Until recently, organizational policies were mostly drafted in “legalese” with little involvement from anyone who actually uses them. As a result, policy manuals gather dust in between their annual pro forma Board approval votes.

I bring fresh energy to policy development! Policies are guiding documents, articulating the foundational principles of our work and facilitating problem-solving and decision-making. Rather than dusty, they should be pinned to our desktops for easy reference!

Have you considered revising your employment policies so they speak authentically to your employees about their value and rights within the organization? Do you deal with controversial or sensitive issues in your day-to-day? Do you need to review your existing policies for inclusivity? Are there risks you need to mitigate? I can help.

You feed me the substance; I’ll take care of the drafting! We can make it a creative, interactive creation process with your community, or I can carry it forward pretty independently working from your existing documents. That’s the benefit of having a policy nerd on your side.

Whatever the format, I can make it happen for you.

I use accessible language and design communications to engage your audiences. My speciality is explaining the legal stuff in terms you can understand. I want you to own and use the content.

The Muslim Legal Support Centre (MLSC), a project of the Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association (CMLA), required assistance with its organizational development, in order to build the MLSC into a more effective and sustainable institution. This included the formalization of our policies and practices. Alison was instrumental in helping us get from point A to Z — from narrowing down our vision and mission, to developing our roadmap and associated organizational policies. Our team appreciated that she was easy to work with, adapted to our ideas, and took an innovative approach.

Saquiba Rahman
Board of Directors, Canadian Muslim Lawyer's Association

Faced with the important but daunting task of drafting a new employee handbook and updating various organizational policies to better reflect our values, I knew I needed to find a special kind of writer. I was delighted when a colleague introduced me to Alison. She just got it — our style, the relevant laws and regulations, and our distinct organizational priorities and needs.

She dove into the background materials and began drafting. In no time, she had drafts ready for us to review, complete with design suggestions. Alison’s support throughout this significant project enabled us to produce clear, progressive, comprehensive policies with a minimum of stress and fuss. I highly recommend her services.

Daniel Lesage
former Director of People & Culture, MakeWay

It was an absolute privilege to have the opportunity to work with Alison. She is a brilliant legal researcher who did exceptional work for our organization. She developed several ground-breaking organizational policy approaches that were the first of their kind in Canada. Her ability to work respectfully and collaboratively with an organization that serves racialized women also speaks to her incredible commitment to social justice issues and demonstrated true allyship.  

Notisha Massaquoi
Former Executive Director, Women's Health in Women's Hands Community Health Centre