About

Chris is the Managing Director of the Legal Innovation Zone (LIZ) and the Law Practice Program (LPP), both housed at Toronto Metropolitan University.  Chris co-founded LIZ, Canada’s first incubator dedicated to legal startups, to help deliver better legal solutions to consumers.  It supports legal startups, R & D for law firms, businesses, organizations and government, and practical reform initiatives.  Chris led the development of the LPP, a modern approach to lawyer licensing authorized by the Law Society of Ontario.

Chris was elected as an Ontario MPP for London West from 2003-2013.  He was a member of Cabinet for all 10 years, serving as Minister in 5 Cabinet posts:  4 years as Attorney General, as well as Labour, Training Colleges and Universities, Aboriginal Affairs, and Energy.  He drove a number of change initiatives, such as Justice on Target (that reduced, for the first time in 18 years, the time to trial and the number of court appearances per criminal case), a health and safety initiative that reduced workplace injuries by 20 % in 3 years, the 4 Pillars of Family Reform, Civil Justice Reform, the largest funding increase in Legal Aid’s history, and was part of a new approach to indigenous relations recognized by the United Nations.  He also helped drive the implementation of the Reaching Higher investments in postsecondary education.

For 23 years before politics Chris practiced criminal defence and labour law.   He taught part-time for 10 of those years at Western’s Law School, and helped establish and became the first Chairperson of Neighbourhood Legal Services, London and Middlesex, which provides legal services to those who cannot afford them.

U of T Law and Cambridge U grad, Chris enjoys life with his wife, Wendy, and 2 daughters.  He also runs, and has run 3 Boston Marathons.

Jessica is the Startup Experience Ambassador at the Legal Innovation Zone. She is completing a BA in Psychology at TMU. 

Jessica has a diverse background, with experience working at various companies such as Bell and fundraising for various charities such as SickKids Hospital. She worked in several roles, gaining experience in tech sales, fundraising, facility management, fitness instruction and coaching.

Jessica is dedicated to connecting innovative startups with the right resources, opportunities and programs. She aims to “modernize the justice system” and follow through with the Legal innovation zones’ mission to support innovation agendas. 

In her spare time, she loves reading, working out, and enjoying nature.

Dr. Sasha Saunders is the Director of the Legal Innovation Zone (LIZ) at Toronto Metropolitan University. 

Sasha brings ten years of experience working in entrepreneurial education and venture creation support in Scotland. She joins the LIZ from the University of Stirling where she was most recently Head of Enterprise and responsible for the strategic development, operational and staff management of its "Enterprise Programme" – an institutional startup service with incubation that she helped build and latterly led her team to scale. 

Sasha holds a BA, an LLB in Scots Law, an MSc in International HRM and a PhD which explored appearance management in the careers of women lawyers.  Originally from Toronto, she is thrilled to return to her hometown to join the LIZ’s team and help support the creation of better solutions for the consumers of legal services. 

Aaliyah is the Marketing Ambassador at the Legal Innovation Zone. As of the 2024/2025 academic year, she will be completing her second year in the Business Management program at the Ted Rogers School of Management.

Aaliyah is devoted to creating innovative change and impact in her community and continues to do so through her contributions to Toronto Metropolitan University’s student society. Her goal continues to be fulfilled with her active involvement in student leadership roles within student-led groups and initiatives.

Her interest in working with the LIZ aligns with her passion for innovative change while building her experience with marketing strategy, digital branding, and the communication field.

Aaliyah carries this mindset forward outside of the LIZ and academic studies through her passion for building her digital brand designed for reading and enjoys fulfilling her Toronto-activity bucket list.

Hiba is the startup experience coordinator at the Legal Innovation Zone. She holds a Master’s degree in International Business from the Grenoble Graduate School of Business in France. Since 2009, Hiba has been part of multinational organizations in the corporate, education and non-profit sectors. During her experiences at L’Oreal, Endeavor and Toronto Metropolitan University, Hiba established a solid background in client servicing, project management, business development, communications and event planning.

Hiba is passionate about the startup landscape in Toronto, and has worked with startups from various industries to jump-start their businesses. She is eager to support Canada’s emerging generation of entrepreneurs and is interested in the merge of technology, community and innovation to disrupt the legal sector among others.

Having lived and worked in four different countries, Hiba is a nature lover and is passionate about traveling and the outdoors.