Anna Lichty is a bilingual lawyer and partner at RavenLaw, where she focuses her practice on employment, human rights, and labour law. She represents both employees and unions, and regularly handles matters involving wrongful dismissal, severance packages, long-term disability benefits, and discrimination.
She appears before various courts and administrative tribunals, including the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board, the Social Security Tribunal of Canada, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal and professional disciplinary committees such as the College of Nurses, the College of Teachers and the College of Pharmacists.
Before practising law, Ms. Lichty held several positions in the federal public service, including as an analyst at the Canada Border Services Agency and as a parole officer with Correctional Service Canada. She also worked as a flight attendant with Air Canada, a testament to her versatility and client-centred approach in her legal work.
Passionate about sports and the outdoors, Anna enjoys practising triathlon in her spare time. She loves running along the Rideau Canal, cycling in Gatineau Park, and spending time with her family and friends.
Dana-Kaye Matthews is a bilingual lawyer specializing in labour, employment, and human rights litigation. She attended McGill Law, where she served on multiple legal clinics and acted as the Co-Editor in Chief of the Black Canadian Law Journal. Called to the Ontario bar in 2026, her practice is rooted in pairing rigorous research and strategic analysis with empathetic, client-focused service.
When she isn’t in the office, Dana-Kaye is likely hunting for a “hidden gem” at a local estate sale or thrift shop, singing a showtune or wobbling on her new roller skates.
Alison McEwen maintains a national practice for a variety of union clients across Canada, with a focus on Ottawa and Eastern Ontario. She exclusively works for union clients and individual employees, with experience at the Supreme Court of Canada, Federal Court and Court of Appeal, the Ontario Superior Court, as well as at the Ontario Labour Relations Board, arbitration, mediation, and the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. In representing her clients, Alison feels strongly about ensuring those with less power have a voice and are properly represented. She does not, and will not, represent employers.
She develops a good relationship with her clients and understands what is important to them to ensure solutions that work best for her clients.
Alison also has extensive experience negotiating collective agreements and has advised her union clients in numerous other collective bargaining problems.
For ten years, Alison was a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa Faulty of Law teaching the Employment Law course in the English common law program.
Outside of the office, Alison’s major interest is equestrian events, specifically show jumping, and is active on the provincial competition circuit.
EMILY MCBAIN-ASHFIELD practices in the fields of labour, administrative, and human rights law.
Emily received her law degree from the University of Ottawa in 2021 and was awarded the Common Law silver medal.
Prior to joining RavenLaw LLP as an associate, Emily completed her articles working as a judicial law clerk at the Court of Appeal for Ontario. In 2024, Emily was appointed Commission Counsel to the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions.
Sarah Millman is based in the firm’s Toronto office. She practices in the areas of labour and employment, human rights, administrative law, and constitutional law. Sarah is dedicated to advocating with workers and unions to assert their rights.
Before joining the firm, Sarah worked as a policy analyst for First Nations’ leadership on the West Coast, providing strategic advice to support the advancement and implementation of Aboriginal title, rights, treaty rights, and the right to self-determination. Sarah received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto as a Bragg Loran Scholar and continues to be involved with the Loran Scholars Foundation as a volunteer. She holds a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School and an LLM in Human Rights and Criminal Justice from Queen’s University Belfast, where her thesis was focussed on anti-carceral approaches to sexual violence.
While at Osgoode, Sarah was a Case Worker in the Workers’ Rights Division of Parkdale Community Legal Services, advocating alongside non-unionized workers in matters before the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, and provincial courts, and contributing to systemic advocacy to enhance the legal protections available to workers. Her academic writing has appeared in the Alternative Law Journal and she has expertise writing policy submissions aimed at all levels of government.
Sarah is passionate about ensuring clients feel their voices are heard in legal processes and committed to leveraging the law in solidarity with social movements.
Claire Michela litigates grievances and negotiates collective agreements for unions. She also provides individual advice and representation on human rights issues. She digs in to understand your workplace and its challenges, to help you solve them at the local level.
Claire completed her articles with RavenLaw before joining as an Associate in 2021.
Claire has been involved with labour organizing since 2014, as a representative of her union local made up entirely of casual employees. While there, Claire was responsible for her local’s grievances, launched a pay equity complaint, and negotiated two Collective Agreements, resulting in retroactive increases to thousands of employees.
In her spare time, Claire enjoys playing the piano, skating, kayaking, and hiking.
Year of call: 2020 (Manitoba), 2024 (Ontario)
2019: Juris Doctor (University of Manitoba)
2014: Bachelor of Arts (University of Winnipeg)
Professional organizations:
- Canadian Bar Association
- Manitoba Bar Association
- Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers
Ryan Nerbas is born and raised in Winnipeg, and he practices employment, human rights and administrative law from RavenLaw’s Winnipeg office. Ryan is dedicated to supporting workers through conducting severance package reviews, advising on wrongful terminations and representing workers in court and before administrative tribunals where necessary.
Prior to joining the firm, Ryan received his law degree from the University of Manitoba where he received academic awards in tort law and advanced oral advocacy. After graduating law school, Ryan articled and worked as an associate at the largest litigation boutique in Winnipeg for several years, where he represented workers in wrongful termination proceedings, conducted severance package reviews, appeared as independent counsel for victims of sexual violence in the Provincial Court of Manitoba, and litigated a wide variety of complex disputes before the Court of King’s Bench and the Manitoba Court of Appeal, in addition to successfully representing clients before a number of administrative tribunals.
In his spare time, Ryan enjoys spending time with his friends and family, wrangling his two cats, Frank and Alfie, and participating in recreational sports.
Kyra Nicolacopoulos (she/they) is a lawyer based in RavenLaw’s Ottawa office. Kyra currently maintains a broad practice which centers labour, employment, and human rights issues.
Prior to entering the legal profession, Kyra cultivated her passion for advocacy through research and activism with the queer community in Southwestern Alberta. Her appreciation for unions also lies in Alberta, where she was a unionized public library worker for ten years.
In her spare time, Kyra enjoys softball, open world video games, and hanging out with her cats.”
