ABOUT

Valérie Black is a Barrister, Solicitor & Notary Public with the Law Society of Ontario and holds a Canadian Judicial Advisor License with the Barreau du Québec. For more than a decade, Valerie has organized, presented, and been asked to participate in many conferences on issues relating to human rights and systemic discrimination.

Her experience has been recognized by various organizations and governmental institutions. She comes highly skilled and ready to provide training, conferences, and consulting according to your needs.

Qualifications

  • Valérie is lawyer with the Law Society of Ontario and the Barreau du Québec (c.j.c). She currently works as a Market Development Manager for JuriGo.ca. Prior to this position, she was a partner at an Ottawa-based law firm and practiced mainly in the field of criminal law and family law.

    She previously worked as the Coordinator for the office of Continuing Legal Education at McGill University where she was tasked with the approval of content for CPD accreditation with the Barreau du Québec and the Ontario Law Society.

    She also acted as the Coordinator of the International Humanitarian Law Summer School for the Human Rights Research and Education Center in Ottawa where she organized the content of the course, coordinated with professors and students, as well as various stakeholders such as the Office of the Judge Advocate General with the Canadian Armed Forces.

    Throughout her career, Valérie has focused on criminal law, human rights, and social justice issues. She has worked with community organizations for over a decade by advocating for human rights, and fighting against discrimination and injustice. She continues to serve on the Board of Administrators of the Innocence McGill Legal Clinic. She is also regularly asked to intervene in the media to comment on issues relating to discrimination, police oversight, and current legal news. She was featured on CBC News and various local media outlets.

  • Valérie obtained a Bachelor of Conflict Studies and Human Rights from the University of Ottawa prior to pursuing her legal studies, and obtained her Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Civil Law from McGill University.

    During the course of her studies, she attended courses in various countries which focused on socio-political and legal issues, namely with the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Mexico, and with Loyola University in the United States. She also interned with the Promise of Justice Initiative in New Orleans, Louisiana where she collected and analyzed Circuit Court data on disparity in sentences based on race.

  • Valérie is a Barrister, Solicitor and Notary public registered with the Law Society of Ontario. She also holds a Canadian Legal Advisor permit with the Barreau du Québec.

    She is registered as an individual practitioner with the Canadian Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI), and is a member of various associations, namely: the Defence Counsel Association of Ottawa (DCAO), the Criminal Lawyers Association (CLA), as well as the Association des Avocats de la Défense de Montréal (AADM).

    She obtained her accreditation as a Collaborative Family Lawyer in 2022 and is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) as well as the Ontario Association of Collaborative Professionals (OACP).

Projects and Conferences

  • Nationwide project organized with the Fédération des Associations de Justice d’Expression Française (FAJEF) in collaboration with the African Nova Scotia Justice Institute (ANSJI) and the Department of Justice Canada.

    Currently Co-Coordinator of the program which aims to provide national accreditation for IRCA writers and CPD for criminal lawyers.

    December 2022-2025

  • Presented the recent legislative updates in criminal law from 2018-2022 as well as tips on trauma-informed practices for the Canadian Women Lawyers Group.

    September 2022

  • Invited as a guest judge to assist in the evaluation of the student’s final case presentation on racial profiling. Course was given by Me Ferando Belton at the University of Ottawa, Civil Law Section.

    May 2021-May 2022

  • Presentation on the Impact of Race and Cultural Assessments and critical race theory in sentencing for 33rd Annual Criminal Law Conference hosted by the Defence Counsel Association of Ottawa and the County of Carleton Law Association.

    October 2021

  • Organized a week-long presentation on the topic of racial profiling from the view-point of different societal actors for Innocence McGill’s Annual Conference series. The presenters included:

    Me Michèle Turenne of the Quebec Human Rights Commission;

    Lawrence Greenspon, criminal and civil lawyer, and partner at Greenspon Granger Hill;

    Ketcia Peters, Ottawa Police Community Co-Chair, award winning entrepreneur, community activist, and founder of the Ketcia Peters Group;

    Alain Babineau, retired RCMP and OPP officer, and Director of Public Safety with the Red Coalition Group;

    Joel DeBellefeuille, community activist, registered lobbyist and Founder of the Red Coalition Group;

    Fo Niemi, executive director of the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations

    Me Fernando Belton, lawyer at Belton Avocats, course lecturer, and executive director of the Clinique Juridique de St-Michel;

    Donna Dickson, community activist and founder of Ashton Dickson Youth Empowerment organization;

    Renzel Dashington, comedian and community activist.

    May 2021

  • Presented on the systemic and procedural factors of wrongful convictions for the 4th Scientific Symposium of the Center for Forensic Sciences.

    March 2021

  • Co-hosted the panel in collaboration with Alain Babineau, spokesperson and coordinator on issues of racial profiling and public safety with the Red Coalition, as well as the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations.

    The speakers consisted of:

    Quebec Police Ethics Commissioner Marc-André Dowd

    Ottawa Police Community Co-chair Ketcia Peters

    McGill Department of Psychiatry Assistant Professor Myrna Lashley,

    Marc Charbonneau, the chief inspector of the Corporate Service Division of the Montreal Police Service (SPVM).

    February 2019

  • Facilitator with McGill University’s Law Education Connection Program which conducts activities in various high cchools to introduce students to legal issues and constitutional rights.

    2016-2017

  • Co-Chair of the panel during the 2015 CARICOM conference in Ottawa and facilitated the discussion between the panelists which included:

    The High Commissioner of Guyana

    The Ambassador of Haiti

    The High Commissioner of Jamaica

    The High Commissioner of Barbados

    April 2015

  • Participant in the roundtable on societal issues affecting youth in a global context. The consultation aimed to provide a comprehensive strategic plan to address issues which impact people under 35 years of age.