Elsa is a Criminal Defense/International lawyer, and Facilitator at the RoundTable institute. She is passionate about blending her experience as a lawyer with her experience in social justice and racial equity advocacy to dismantle systems of oppression through dialogue and action.

Elsa has appeared at all levels of court, including the British Columbia Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada She was selected to work on the High-Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, the joint UK/Canadian Task Force, led by Amal Clooney. She is an active member of the International Bar Association, the International Human Rights Institute, and the International Society for Criminal Law Reform. Her international law interests include International Criminal Law, Media and Press Freedom, International Humanitarian Law, and International Human Rights Law.

Before she embarked on her legal career, a passion for international relations detoured her down a path that led to an MA in international law and security and experience at institutions including NORAD, NATO and Whitehall. It was while working at the United Nations in Rwanda, (managing a disarmament and reintegration program for militia soldiers from the office where Romeo Dallaire attempted to stop the genocide), that she came to truly understand both the importance of cultural humility and the power of law as a tool.

Elsa suffered setbacks early in her career after becoming disabled in a car accident but returned to practice while managing chronic pain. She has guest lectured at the Peter A. Allard School of Law (UBC) and speaks on panels, most recently GLC: Womxn in Law Series-ITLs, diversity and inclusion. She was asked to serve as a judge for the International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition (ICCMCC), the largest competition on international criminal law. She will be collaborating on a task force for a Summit on Antiracism, Diversity and Inclusion in 2022.