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Kelly Kowalski
Kelly Kowalski
Articling Student
604-974-9529
[email protected]

Kelly Kowalski is a litigation lawyer with a background in South African law. Originally admitted to practice in South Africa in 2018, she has spent several years working on cases in the South African High Court and advising clients on everything from family law to commercial disputes.

Kelly’s career has taken her from the courtroom to the classroom and back again. She completed a Master’s degree in constitutional and administrative law, graduating with distinction, and later earned an MBA while working full-time as an lawyer. That mix of legal training and business study has shaped how she thinks about her clients’ goals — not just winning a case, but helping people move forward with confidence in whatever outcome is eventually reached.

Kelly moved to Canada in 2024, following her husband’s relocation two years prior. Long distance and a bi-continental relationship were challenging, but, as with almost everything else in her life, the fact of the challenge only served to deepen the gratitude she feels to finally be here today, and helped take her depth for personal understanding, patience and communication to a higher level. It is Kelly’s current dearest personal ambition to have a house with a garden and reading nook, and to become mother to at least two cats in the future.

Approach

Kelly takes a practical, people-first approach to practicing law. She focuses on being well-prepared and finding sensible solutions. Kelly spends time understanding each client’s situation, gathering the right information, and building a clear plan before making decisions. That careful groundwork helps avoid surprises and gives clients peace of mind.

Most importantly, Kelly puts people at the centre of her work. She takes time to explain legal issues in plain language. She also enjoys mentoring junior lawyers and helping them build their skills. For Kelly, good legal work isn’t just about technical knowledge — it’s about trust, communication, and logic – logic above all else, even in the face of heightened emotions and complicated relationships.

Kelly is curious, people-focused, and committed to making the law easier to understand. Teamwork is the foundation of Kelly’s approach to legal practice, and the client is the centre of the team, especially in something as personal as family disputes – the client really does know their own life best, and Kelly’s approach focuses on blending the client’s own knowledge and experience with the team’s legal knowledge and guidance to develop a plan and execute it.

Education
  • Bachelor of Laws (LLB), University of Cape Town
  • Master of Laws in Constitutional and Administrative Law
Languages
  • English
Achievements

Kelly has built a career on steady growth, strong academic results, and a commitment to client service. Academically, Kelly earned her law degree from the University of Cape Town, followed by a Master of Laws in Constitutional and Administrative Law, which she completed with distinction. While working as an attorney, she was awarded a full scholarship to complete a Master of Business Administration, which she finished alongside her legal practice.

Over eight years in practice in South Africa, Kelly has handled cases in family law, commercial law, insolvency, regulatory matters, and general litigation. She progressed from articled student to senior associate at her firm in Cape Town within five years, taking on increasing responsibility for client matters and case strategy.

VICTORIES

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Case Li v. Virk – 2023

Harry Saini was the successful counsel in the residential tenancy litigation case Li v. Virk at the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The Story In December 2018, Ms. Li agreed to pay the Landlord of a Richmond property $2500 for monthly rent There was a problem with one of the rooms, so the Landlord and Ms. Li revised the tenancy…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Case: L.C vs. E.S – 2017

Child Removal, International Custody, Parenting Time This was a case which made local, national and international headlines. It spans several countries and took more than 5 years to resolve. During those 5 years, the mother did not allow the father or her brother to see her. She kept on feeling around the world to make sure the father does not…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? S.C vs L.H – 2017

Groundbreaking case on Child Abduction, Wrongful Removal of Children and Wrongful Retention of Children. YLaw's latest BC Supreme Court Case has become one of the most important cases in the entire history of British Columbia on Child Abduction and Wrongful Removal. This case was reported on CBC, the Vancouver Sun, multiple child abduction websites, and later Leena was published with her story…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Ting vs. Wong – 2017

In yet another groundbreaking case in 2017, YLaw was able to obtain more than $116,000 in contempt fines in addition to special costs. This marks the highest family law contempt award in the history of British Columbia.  The Story - Contempt of Multiple Court Orders Ms. T's story was heartbreaking but beautiful at the end. She was left alone with her…

A SLEW OF VICTORIES, BUT WHO’S COUNTING? Case: Storey v. Terry – BC Court of Appeal – 2020

Leena Yousefi and Abib Ngom were successful counsel in the precedent-setting case of Storey v. Terry.  In this case, the wife applied for an unequal division of family property, an unequal division of family debt. Her Appeal was unsuccessful. As per the Court of Appeal: The appellant appeals a summary trial order providing for the equal division of the parties’…

View All Victories
Case: Storey v. Terry – BC Court of Appeal – 2020
Personal life

Kelly Kowalski is a litigation attorney with a background in South African law. Originally admitted to practice in South Africa in 2018, she has spent several years working on cases in the South African High Court and advising clients on everything from family law to commercial disputes.

Kelly’s career has taken her from the courtroom to the classroom and back again. She completed a Master’s degree in constitutional and administrative law, graduating with distinction, and later earned an MBA while working full-time as an attorney. That mix of legal training and business study has shaped how she thinks about her clients’ goals — not just winning a case, but helping people move forward with confidence in whatever outcome is eventually reached.

Kelly moved to Canada in 2024, following her husband’s relocation two years prior. Long distance and a bi-continental relationship were challenging, but, as with almost everything else in her life, the fact of the challenge only served to deepen the gratitude she feels to finally be here today, and helped take her depth for personal understanding, patience and communication to a higher level. It is Kelly’s current dearest personal ambition to have a house with a garden and reading nook, and to become mother to at least two cats in the future.

 

Get to Know Kelly

  • Favourite hobby: Exercise – weights, indoor climbing, swimming, dancing etc
  • Favourite book: Harry Potter series (light reading) and The Mandela Brief (more “serious”)
  • Biggest pet peeve: Slow walkers and excessive selfies / phone use whilst in company
  • Can’t live without: Sunlight and outdoor space
  • Favourite person: My baby bro
  • Favourite travel destination and why? Cape Town, South Africa because it’s home and it’s beautiful
  • What makes you happy? Quality time with special people

 

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