Susan M. Kootnekoff

Founder of Inspire Law

Susan Kootnekoff is the founder of Inspire Law. Susan’s diverse legal career spans over 25 years. During this time she has gained experience in a variety of areas of the law, including employment law, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, human rights , education law and privacy.

Susan is a roster lawyer with both Stand Informed, a program offering free confidential legal advice to survivors of sexual assault in British Columbia, and Sexual Harassment Advice, Response, and Prevention for Workplaces (SHARP), a program offering free confidential legal advice to help people deal with workplace sexual harassment.

Susan also sits on the LSBC Tribunal, an adjudicative body which hears disciplinary and other matters relating to lawyers in British Columbia.

She has provided legal assistance to people whose lives have been adversely impacted by restrictive government policies arising out of fears over covid-19.

For several years, Susan authored a legal column which was widely carried across the interior of B.C. Modified versions are found at https://inspirelaw.ca/publications/.

Previously, Susan served as in house corporate counsel with a major corporation and as counsel with a regulatory agency. She also has knowledge and experience in securities law. Her diverse background allows her to draw on a broader base of knowledge and experience than is typical in today’s legal profession.

Susan holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Arts degree (in public administration with a minor in political science) from the University of Saskatchewan.  She has been a member of the Law Society of Alberta since 1994 and the Law Society of British Columbia since 2015. In Alberta, Susan practiced various areas of law in both Calgary and Fort McMurray. Living and practicing in Fort McMurray made a lasting impression on Susan.  It was in this isolated and unique community that her interest in employment law took hold.