Who We Are

The Class Action Clinic at Windsor Law is the first clinic of its kind in North America. Our focus is on class members – people who are part of a large civil lawsuit launched on their behalf by representative plaintiffs and class counsel.

The Clinic is staffed by a team of law students, a staff lawyer, and a faculty director who provide a range of legal services, information, assistance with filing claims in settlement distribution processes, public education and outreach.

Because we serve class members across Canada, the Clinic provides its services online, by telephone and by video conference, as well as in person for those in the Windsor–Essex community.

Academic Clinic Director

Gemma Smyth

Education

BA(Hons), 1999, University of Western Ontario
LLB, 2002, University of Windsor
LLM, 2004, Osgoode Hall Law School

Professor Gemma Smyth (she/her) is Associate Professor and Externship Director at the Faculty of Law, University of Windsor, on the territories of the Three Fires Confederacy. She manages and teaches in the Judicial Internship Program and Externship Program at Windsor Law, and is the Academic Clinic Director for the Class Actions Clinic.

Professor Smyth has held various positions including Law Foundation Chair at the College of Law, University of Saskatchewan, Associate Dean (Academic), Academic Clinic Director and Associate Professor and Externship Program Director and Director of University of Windsor Mediation Services. She has taught Clinic Seminar, Learning in Place (an Externship Program seminar), Dispute Resolution, Access to Justice, Mediation Clinic, and Research Methods. Professor Smyth researches and writes in the areas of clinic law, dispute resolution, lawyering skills, and legal education. Professor Smyth is the co-author of the first text on clinical legal education in Canada, with Professors Sarah Buhler and Sarah Marsden. Professor Smyth has written and annually published updates to an online, open source book, “Learning in Place: A Living Landscape of Practice”, now in its third edition. This text is freely available to clinical, internship, externship, co-op and other work-informed learning programs.

Professor Smyth hosts an open-access Youtube channel with materials on law practice with a focus on clinical law skills and a website on clinic supervision for lawyer-supervisors and law students in work-integrated learning environments. She is Past President of the Association for Canadian Clinical Legal Education, a national collaborative working on issues related to clinical and experiential legal education in Canada. Professor Smyth’s papers and other publications can be found on the University of Windsor’s digital repository . Professor Smyth is also a member of the Judicial Advisory Committee (West and South) and a Board member for the Canadian National Negotiation Competition.

Staff Lawyer

Andrew Eckart

Email: aeckart@uwindsor.ca

Education

B.A. (Economics and North American Studies), McGill University, 2005
LL.B., University of Windsor, 2010
Mediating Disputes, Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, 2017

Andrew is the founding Staff Lawyer at the Class Action Clinic. Prior to his role here, he gained class action experience in private practice as a plaintiff side lawyer. His first introduction to this work was as a an articling student clerking at the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto, where he assisted judges on many class action matters, including a multi-year common issues trial.

As the Clinic’s Staff Lawyer, Andrew supervises and mentors student caseworkers and routinely represents clients through claims processes, at settlement approval hearings, and providing important, non-partisan, independent legal advice.

In addition to his work at the Clinic, Andrew is a mediator of civil disputes and sits on the OBA’s Class Action Bench-Bar Liaison Committee.

Articling Student

Kassandra Burke

Email: kburke@uwindsor.ca

Kassandra is an articling student and recent graduate from the University of Ottawa. Prior to law school, she completed an Honours Bachelor of Social Science in Criminology at the same institution. Motivated by her passion for access to justice, Kassandra has worked with non-profits in the Ottawa area to deliver legal services to underserved communities. Her experience includes pro bono work on wills, powers of attorney, guardianship applications, and immigration law.

When she’s not working, Kassandra enjoys traveling, cooking, and exploring new coffee shops.

Student Case Workers

Teresa Atkinson

Teresa is a second-year law student at the University of Windsor. Prior to law school, she earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies and a Master of Arts in Legal Studies, both from Carleton University.

Teresa has a passion for social justice, advocacy, and access to justice initiatives. Her academic and professional interests include human rights, migrant worker rights, and the advocacy of underserved communities. She currently serves as a Project Lead for the Wills Clinic at Windsor’s Pro Bono Students Canada. She is also a member of Windsor’s Winkler Class Action Moot team.

In her free time, Teresa enjoys travelling, playing and watching hockey, and spending time with her English bulldog.

Alina Dewani

Alina is a second-year student at the University of Windsor's Faculty of Law. Prior to law school, she earned an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences with a Specialization in Political Science at the University of Ottawa.

Alina’s professional experiences began with her work in federal politics and have continued to the provincial public service; with her experience including the files such as Indigenous Services, Crown-Indigenous Relations, Natural Resources, and Mining. In her volunteer time, Alina is part of a caregivers advocacy organization which supports families to navigate the bureaucracy of disability services and advocate for their needs to governments and other service providers. With Alina's background in public service and community organizing, she is passionate about serving the public interest and creating sustainable progressive change. She has a particular interest in supporting Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and improving access to justice for persons living with disabilities.

Outside of her professional endeavours, Alina enjoys running, hiking, and reading a good book.

Majeed Khan

Majeed is a second-year student at the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Law. Prior to law school, he earned a double degree of Honours Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies and Human Rights at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Majeed’s professional experience began at a boutique law firm specializing in real estate and civil litigation, where he gained valuable experience in commercial transactions, Small Claims Court, and immigration tribunals. In addition to his background in the commercial and civil sector, Majeed continues to collaborate with various non-profit organizations, primarily those advocating for minority religious groups and disadvantaged communities, particularly refugee children. He has a strong interest in areas such as consumer protection and privacy torts and believes that class actions provide a powerful avenue to drive meaningful change and deliver justice.

Outside his academic and professional pursuits, Majeed enjoys hiking, painting, and spending time with family and friends.

Jackie Velasquez

Jackie is a second-year law student at the University of Windsor. Prior to law school, she earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology from Ontario Tech and became a Licensed Paralegal with the Law Society of Ontario in 2019.

Since 2019, Jackie has worked in the field of personal injury and has developed a strong passion for advocating for individuals severely impacted by motor vehicle accidents to facilitate access to justice. She currently volunteers with Windsor Law’s LEAF and Women and the Law Chapters and is excited to work towards increasing access to justice at the Class Action Clinic.

Outside of school, you can find Jackie running or walking around Windsor-Essex, at a local coffee shop with her dog, or spending time with her friends and family.