2023 Bursary Recipients
Meet Our 2023 Selection Committee
Each year, the Board of the JD Bridges Foundation appoints a selection committee of members across Canada to review the applications of each student who apply to the JD Bridges Bursary. After reading written applications, viewing a video presentation, and holding interviews, the Selection Committees are extremely impressed by the ambition of each applicant, and moved by their stories. We thank the esteemed panels for helping us build bridges for the upcoming law school admission cycle.
Lidet
Getachew
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Lidet Getachew
Lidet Getachew is an associate lawyer at RavenLaw LLP. She practices in the fields of labour, employment, and human rights law. Lidet represents unions and their members before labour and arbitration boards and advises individual clients on wrongful dismissals, disability claims, and human rights complaints. She is passionate about advancing workers’ rights by advocating for unions and workers.
Lidet received her law degree from the University of Manitoba where she was the valedictorian of her graduating class. During law school, she was an active member of the law school community including serving on the executive for the Employment and Labour Law Club and a member of the Manitoba chapter of the Black Law Students Association.
Brittany
Williams
Montreal, Quebec
Brittany Williams
Brittany Williams, BCL/LLB ’19 (she/her) is the Assistant Dean (Students) & Dean’s Lead, Black and Indigenous Flourishing for the Faculty of Law. In partnership with the Faculty’s Associate Deans, she leads the Student Affairs Office and supports the Graduate Programs Office. Brittany also works alongside other McGill Law student-facing offices to facilitate support mechanisms for candidates – with a concentration on Black and Indigenous ones – from application to study to graduation. Her responsibilities also include supervising the Faculty’s Black Affairs and Indigenous Initiatives Student Coordinators, overseeing the LEX Outreach Program by Davies, and serving as faculty advisor for the Black Law Students’ Association at McGill and the Indigenous Law Association. As a proud Queer Black woman, Brittany strives to promote equity and inclusion and to create space for everyone and anyone who desires to take part.
Laesha
Smith
Vancouver, British Columbia
Laésha Smith
For nearly two decades, Laésha has maintained a dispute resolution practice that focuses on securities, administrative law and complex commercial litigation. As an administrative lawyer she has worked extensively on investigations and enforcement proceedings involving government/regulatory agencies in the US, the UK and Canada. She has represented clients in hearings before various administrative tribunals and has assisted in both challenging and defending decisions or actions taken by governments, regulatory bodies and tribunals. Her clients have included global financial institutions with frequent international travel to represent them across multiple jurisdictions in Asia, Europe and North America. Her litigation experience builds upon her ability to advocate and navigate through complex contested proceedings. She has appeared as counsel at all levels of court in British Columbia and regularly assists clients to achieve favorable court outcomes as well as settlements.
In BC, before Poulus Ensom Smith LLP, Laésha was a partner at McEwan Partners and served in the public sector as litigation counsel in the Enforcement Department of the British Columbia Securities Commission. Prior to relocating to BC in 2015, Laésha practiced for 10 years at top international law firms in New York (Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP) and London (Allen & Overy LLP) where her practice focused on high stakes commercial litigation and on acting for large financial institutions in relation to a broad range of regulatory and white collar criminal issues including market manipulation, insider trading, anti-bribery and corruption, mis-selling, fraud and other types of system and controls failings.
Barbara
Brown
Ottawa, Ontario
Barbara Brown
Barbara is a Judicial Law Clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada for the Honourable Michelle O’Bonsawin. She clerked for her articles at the Court of Appeal for Ontario for three judges, including the now Chief Justice of Ontario, the Honourable Michael H. Tulloch. When in private practice, Barbara works in a generalist litigation practice, including professional liability and corporate/commercial litigation and arbitration.
In the broader legal community, Barbara sits on the Advisory Committee (Civil Law, Immigration, and Child Protection) for the Black Legal Action Centre’s Combatting Anti-Black Racism through Litigation and System Navigation project. She is also a Fellow of the Black Wealth Club, an organization dedicated to supporting Black leaders in building wealth and reinvesting it in their communities.
Barbara attended Osgoode Hall Law School, where she contributed extensively to the Osgoode Hall Black Law Students’ Association, as Equity Advisor and later President. At the national BLSA level, Barbara is a frequent contributor to the Julius Alexander Isaac Moot and the National Conference.
Jessica
Hardy-Henry
Toronto, Ontario
Jessica Hardy-Henry
Jessica Hardy-Henry is Legal Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel and Board Secretariat at Toronto Metropolitan University. She provides legal and strategic advice in a variety of areas including corporate and commercial law, privacy, practicum, and policy.
Jessica is actively involved in her community and serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at Eva’s Initiatives for Homeless Youth, an award-winning charity that provides shelter, transitional housing, and programs to help young people build brighter futures free of homelessness. She is also a member of Eva’s Nominations and Governance Committee, the Black Female Lawyers Network’s Fundraising Committee, and the Black Future Lawyers’ Advisory Committee.
