illuminating the past
inventing the future
Anita Odessa is dedicated to helping clients unveil our past and innovate our future.
With over two decades of complex business, technology, intellectual property and privacy law expertise gleaned as a partner at one of Canada's leading international Bay Street law firms and at the helm of her own boutique corporate-commercial law practice, Anita is uniquely positioned to guide clients who are revealing the old and creating the new.
A trusted advisor to clients ranging from creators, researchers and start-ups to academic institutions, health care organizations, governments and global corporations, Anita advises on complex legal matters that are moving society forward and require out-of-the-box thinking and creative solutions.
Anita's expertise has been called upon nationally and internationally to speak on topics relating to technology, privacy and bioethics. Her book, E-Commerce Law: Corporate-Commercial Aspects has been described as an important work in the area of Computer and IT Law. She has served as a Director of the Canadian IT Law Association, the Toronto Computer Lawyers' Group and the Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board -- in the latter case, providing legal and ethical oversight for multi-centre cancer clinical trials across the Province of Ontario.
Anita holds a post-graduate certificate in Indigenous Peoples and Canadian Law and is keenly interested in applying her skills towards projects led by and in consultation with Indigenous communities, including in the area of heritage and archeology law, as we work together to re-tell an authentic, accurate and inclusive history of Canada.
Anita advises clients who are using knowledge, creativity and connectivity to take our world to the next level. Examples of her work include:
a wealth of strategic insight and negotiation expertise
Telehealth for Remote Communities: Represented a publicly-funded telehealth services provider in the negotiation of its picture archiving and telecommunications system (PACS) agreement with a leading health informatics vendor.
E-Learning:
Advised a leading Canadian e-learning company in its sale to a publicly-traded US education delivery firm.
Social Media as a Support for Teachers:
Represented a start-up in its commercialization of a social media tool to help teachers share educational resources.
Transformation of Biowaste:
Advised a university in its joint venture with a major pulp and paper firm to remove effluent from its processes and transform it into a common and harmless ingredient used by the cosmetics industry.
Emergency Communication System:
Represented a municipality in its procurement and negotiation of a robust communication system for its emergency service providers.
Corporate Social Responsibility:
Acted as corporate counsel for a leading Canadian corporate social responsibility agency and advised on its eventual acquisition by a global consulting firm.
Social Connection for Seniors:
Advised a start-up in its development of an AI social connectivity platform for seniors living in long-term care and assisted living facilities.
Accessibility of Information for Patients:
Represented a hospital in its joint venture with a major telecommunications provider in the development of a tool to permit patients to access their own medical charts.