Jen Danch

Jen’s interest in social justice law emerged from her 10+ year career as a front-line social worker. She holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto and obtained her Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall  Law School. 

Jen previously worked as a lawyer at the Ontario Human Rights  Commission, advancing the Commission’s systemic advocacy on racial profiling,  barriers to employment for refugees, poverty, and the Right to Read Inquiry. She continues to represent clients who have been discriminated against in human rights cases.

In 2023, Jen was counsel in two successful constitutional challenges to the eviction of homeless encampments in Waterloo and Kingston.

A significant portion of Jen’s practice is dedicated to representing victims of violence, sexual assault and child abuse. This involves advocacy in criminal proceedings and pursuing civil claims against the perpetrators and the institutions that facilitated the abuse.  She is a cofounder of Legal Advocates Against Sexual Violence (LASV).

Jen is passionate about elder law and assists clients in navigating disputes about how to make personal care and financial decisions for family members under the Substitute Decisions Act, 1992. She frequently represents allegedly incapable persons and has been appointed amicus curiae in various contexts.

Jen has completed the Sitt Feld Handy alternative dispute resolution course from the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law. She applies her conflict resolution and mediation skills to her estate, guardianship, mental health, and consent & capacity law work.

This past year, Jen represented the family of the late Attila Csanyi in a Coroner’s Inquest.  Attila was a young Romani man from Hamilton, Ontario who died of a drug overdose after being unlawfully evicted from a Residential Care Facility (RCF) at the beginning of the COVID-10 pandemic. The 21 jury recommendations call for enhanced tenant protections for residents living in RCFs across the province.