People and Families
- Trust & Estate Planning
- Consent, Capacity & Legal Decision Making
- Trust & Estate Administration
- Tax Planning & the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) Eligibility
- RDSP – Registered Disability Savings Plan
- ODSP – Ontario Disability Support Plan
- Microboards™
- Wrongful Dismissal & Civil Litigation
- Estate Litigation
- Human Rights Applications
- Challenging Incapacity & Involuntary Admissions
- Education Law
- Employment Law for Families Engaging Support Workers
- I Decide Law Program
Stephanie Dickson
Partner
E sdickson@pooranlaw.com
Biography
Stephanie Dickson is a passionate social justice lawyer who advocates for the rights of people with disabilities. She has years of experience working on disability and poverty-related legal issues. Stephanie joined PooranLaw in August 2019 to spearhead our specialized legal services in southwestern Ontario. Her practice includes: Disability Law & Decision-Making Rights, Wills, Estates & Trusts, Consent, Capacity and Legal Decision-Making, Social Benefits, and Not-for-Profit/Charitable Corporate Governance.
Stephanie manages the firm’s pro bono legal services, the I Decide Law Program. Through this program, Stephanie and our team help people with intellectual disabilities to advocate for their decision-making rights and to stay safe from all forms of abuse, up to and including human trafficking.
Prior to joining PooranLaw, Stephanie worked as a staff lawyer in community legal clinics in London and Windsor.
Stephanie has also worked as a triage lawyer for Pro Bono Ontario’s Medical-Legal Partnership with Children’s Hospital – LHSC. In that role, she helped families to identify and resolve legal problems impacting a child’s health or the family’s ability to care for their child. She advised families on a variety of legal issues, including employment matters, access to public and private benefits and estate planning. Stephanie began her legal career in Class Actions at a law firm in London, Ontario, where she practiced for nearly four years.
Stephanie has particular interests in soccer, music, travel, languages and cultures. She is able to serve her clients in both English and French.
Community involvement and advocacy work
- Co-Chair, Steering Committee for the As Safe As Possible anti-human trafficking initiative through Community Living Essex County, (2018 – 2020)
- Coach, Social Paediatrics Program, Children’s Hospital – LHSC (2017 – 2019)
Awards
- Community Living Windsor’s Community Service Award, in recognition of her work in promoting an inclusive society for people who have an intellectual disability, (2019).
Publications
- Brendon Pooran, Stephanie Dickson and Saquiba Rahman. “Guardianship as a Last Resort,” Estates, Trusts & Pensions Journal (2021), 40 E.T.P.J. 239.
- Stephanie Dickson and Melanie Battaglia. “Child Support for Adult Children and Children with a Disability: The Impact of ODSP, the Disability Tax Credit, RDSP and RESP” Canadian Family Law Quarterly (2021), 40 C.F.L.Q.