Our commitment is to provide steadfast support to our clients as they navigate the often-challenging journey towards legal immigration status and refuge in Turtle Island (Canada).
The leatherback turtle, known for its resilience and determination in traversing vast distances across the ocean, is our emblematic inspiration.
Fedora Mathieu – Founder
(She-Her)
Fedora brings a wealth of experience and a passion for human rights to her role as founder of Leatherback Law. With fluency in French, English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Brazilian Portuguese, Fedora is uniquely equipped to serve a diverse clientele with compassion and professionalism.
Since 2013, Fedora has worked as a lawyer in her own private practice in Montreal and Toronto, representing a variety of clients over the years (foreign workers and students, asylum seekers, etc.). Most recently, she practised as a refugee lawyer at Legal Aid Ontario. With over 10 years of experience, she regularly represents her clients dealing with Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) (link), before all levels of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) (link), and before the Federal Court of Canada (link).
Fedora Mathieu – Founder
(She-Her)
Fedora brings a wealth of experience and a passion for human rights to her role as founder of Leatherback Law. With fluency in French, English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Brazilian Portuguese, Fedora is uniquely equipped to serve a diverse clientele with compassion and professionalism.
Since 2013, Fedora has worked as a lawyer in her own private practice in Montreal and Toronto, representing a variety of clients over the years (foreign workers and students, asylum seekers, etc.). Most recently, she practised as a refugee lawyer at Legal Aid Ontario. With over 10 years of experience, she regularly represents her clients dealing with Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), before all levels of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), and before the Federal Court of Canada.
With a diverse background that includes teaching roles at various institutions such as Queen’s University and the University of Ottawa, and invitations as a speaker for continuing education events at both the Law Society of Ontario, and the Canadian Association for Refugee Lawyers, Fedora has honed her expertise in immigration and refugee law.
When she’s not practicing as a lawyer, Fedora is usually creating educative legal content on social media, taking a dance or yoga class, meditating or travelling with her family.
EDUCATION:
- 2014 – LL.M. University of Ottawa
- 2010 – LL.B. University of Montreal
MEMBERSHIPS:
Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL)
Refugee Lawyers Association
(RLA)
Association Québécoise des avocat et avocates en Immigration (AQAADI)
Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL)
(RLA)
Association Québécoise des avocat et avocates en Immigration (AQAADI)
Frequently asked questions
When you choose Leatherback Law, you can expect a comprehensive legal experience grounded in our core values of excellence, determination, and compassion. Our approach begins with a personalized consultation, where we'll listen attentively to your concerns and outline a tailored legal strategy designed to achieve your goals.
Throughout our partnership, you can count on regular updates and clear communication, ensuring you are informed and involved every step of the way. Further, we will approach your case holistically meaning that we will consider not just the immediate legal issue, but also its broader implications on your life.
We believe in empowering our clients by educating them about their rights and options, enabling them to make informed decisions. Working with us means entering into a collaborative partnership where your input is valued and respected.
With Leatherback Law, you're not just getting legal representation – you're getting a committed team dedicated to your immigration goals.
Leatherback Law is a virtual law firm which operates exclusively online, leveraging digital tools and technology to deliver legal services efficiently. Unlike a traditional brick-and-mortar law firm, our firm do not have a physical office space where you can meet in person with us. Instead, communication and collaboration occur through secure online platforms, email, phone calls, and video conferences.
Leatherback Law offers the same level of expertise, professionalism, and dedication to its clients as a traditional firm. The virtual model allows for greater flexibility, convenience, and accessibility, making it easier for clients to access legal assistance from anywhere in the world. Rest assured, your immigration matter will be handled with care and expertise by our team.
We do not offer free consultations. However, you can call us anytime to have a free evaluation call of 10 minutes to determine if you should book a consultation with us. Instead of a cursory assessment of your case in this initial call, we offer paid Consultations designed for maximum value and effectiveness.
Our Initial consultation is a fixed-fee process that involves up to 45 min of meeting time, in addition to the time that we spend reviewing the information that you provide to us in advance. During the meeting, we will:
1. Review your situation,
2. Explain the law,
3. Analyze how the law applies to your situation, and
4. Discuss your options and potential strategies.
The goal is to ensure that by the end of the Consultation you will have an understanding of: the legal principles involved, your rights and obligations, and the options and strategies available to you. This includes an assessment of the most efficient and cost-effective manner of proceeding moving forward. This initial meeting is perfect for you to get to know us, appreciate our expertise and approach, and determine if you feel comfortable working with us.
* Note that the fees for your initial Consultation will be credited if you retain our services for a document/Application review or a full representation within 30 days.
No. At the conclusion of the Consultation, you can decide whether you want to retain Leatherback Law to advise and represent you as you move forward or not. By that time, we will have discussed your situation, options and strategies, as well as how our fees work. If you choose to retain us, we will provide you with a Retainer Agreement tailored to your needs confirming the terms of our relationship.
To ensure that you get the most out of your Consultation:
- Before your meeting, be sure to send us any documents you think might be relevant to your case. This will allow us to get a sense of the issue beforehand, so that they can spend the time with you dealing only with the most important matters. Some examples of helpful documents are:
o Previous application and latest decision in your file, if applicable;
o Language test scores (if you have them) and resume, if you are looking to apply for Express Entry;
o Latest correspondence with the relevant authorities (Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada, Canadian Border Service Agency, Immigration and Refugee Board, etc.) - Create a timeline, especially in instances where you have already been dealing with the authorities.
- Come with an open mind. We know that many immigration and refugee matters can be emotional and difficult to be objective about. We will provide our professional opinion, but it might not always be what you were expecting. We promise to do our best to get you a result that you are happy with but we will always be honest with you about your options.
This flexible option aims to provide you with peace of mind and confidence if you chose to proceed with your application while unrepresented. It is a good option for visa or super visa applications, study or work permits, express entry, spousal sponsorships, PR cards renewals, or citizenship applications.
Simply send us your application, as you would submit it to Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada and our team will meticulously review it. We'll examine every aspect to identify any potential areas for improvement or concerns. After the review, we'll schedule a follow-up consultation to provide you with detailed feedback and recommendations. This personalized approach ensures that your application is as strong as possible, maximizing your chances of success.
*Note that:
- the fees for your initial Consultation or your document/Application review will be credited if you retain our services for a full representation within 30 days;
- that, at this time, we do not accept Legal Aid certificates; and,
- that we accept payments by instalments if the timeframe of your application allows.
Matters | Price point (excluding taxes, if applicable, and government filing fees) |
---|---|
Temporary residence
Other application
| Starting at 2800$ |
Permanent residence
Citizenship and other applications
Citizenship Application Litigation
| Starting at 3000$ |
Other applications
| Starting at 4000$ |
Permanent residence – Express Entry
Permanent residence - Other
Refugee Status
| Starting at 5000$ |
Litigation
| Starting at 6500$ |