Michèle Ross is a senior paralegal and joined Henderson Heinrichs LLP in 2024. She completed her paralegal education at Capilano University in 2003 and has devoted her 30 year career exclusively to the area of family law.
Michèle has been a designated paralegal since 2012 when the Law Society of BC approved rule changes allowing BC paralegals to perform additional duties under a lawyer’s supervision.
Michèle’s extensive experience includes all levels of the court system and includes managing all aspects of the process on family files, whether it be litigation or through a collaborative process. She works closely with clients throughout the process and is actively involved in strategizing and implementing solutions. Michèle also plays an active role in resolving disputes at mediation, both as a support to counsel and being able to appear in her capacity as a designated paralegal to represent clients at family law mediations.
In June 2021, Michèle was selected by the British Columbia Supreme Court Civil & Family Rules Committee as one of two paralegals to support the work of the rules committee and offer advice on new projects and rules that may impact British Columbian’s access to justice. She continues to sit on that committee.
In addition to Michèle’s role as a designated paralegal at Henderson Heinrichs LLP, she is appointed by the Provincial Government as a bencher for the Law Society of BC. In her role as a bencher, Michèle presently sits on the Law Society of BC’s Executive Committee, the Trust Review Task Force and is the chair of the Discipline Committee.
Michèle is a Commissioner for taking Affidavits under the Evidence Act to administer oaths and affirmations and to take affidavits and declarations. She is also a Certified Legal Coach (CLC)* having completed training through the Legal Coaches Association.
On March 24, 2022, Michèle was accepted into the Law Society of BC’s innovation sandbox permitting her to perform legal services in the area of family law offered without direct supervision including providing legal advice, processing desk order divorces, drafting court documents, negotiating, providing information on amount of child and spousal support, conducting legal research, legal coaching and representation for matters before the court.
After the enactment of the Legal Professions Act on May 16, 2024, Michèle was appointed by the Ministry of Attorney General on September 17, 2024 to the Regulated Paralegal Working Group (RPWG). The RPWG which was established to make recommendations to the Attorney General on what legal services a regulated paralegal should be able to provide to British Columbians.
Michèle is active in the legal community having volunteered, created materials, and presented for the CLEBC and TLABC on many occasions.
She is also one of the authors of the “Paralegal Perspective” column which appears in TLABC’s publication, the Verdict.
Appointments, Associations & Memberships
- Member of the Law Society of BC’s Executive Committee (2024)
- Chair of the Law Society of BC’s Discipline Committee (2024)
- Member of the Law Society of BC’s Discipline Committee (2022, 2023 and 2024)
- Member of the Law Society of BC’s Trust Review Task Force (2022, 2023 and 2024)
- Appointed to the Law Society of BC’s Licensed Paralegal Task Force (2019 and 2020)
- Appointed to the Law Society of BC’s Innovation Sandbox Advisory Group (2021, 2022 and 2023)
- Member of the British Columbia Supreme Court Civil & Family Rules Committee (2021 to present)
- Current member of the BC Paralegal Association
- Past President of the BC Paralegal Association (2018 – 2022)
- Chair of the BC Paralegal Association’s Access to Justice Committee (2018 – 2022)
- Education Chair of the BC Paralegal Association (2016 – 2019)
- Member of the Capilano University School of Legal Studies External Advisory Committee (EAC)
- Member of the BC Family Law Unbundling Roster (initiative hosted by Courthouse Libraries BC and supported by Access to Justice BC and Mediate BC)
- Member (and chair) of Advisory Committee for the Legal Administrative Studies Department at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (2016 – present)