Lisa Gunn commenced her post-secondary education as a music major (saxophone) at the University of Western Ontario with dreams of becoming the next Charlie Parker. After some twists and turns and a brief spin in the world of Visual Arts, Lisa graduated in June of 1993 with a BA (Hons) in English and History. While the logical choice was always for Lisa to pursue a career in law, Lisa resisted that
decision in the summer of 1993 toying with the idea of a permanent career as a groom enjoying early mornings on the backstretch of the Woodbine racetrack. If asked to describe her crowning achievement during law school, Lisa will probably neglect to mention the 1995 2nd Year 8-Ball Billiard Tournament or her role as editor of the underground anonymous newspaper In Obiter. Lisa was the proud recipient of the Bereskin & Parr Prize for the highest mark in an Intellectual Property course – not of course for her performance on a final examination but because of her analysis of the 1994 United States Supreme Court decision that considered whether 2 Live Crew’s song “Pretty Woman” parodied (or desecrated) Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman”. Lisa articled at a small boutique law firm in Toronto with a focus on condominium, construction and commercial litigation. She was called to the bar in February of 1998 and accepted a position as an associate with the firm where she articled. In early 2000, Lisa joined the London, ON office of McCarthy Tetrault where she remained until February of 2005. For the next year, Lisa was an Assistant Crown Attorney in Chatham-Kent. She enjoyed being approached (accosted) by parents of accused persons in the parking lot in the mornings offering their release plans for subsequent consideration in bail court. After only one incident of vehicle vandalism, Lisa left the Crown’s Office to join her father’s law practice in St. Thomas, ON where she practiced for just shy of 10 years before opening her own practice on June 1st, 2015. Lisa practices both criminal defence and civil litigation.
