Michelle Zare

Michelle started her career as a paralegal over 20 years ago, and in 2009, she established Zare Paralegal Services. She is passionate about her work, and advocates through a trauma informed lens. She has extensive experience with appeals before the WSIB Appeal Services Division, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT) and CPP Disability Appeals before the Social Security Tribunal.

While she represents injured workers across all industries in the Province of Ontario, Michelle has developed a specialty in claims involving psychological injuries, particularly among First Responders. Michelle enjoys taking on the cases that really test the limits of WSIB law and policy and has a number of published decisions in that regard.

In addition to her daily advocacy work, Michelle stays on top of the developments in the ever-evolving world of WSIB jurisprudence. Since 2012, she has co-chaired the annual Workers’ Compensation Program through the Law Society of Ontario and has been a co-chair and speaker at several conferences held by the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Ontario Bar Association. From 2019-2020, Michelle was a part-time Professor in the Paralegal Studies Program at Mohawk College. She continues to be an active member of the Mohawk College Paralegal Program Advisory Committee.

Outside of her work as a Paralegal, Michelle is currently the Law Society appointed member on the Central-West Justice of the Peace Appointments Advisory Committee. She is also a member of the WSIAT Advisory Group, which is a group consisting of major stakeholders in the workplace safety and insurance system. The mandate of the Advisory Group is to act as a consultative resource for the Tribunal, and provide perspectives on a range of issues that rise before the Tribunal.