Mercedes Perez

About Mercedes Perez

Mercedes is a lawyer and founding partner of PBP Lawyers. She has extensive litigation experience, having represented clients before a range of administrative tribunals and at all levels of court in Ontario, Federal Court and the Supreme Court of Canada. Her practice is diverse and includes mental health and capacity law, elder law, Charter litigation, civil actions, coroners’ inquests, guardianship proceedings, disability and accommodation disputes, and victim representation in criminal sexual assault matters.

Mercedes has experience representing clients in high profile cases, including at the Mass Casualty Commission in Nova Scotia. She has also argued precedent-setting Charter cases. P.S. v. Ontario, for example, was a successful constitutional challenge to the Mental Health Act resulting in significant amendments to this legislation, as well as to the structure and jurisdiction of the Consent and Capacity Board. Regional Municipality of Waterloo v. Persons Unknown and to be Ascertained and Corporation of the City of Kingston v. Doe were successful Charter cases limiting municipal powers to evict homeless individuals from outdoor encampments.

As a reflection of her deep expertise in mental health related law, Mercedes has received numerous amicus curiae appointments from the Ontario Court of Appeal in forensic psychiatry and capacity appeals. She also co-instructs the Law and Psychiatry course at Osgoode Hall Law School. As a member of the Mental Health Legal Committee, Mercedes has prepared submissions on proposed provincial and federal legislative reform bills. She has been a frequent speaker on capacity, constitutional and administrative law matters at law conferences and continuing legal education programs.

Mercedes received her law degree from McGill University and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2003. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago. She has held appointments as a Director of the Boards of several charitable organizations in Ontario and the United States. Before co-founding PBP Lawyers, Mercedes worked for non-governmental organizations in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador, at EcoJustice and at a boutique advocacy firm in Toronto.