Prior to joining Toronto Metropolitan University, Jessica worked as a corporate lawyer in private practice and also in-house at an international law firm. She received her Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration (Organizational Studies) from Osgoode Hall Law School and Schulich School of Business at York University, and is also a proud alumni of the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University where she completed her Bachelor of Commerce (Law and Business).
Shanice
Teape
Toronto, Ontario
Shanice Teape
Shanice is a JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. She currently holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Criminology, and a postgraduate degree in Paralegal studies. Prior to law school, she worked in various corporate settings, including corporate finance, corporate securities and fintech.
Prior to joining law school, Shanice has spoken on various panels on issues surrounding young people in the Greater Toronto Area, including mental health, racism, the impact of the pandemic on young people, issues affecting Black communities and the importance of Black youth leadership.
Since starting law school, Shanice has been involved in various clubs and organizations, including the Osgoode Securities Law Association, Osgoode Emerging Technology Association and the Lerner’s Cup. She has used these experiences to learn more about the corporate world while enhancing her mooting and advocacy skills.
Prior to being elected as the National Mentorship Director, Shanice was a member of the mentorship committee, where she assisted in preparing for the pre-law expo and the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL) Mentorship Program. Mentorship has played a significant role in her life, as she has had various mentors throughout her career. She joined BLSA Canada as a way of giving back to other Black law students who continuously face barriers to the legal profession.
When Shanice is not studying, she enjoys travelling, boxing, working out and learning new languages.
Lidet
Getachew
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Lidet Getachew
Lidet Getachew is an associate lawyer at RavenLaw LLP. She practices in the fields of labour, employment, and human rights law. Lidet represents unions and their members before labour and arbitration boards and advises individual clients on wrongful dismissals, disability claims, and human rights complaints. She is passionate about advancing workers’ rights by advocating for unions and workers.
Lidet received her law degree from the University of Manitoba where she was the valedictorian of her graduating class. During law school, she was an active member of the law school community including serving on the executive for the Employment and Labour Law Club and a member of the Manitoba chapter of the Black Law Students Association.
Brittany
Williams
Montreal, Quebec
Brittany Williams
Brittany Williams, BCL/LLB ’19 (she/her) is the Assistant Dean (Students) & Dean’s Lead, Black and Indigenous Flourishing for the Faculty of Law. In partnership with the Faculty’s Associate Deans, she leads the Student Affairs Office and supports the Graduate Programs Office. Brittany also works alongside other McGill Law student-facing offices to facilitate support mechanisms for candidates – with a concentration on Black and Indigenous ones – from application to study to graduation. Her responsibilities also include supervising the Faculty’s Black Affairs and Indigenous Initiatives Student Coordinators, overseeing the LEX Outreach Program by Davies, and serving as faculty advisor for the Black Law Students’ Association at McGill and the Indigenous Law Association. As a proud Queer Black woman, Brittany strives to promote equity and inclusion and to create space for everyone and anyone who desires to take part.
Laesha
Smith
Vancouver, British Columbia
Laésha Smith
For nearly two decades, Laésha has maintained a dispute resolution practice that focuses on securities, administrative law and complex commercial litigation. As an administrative lawyer she has worked extensively on investigations and enforcement proceedings involving government/regulatory agencies in the US, the UK and Canada. She has represented clients in hearings before various administrative tribunals and has assisted in both challenging and defending decisions or actions taken by governments, regulatory bodies and tribunals. Her clients have included global financial institutions with frequent international travel to represent them across multiple jurisdictions in Asia, Europe and North America. Her litigation experience builds upon her ability to advocate and navigate through complex contested proceedings. She has appeared as counsel at all levels of court in British Columbia and regularly assists clients to achieve favorable court outcomes as well as settlements.
In BC, before Poulus Ensom Smith LLP, Laésha was a partner at McEwan Partners and served in the public sector as litigation counsel in the Enforcement Department of the British Columbia Securities Commission. Prior to relocating to BC in 2015, Laésha practiced for 10 years at top international law firms in New York (Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP) and London (Allen & Overy LLP) where her practice focused on high stakes commercial litigation and on acting for large financial institutions in relation to a broad range of regulatory and white collar criminal issues including market manipulation, insider trading, anti-bribery and corruption, mis-selling, fraud and other types of system and controls failings.
Barbara
Brown
Ottawa, Ontario
Barbara Brown
Barbara is a Judicial Law Clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada for the Honourable Michelle O’Bonsawin. She clerked for her articles at the Court of Appeal for Ontario for three judges, including the now Chief Justice of Ontario, the Honourable Michael H. Tulloch. When in private practice, Barbara works in a generalist litigation practice, including professional liability and corporate/commercial litigation and arbitration.
