Our Team
About Sarah
Sarah was born in Halifax and grew up in Dartmouth, NS. She is the eldest of six children. She currently lives in Yarmouth, NS with her husband, Michael, and young daughter, Clara. She has a duck-toller retriever Piper who is a faithful office companion.
Sarah studied Philosophy and Biology at McMaster University, graduating summa cum laude in 2009. She gained a better understanding of the marine environment at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography where she spent four summers working as a tour guide. She then completed an LL.B. at Dalhousie University in 2012 with a specialization in Marine Law. Following law school, she articled with Wickwire Holm in Halifax and was called to the Nova Scotia bar in 2013.
In 2013 Sarah launched a partnership with fellow entrepreneur and “partner in crime” Natalie Clifford that grew from a mobile office into a vibrant practice with two self-sustaining offices in Halifax and Yarmouth. Over the years, Natalie was a loyal partner and helped Sarah to gain a better understanding of the many facets of injustice, particularly in relation to indigenous rights. Natalie stopped working as a lawyer in 2023, but she leaves an inspiring legacy of integrity and compassion in legal practice. After Natalie stopped practising, Sarah closed Clifford Shiels Legal and launched Shiels Marine Legal Services Inc. to focus her career on marine legal work.
Sarah maintains membership status with the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, the Canadian Bar Association, and the Canadian Maritime Law Association.
Support Staff
Our support staff are essential in keeping the firm running smoothly. They are on standby to assist with finding documents, closing transactions, and scheduling appointments.
Felicia Cottreau
Bookkeeper
Abbi Langille
Part-time Assistant
Piper
Official Greeter
Consultants
We are fortunate to have in-house experts to consult on maritime policy and indigenous rights. Our consultants support work on a given file when special insight is required.
Harold Shiels
Maritime Policy & Security