CHAMP & ASSOCIATES - Key Persons
Emilie Taman has almost fifteen years of experience in human rights advocacy as a lawyer, educator and community organizer. She is an experienced litigator who has appeared before every level of court in Ontario. A former federal Crown prosecutor and law professor with the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Common Law, Emilie was named as one of Canada's top 25 most influential lawyers by Canadian Lawyer Magazine in 2018.
Emilie is the co-host of the award-winning podcast, the Docket, in which she explains and comments on complex and often contentious legal issues with a goal of fostering a more informed public debate on issues as varied as the Omar Khadr settlement, the extradition of Hassan Diab, the Coulton Boushie verdict, and systemic racism in the criminal justice system.
As a community and political activist, Emilie has advocated for accessible libraries, refugee resettlement, harm reduction, economic equality, affordable housing and climate action. Emilie has chaired a campaign for City Council and has stood for election federally.
A graduate of Dalhousie Law School, Emilie earned her LL.B. in 2004. She started her career as a law clerk for the Ontario Court of Appeal, followed by a clerkship with the Honourable Ian Binnie at the Supreme Court of Canada. She was called to the bar in Ontario in 2006.
Emilie is a prolific, if not compulsive knitter, an avid canoeist and a mother of three.
Job Titles:
- Lawyer
- Member of the Law Society of Ontario
Lydia Dobson's practice areas include human rights, administrative law, labour law and employment law. In addition to her experience representing union members in a wide range of labour relations matters including at the Federal Public Sector Labour and Employment Relations Board, Lydia is passionate about upholding prisoners' rights.
Lydia is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and is currently pursuing certification from the Law Society of Nunavut.
Lydia teaches in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa as well as the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University. Lydia is regularly consulted on issues of prisoners' rights issues.
Lydia earned her law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School (J.D., 2021), and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Carleton University (Law and Legal Studies. (Hons.) 2012; Sociology and Anthropology M.A., 2014).
Prior to joining Champ & Associates, Lydia articled at a prominent Toronto based union-side labour and social justice firm and was employed as representational staff for one of Canada's largest unions. During law school, Lydia focused on employment and human rights law as a caseworker at Parkdale Community Legal Services.
Paul Champ is a highly successful litigator with a focus on employment, labour, human rights and constitutional law. In addition to representing trade unions in a wide range of labour relations issues, Paul has acted for individuals in complex employment law matters and has extensive experience representing public sector employees. Paul and his clients have established legal precedents in Charter rights, privacy, occupational health and safety, discrimination, cross border employment, disability law, access to information, prisoners' rights, and corporate accountability for abuses in foreign countries. Paul has hundreds of reported legal decisions and has appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada on several occasions.
Protection of civil liberties and fundamental human rights are important to Paul as a citizen and a lawyer. Paul regularly acts as counsel to organizations such as Amnesty International, the BC Civil Liberties Association, the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society. In 2010, Paul was the recipient of the Reg Robson Civil Liberties Award from the BC Civil Liberties Association, and in 2013 he was honoured by the International Commission of Jurists with the Tarnopolsky Human Rights Award for outstanding contributions to domestic and international human rights.
Paul writes and speaks about disability issues, labour relations, and international human rights. He teaches law at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa and is regularly invited to make presentations to conferences and Parliamentary committees. He is frequently contacted by prominent media outlets looking for expert commentary on newsworthy legal issues and has become a regular fixture on the evening news.
Paul studied law at the University of British Columbia (LLB) and McGill University, and obtained a journalism degree from Carleton University (B.J.). He started his legal career with the Saskatchewan Department of Justice as a prosecutor, and later worked with a prominent union-side labour firm in Ottawa as an associate and partner for eight years before establishing his own boutique firm in 2009.