Rachel Sombach

RACHEL SOMBACH joined Black Burke Mayor LLP as an associate after articling at a full-practice law firm in Ottawa. She is passionate about advocating on behalf of marginalized individuals and promoting equitable experiences in both unionized and non-unionized workplaces.

Rachel graduated with a JD and specialization in Social Justice from the University of Ottawa and holds an Honours Degree in Global Development and Gender Studies from Queen’s University.

During her time in law school, Rachel worked with the Community Legal Services of Ottawa legal clinic to support the immigration applications of low-income individuals, and with the eQuality Project to create accessible legal knowledgebases and resources for survivors of Tech-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls. Rachel also acted as Co-Chair of OUTLaw, the 2SLGBTQ+ student association within the Faculty of Law, during which she assisted in founding the organization’s first nation-wide conference. Rachel states that her passion for workplace rights advocacy was largely inspired by her previous work in immigration law, as she saw first-hand how deeply workplace discrimination impacted her clients.

In her free time, Rachel provides pro bono legal support to facilitate sponsorships of LGBTQIA+ refugees. She also enjoys watercolour painting, cooking for her friends, and taking low-impact nature walks (which she insists should be characterized as “hikes”, though true hikers would likely disagree).

Rachel uses the pronouns she/her.