Annik Wills

Annik Wills joined LAO in 2015 as Senior Counsel, Criminal Litigation and in 2018 became the Director General, Eastern Region where she was responsible for the oversight of legal aid services. She has contributed to several organizational initiatives, including the development of sustainable client service plans in response to the 2019 budget reductions and the COVID-19 pandemic. Annik has been an advocate for access to justice since her call to the bar in 2005 and has significant knowledge of LAO’s client services and the client experience. Prior to joining LAO, she practiced as a criminal defense counsel in both official languages, specializing in the defense of vulnerable clients before the Ontario Court of Justice, the Superior Court of Justice, and the Ontario Court of Appeal. Annik worked as counsel for a commission of inquiry led by The Honorable Frank Iacobucci, acted as review counsel in a community legal clinic, and has been a part-time professor in the University of Ottawa’s Common Law Program teaching in the areas of evidence and criminal law since 2013.