional with the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Nancy Birt, Q.C. has been a lawyer in private practice since 1989, primarily in the areas of corporate and commercial law, real estate law, administrative law, and wills and estates. She is a founding partner of Birt & McNeill, PEI ’s first all-female law firm, established in 1993. She has been a CBA member since 1989, and is a past president of the CBA-PEI Branch. She has contributed her expertise as a CBA volunteer on gender equality issues, and has also volunteered her time with the Environment Law and Elder Law Sections. She co-founded the PEI chapter of the Women Lawyers’ Forum. In 2015, the PEI Branch recognized her exceptional service and commitment to the CBA with a Distinguished Service Award. Nancy also lends her time to the Law Society of PEI , having served as president and contributed to numerous committees. She has chaired or co-chaired the Prince Edward Island Labour Relations Board, PEI Workers Compensation Appeals Tribunal, and PEI Mental Health Review Board, among others. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa (1988), and was admitted to the PEI Bar in 1989. She also possesses a Bachelor of Business Administration (1990) from the University of Prince Edward Island. Nancy is married with three children.

Serving a one year term.

For more than 20 years, Marie Laure Leclercq has specialized in intellectual property and commercial law, supporting businesses or organizations in the technology, manufacturing, franchising and distribution sectors. Currently serving as Counsel at De Grandpré Chait in Montreal, she has been a member of the CBA for 35 years. She has served in several senior leadership roles within the Québec Branch, including Executive Committee member, Secretary, Vice-President and President. She has been both a member and president of the Equality Committee, Law Reform Committee, Intellectual Property Section, and the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Conference. She is a founding member of the Forum des Femmes. Marie Laure has contributed to the CBA’s international initiatives as a trainer for lawyers in corporate and commercial law at the Royal University of Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Her community work is exemplary. She has volunteered in senior roles with the Union Française, Outgames, Quebec Gay Chamber of Commerce, and Agence Montréalaise pour l’emploi. Marie Laure has been recognized with numerous awards for her work, including the CBA Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Community Hero Award (2016), CBA-Québec Jules Deschênes Prize and others. She received her Bachelor in Physics Engineering (1974) and Master of Software Engineering (1977) from the Polytechnique de Montréal, as well as her Degree in Law (1980) from the Université de Montréal. She also holds an MBA-Finance (1982) from McGill University.

Serving a two year term.

Jeff Howe practices in the areas of Aboriginal and Treaty Law, and has been in private practice for the past decade. He serves as general counsel to a First Nation in rural Saskatchewan. He also founded and runs the White Bear Legal Clinic, a pro bono legal clinic for White Bear First Nations members. He has actively contributed to the CBA as an executive member of the National Aboriginal Law Section and Military Law Section executive, among others. A former Wawota Town Council member, Jeff has served as president and chair of the Wawota Recreation Board. Jeff holds a BA in Humanities (1999) from the University of Victoria and Doctor of Laws (2006) from the University of Saskatchewan.

Serving a two year term.

Thomas Ullyett is currently the Deputy Minister of Justice and the Acting Deputy Minister for the Public Service Commission with the Yukon Government.  He has been a strong advocate and volunteer with the CBA, both at the branch and National levels. He has served as chair and/or member of the CBA Wellness Forum, Canadian Bar Insurance Association, Young Lawyers’ Section, and Board of Directors. At CBA-Yukon, he served as president and executive committee member. He has co-chaired the Public Sector Lawyers' Section, Child Advocate Guidelines Sub-Committee, Committee on Gender Equality in the Legal Profession, and Young Lawyers' Section. Thomas has also organized CBA fundraisers for women’s shelters and the Law Day Charity Fun Run and Walk. He has served on many other boards and committees, including the Federal - Provincial - Territorial Deputy Ministers Committee, Federal - Provincial - Territorial Legal Aid Committee, Yukon Women's Transition Society, Yukon Law Foundation and more. His work has been recognized with the CBA-Yukon Award for Volunteer Leadership and a Department of Justice Award of Excellence. Thomas previously lectured in Administrative Law at Yukon College. He holds a BA Honours in Social Science (1982) from Carleton University and an LL.B. (1985) from the University of Ottawa.

Seving a one year term.