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Our Team

The Connecting Ottawa team includes:

Raija Pulkkinen, LLM, Project Manager

Raija Pulkkinen is the Project Manager at Connecting Ottawa. She is a compassionate person and a born problem-solver whose legal career has focused on helping people understand and successfully navigate the legal system. Before becoming the Project Manager at Connecting Ottawa, Raija was Manager of Professional Development at the Canadian Bar Association and Manager of Legal Services at Reach Canada, an organization that provides legal educational and referral services for people with disabilities in Ottawa and the surrounding area. She was a member of the Commission Counsel team at the Cornwall Public Inquiry, which examined the response of public institutions to allegations of sexual abuse of young people in Cornwall. She has also worked as a research lawyer, focusing on human rights, labour, and administrative law. Before becoming a lawyer, Raija worked with vulnerable children and youth in the social services sector.

Liz Majic, MA, JD, Lawyer

Liz Majic is a Staff Lawyer at Connecting Ottawa. Prior to joining the team, Liz acted as Legal Counsel for a coalition of anti-poverty groups participating in the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and was the Interim Legal Education and Outreach Coordinator for the NGO Canada Without Poverty. Liz has extensive experience practicing law in community legal clinics in Belleville, Renfrew and Ottawa. 

Laura Chaves Paz, LLM, JD, Lawyer

Laura Chaves Paz is a Staff Lawyer at Connecting Ottawa. Prior to joining the team, Laura worked as a lawyer in private practice, specializing in immigration law, for almost ten years. Laura also has extensive international experience focusing on international law, human rights and criminal law. She has worked in different jurisdictions in the areas of litigation, legal research, policy and consulting for clients and organizations in Canada and abroad, including the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Central America, Asia and Africa.