All-female team drives sexual abuse law forward

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Inside Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein, a powerhouse sexual abuse team, where trauma-informed advocacy, precedent-setting damages, and systemic reform are reshaping how Canadian courts and institutions respond to survivors of sexual violence

IT WAS early in Simona Jellinek’s now 30-year career when she realized that for many sexual assault survivors – who often spend years seeming to function while the trauma affects their health, relationships, work, and identity – the goal is not simply to “get through it.” They want their life back. That’s something Jellinek has never forgotten, and it drives her to this day. “I’ve dedicated myself to helping survivors both legally and through my advocacy work, and cannot imagine a more meaningful career,” Jellinek says. Sexual abuse litigation isn’t simply personal injury work

“Representative leadership influences how firms think about judgment, credibility, and client service, particularly in areas that involve vulnerability and power imbalances”

Erin Ellis, Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein

with a different set of facts. The law is unique, institutional dynamics are different, evidence can be complicated, and the process can become re-traumatizing if it is handled poorly. It’s an extraordinary responsibility. “Navigating these situations is wrenching, yet it reinforces the importance of doing this work with care, precision, and humanity,” Jellinek explains. “Alongside the hardest moments, there are clients who tell me we helped them reclaim some part of their life. Those expressions are profoundly meaningful and remind me why this work matters so deeply.”

In such a high-stakes area of practice, nothing less than first-rate advocacy – strategic, rigorous, and with discipline – will do. That mindset evolved into Jellinek Law Office, founded in 2006. Jellinek and her team joined forces in 2022 with Charles Gluckstein at Gluckstein Lawyers to create the sexual abuse team now known as Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein. Its foundational premise remains unchanged and attracts like-minded practitioners. For associate Ivanna Iwasykiw, who grew up the eldest of five daughters where fairness and respect were ingrained in her, law school empowered her to help people thrive after conflict

and trauma. Joining Jellinek “was like finding a home from which I could do the important work I felt called to do my entire life,” Iwasykiw recalls, noting that the firm’s ethos dovetailed with her own values. “The team here has always operated from the belief that survivors are people first and deserve compassion and dignity.” Iwasykiw credits Jellinek with turning the practice area from something small and relatively unknown to what it is today. The team also happens to be all female – a powerful differentiator. While Jellinek is clear there’s no compromise on toughness or strategy, having all women at the table does change the temperature in the room. Even though men make up approximately half of the client base, they also prefer to work with women – even going so far as to request female clerks. Overall, clients report feeling safer and less judged, critically important especially in the early stages when trust is fragile and fear and shame can be overwhelming. “That dynamic matters because it affects the work,” Jellinek explains. A client who feels psychologically safe can participate more fully: giving clear instructions, engaging with evidence, preparing for examinations, and making informed decisions.

Linda O’Brien, senior counsel, sees the shared values as a massive benefit to clients. The lawyers also speak openly, understand each other, and provide the same support and empathy internally. The result is a team that’s collaborative to its core. “We jump in and assist each other as needed and all approach cases the same way, so clients know what they’re getting when they retain us,” O’Brien says. “We get issues clients may be struggling with in terms of children, family dynamics, employment, and attempting to juggle it all. The passion to serve and assist must be strong – and that’s what we provide.” Through a wider lens, an all-female team brings a unique perspective to advocating for victims of sexual violence within a justice system created by men, in an area where survivors are often targeted by men seeking to assert power and dominance. Emma Partridge, associate, says it gives her peace of mind that these sensitive cases will be treated with the respect they deserve. “My colleagues’ experiences as women inform their understanding of how patriarchy and the prevalence of violence affects all women and girls.”

“My colleagues’ experiences as women inform their understanding of how patriarchy and the prevalence of violence affects all women and girls”

Emma Partridge, Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein

Iwasykiw agrees, noting that as women, the team brings “a deep understanding of what it’s like to fight to have your voice heard and how to find power and use it, including against people who want to silence us.” “Working with strong, empowered women to support survivors through their healing journeys is a privilege,” she sums up. “We encourage our clients to find their own voice and power again.”

associate Erin Ellis, it’s less about gender itself and more about disrupting the traditional model of authority. “Representative leadership influences how firms think about judgment, credibility, and client service, particularly in areas that involve vulnerability and power imbalances,” Ellis says. “Those changes are often subtle, but they do affect how firms engage with clients and how the profession understands what effective leadership looks like.” Jellinek agrees, adding that with women at the helm, you often see stronger mentorship cultures, more collaborative file management, and greater attention to sustainability. It also changes who stays in the profession long enough to lead. “When leadership reflects the realities of the lawyers doing the work, firms are more likely to build environments where talented advocates grow and thrive,” Jellinek says. “That’s good for clients and the quality of service they receive, for firm performance, and for the profession’s credibility.” To that end, the team has advice for young women entering the profession – and they practice what they preach. For example, sometimes you must take a case simply because it’s the right thing to do; find people, such as the women behind Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein, who encourage that sentiment. Jellinek also encourages new lawyers to protect reputations early because careers are long, and “integrity is not a branding exercise,” she warns, but the foundation of trust. “Be ambitious, but be intentional,” Jellinek adds. “Place your excellence in environments that invest in you as a professional, not just as a lawyer that bills. And choose mentors who will teach you, back you, and tell you the truth, not just assign you work.” Partridge can speak to finding exactly that kind of guidance at Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein, both from her colleagues and the people they advocate for. “Every day I learn from my clients – from their resiliency, tenacity, and courage,” Partridge says. “The population we serve has been the biggest teacher for me as a junior lawyer early in my career.”

Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein: an all-female powerhouse

The importance of female leadership

Published February 16, 2026

“I’ve dedicated myself to helping survivors both legally and through my advocacy work, and cannot imagine a more meaningful career”

Simona Jellinek, Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein

“The team here has always operated from the belief that survivors are people first and deserve compassion and dignity”

Ivanna Iwasykiw, Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein

“With a team as focused as we are on one specific area, it allows us to block out all other noise and focus on advocating in all its forms”

Linda O’Brien, Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein

For over 60 years Gluckstein Lawyers has been a beacon of hope and expert guidance for individuals and families navigating the complexities of personal injury law. With an unwavering commitment to justice, the firm has earned its place as one of Canada’s leading personal injury law firms. Our expertise extends to all areas of personal injury including but not limited to medical malpractice, motor vehicle accidents, birth trauma, sexual abuse, LTD claims, and class actions/mass tort claims. Gluckstein Lawyers was established with the foundational principle of putting people first. From our inception, our firm has prioritized advocacy for those who need it most – individuals impacted by life-changing injuries, trauma, or illness. This dedication stems from a deep understanding that behind every case is a person or family facing profound challenges in the aftermath of unforeseen circumstances.

Jellinek’s team built a deliberately trauma-informed practice model, with an emphasis on being practical and structured rather than performative. There’s an intake specialist with a social work background, client liaisons as a consistent point of contact, and regular check-ins. “We pace the process where we can, prepare clients meticulously, and push back on tactics that are designed to intimidate, overwhelm, or weaponize credibility myths,” Jellinek explains. “That’s not softness – it’s strategic excellence.”

Beyond how the team delivers its services to clients, an all-female roster shapes the narrative more broadly. For senior

One of the hardest lessons in this practice area is that even diligently running files in a trauma‑informed way doesn’t always offset the brutally unforgiving process of a system that wasn’t designed with survivors’ needs in mind. Jellinek recalls “more clients than I wish to admit” attempting to harm themselves during litigation, with some tragically succeeding. “Each time, I review the file exhaustively, asking what I could do differently to better support future clients. Often the answer is that my ability to change the outcome was limited, because we’re still operating in a system that can cause pain while we try to help.”

Shaping and advancing sexual abuse litigation in Canada

From the beginning of her practice, Jellinek has been relentless in effecting meaningful change at a systemic level. Over the last few decades, there’s been incremental improvements to access to justice for survivors – with Jellinek often at the forefront of the movement. In 2016, for example, the Ontario government removed limitation periods for sexual abuse claims, recognizing that it can take survivors years or even decades to be ready to confront the trauma they experienced. Jellinek and her team were directly involved in advocating for that change, which codified the principle that “it takes as long as it takes” for survivors to be ready to pursue accountability. More recently, courts are better appreciating the unique, often lifelong impacts of sexual violence. In the last few years, the lawyers at Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein have secured several precedent‑setting decisions in which judges have granted significantly higher damages awards, including for what were once dismissed as “one‑time” assaults. “We are constantly mindful of developing jurisprudence that will benefit survivors and contribute to building a civil system that is less hostile to survivors and more responsive to their unique needs,” Partridge notes, and the team persists in actively advocating for changes to legal doctrines that still disadvantage these clients. The team is also dedicated to education and thought leadership, aware of the power they hold in shaping public awareness and legislation when they take up survivor‑centred initiatives. O’Brien sees Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein as uniquely positioned to move that needle. “With a team as focused as we are on one specific area, it allows us to block out all other noise and focus on advocating in all its forms,” O’Brien says. Ellis sees Jellinek Ellis Gluckstein’s case work, particularly in complex claims involving institutional defendants, as foundational to the development of sexual abuse litigation. By consistently bringing well‑prepared cases, the firm tests how existing legal principles around liability and damages are applied in real‑world settings. “That kind of fact‑driven litigation is how the law in this area tends to move,” she says, but adds efforts are not limited to the court room. The team also engages in policy and legislative discussions. “Taken together, it clarifies institutional responsibility and shapes how sexual abuse claims are addressed across the civil justice system,” Ellis explains. Jellinek is proud of how she’s advanced sexual abuse litigation in Canada and of the team she’s built to carry that torch. She underscores that the work is far from over; the firm will continue to set and raise the standard for what best practice looks like. “The direction of travel is clear: this is specialized litigation requiring specialized, trauma‑informed excellence, both because the clients are uniquely vulnerable and because the legal issues are uniquely complex,” Jellinek says. Iwasykiw sees their team as ahead of the curve, noting that as the legal community opens more discussion around trauma‑informed practice, “they’re turning to us for leadership on how to pivot their practices towards being more human.” “The practice area will continue to evolve to better support survivors through the justice process,” she explains. “We will continue to be at the forefront of that evolution.”

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