In the broader legal community, Barbara sits on the Advisory Committee (Civil Law, Immigration, and Child Protection) for the Black Legal Action Centre’s Combatting Anti-Black Racism through Litigation and System Navigation project. She is also a Fellow of the Black Wealth Club, an organization dedicated to supporting Black leaders in building wealth and reinvesting it in their communities.
Barbara attended Osgoode Hall Law School, where she contributed extensively to the Osgoode Hall Black Law Students’ Association, as Equity Advisor and later President. At the national BLSA level, Barbara is a frequent contributor to the Julius Alexander Isaac Moot and the National Conference.
Jessica
Hardy-Henry
Toronto, Ontario
Jessica Hardy-Henry
Jessica Hardy-Henry is Legal Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel and Board Secretariat at Toronto Metropolitan University. She provides legal and strategic advice in a variety of areas including corporate and commercial law, privacy, practicum, and policy.
Jessica is actively involved in her community and serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at Eva’s Initiatives for Homeless Youth, an award-winning charity that provides shelter, transitional housing, and programs to help young people build brighter futures free of homelessness. She is also a member of Eva’s Nominations and Governance Committee, the Black Female Lawyers Network’s Fundraising Committee, and the Black Future Lawyers’ Advisory Committee.
Prior to joining Toronto Metropolitan University, Jessica worked as a corporate lawyer in private practice and also in-house at an international law firm. She received her Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration (Organizational Studies) from Osgoode Hall Law School and Schulich School of Business at York University, and is also a proud alumni of the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University where she completed her Bachelor of Commerce (Law and Business).
Shanice
Teape
Toronto, Ontario
Shanice Teape
Shanice is a JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. She currently holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Criminology, and a postgraduate degree in Paralegal studies. Prior to law school, she worked in various corporate settings, including corporate finance, corporate securities and fintech.
Prior to joining law school, Shanice has spoken on various panels on issues surrounding young people in the Greater Toronto Area, including mental health, racism, the impact of the pandemic on young people, issues affecting Black communities and the importance of Black youth leadership.
Since starting law school, Shanice has been involved in various clubs and organizations, including the Osgoode Securities Law Association, Osgoode Emerging Technology Association and the Lerner’s Cup. She has used these experiences to learn more about the corporate world while enhancing her mooting and advocacy skills.
Prior to being elected as the National Mentorship Director, Shanice was a member of the mentorship committee, where she assisted in preparing for the pre-law expo and the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL) Mentorship Program. Mentorship has played a significant role in her life, as she has had various mentors throughout her career. She joined BLSA Canada as a way of giving back to other Black law students who continuously face barriers to the legal profession.
When Shanice is not studying, she enjoys travelling, boxing, working out and learning new languages.
Recipient Map Tour
Thank you to each person who applied to the JD Bridges Bursary. As a result of the generous support from our donors and sponsors, we are proud to present the recipients from our bursary program.
Hover over the bridges on the map to see the JD Bridges Bursary recipients.
*View this page from a laptop/desktop for the optimal viewing experience.
*The bridges do not represent exact locations.
Recipient Map Tour
Thank you to each person who applied to the JD Bridges Bursary. As a result of the generous support from our donors and sponsors, we are proud to present the recipients from our bursary program.
Press the “Start Tour” button below to see the JD Bridges Bursary recipients. *The points do not represent exact locations.
Thanks again to our donors for helping us to build these bridges.
Recipient Map Tour
Thank you to each person who applied to the JD Bridges Bursary. As a result of the generous support from our donors and sponsors, we are proud to present the recipients from our bursary program.
Press the “Start Tour” button below to see the JD Bridges Bursary recipients. *The points do not represent exact locations.
Thanks again to our donors for helping us to build these bridges.
Meet Our Bursary Recipients
Congratulations to these recipients of the JD Bridges Bursary!
Email us at info@jdbridges.ca to learn more about how you can build bridges with us for our next bursary cycle.
Jazmyne Mclaughlin
Why Jazmyne is applying to law school
Adonai Yohannes
Why Adonai is applying to law school
Danaïkah Molly Jeune
Why Danaïkah is applying to law school
Hodman Abukar
Why Hodman is applying to law school
Betchel Belachew
Why Betchel is applying to law school
Esther Goombs
Why Esther Goombs is applying to law school
Nelson Owusu Boadi
Why Nelson is applying to law school
Shaylene Bailey
Why Shaylene is applying to law school
Kayla Caesar
Why Kayla is applying to law school
Schneider Yerima
Why Schneider is applying to law school
Hannah Godefa
Why Hannah is applying to law school
Princess-Prea Williams
Why Princess-Prea is applying to law school
Kiana Crawford Matthews
Why Kiana is applying to law school
