Meet Our Team

Our Lawyers

Kerri-Ann Robson, B.A. (hons), LL.B

Kerri-Ann attended Mount Allison University, graduating in 2000. She then attended Dalhousie University and graduated in 2003. Kerri articled with Carruthers & MacDonell and was called to the bar in June 2004.

Kerri grew up in East Hants and attended Hants East Rural High School. She currently resides in East Hants corridor with her husband, step daughter and three teens. Kerri is involved in the local community; as a coach for East Hants Basketball, and sitting on various boards such as the East Hants Sports Heritage Society. The remainder of her non-work time is spent driving her children to various practices and tournaments around the province and hiking with her dog, Stewie.

Kerri has a general practice in the areas of family law, divorce, child support, corporations, criminal law, real property transactions, wills and estates.

Kerri values a collaborative and practical approach to solving problems on behalf of her client, while remaining a strong advocate to litigate as required.

M. Ann Levangie, B.A., LL.B

Ann was called to the bar in 2004 and has spent her career practicing wills, estates and family law (including child protection). She approaches her practice with a straightforward and practical approach. She understands that not one size fits all and takes the time to get to know her client’s needs when working on their behalf.

Ann has lived over a decade in East Hants and has been in love with the community since she moved here. Ann was born and raised in Pictou County and has a no-nonsense approach to her life and practice, sprinkled with a sense of humour. Family means everything to Ann, and she understands the complexities of family and the importance of approaching matters with your family in mind.

Ann was a partner at a large law firm in Nova Scotia until 2017 when she went in-house as lead counsel for a child protection agency until the call of private practice drew her back to an estates and family law practice.

Throughout her career, Ann has been a regular presenter on issues related to wills and estates, family law and child protection law. She is a former lecturer at Mount Saint Vincent University. She has chaired the Elder Law section of the CBA and was a founding co-chair of the Women’s Forum at the Nova Scotia CBA. She has served on the CBA provincially and nationally in various capacities. She is the co-author of the Annotated Children and Family Services Act, published in fall 2023, writing the chapter on Indigenous child protection in Nova Scotia.

In her off time (when she is not on the river) she spends her time travelling (both locally and abroad) with her family and/or in nature, often doing so in her oasis on the Shubenacadie River with her wife, two dogs (Sherman and Rudy) and her cat (Tilly).

Vanessa Kinnear, JD

Vanessa has a general practice in the areas of criminal law, family law (including separation, divorce, child support and child protection matters), civil litigation, real property transactions, wills and estates. Vanessa cares deeply about ensuring that her clients are well informed at every stage of their legal proceeding. You can rely on her to listen to you and to lead you with calm confidence. She prides herself on working with her clients to find practical solutions that help them achieve the result they desire as efficiently as possible.

Vanessa graduated from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in 2019 with a Juris Doctor degree. In her second year of law school, Vanessa was selected to represent the law school at the McKelvey Moot, a regional competitive mock trial. Following her graduation from law school, Vanessa joined Carruthers MacDonell & Robson in June 2019, articling under Kerri-Ann Robson. She was called to the bar in June 2020, and began as an Associate at the firm following her call.

In 2020, Vanessa co-authored a peer reviewed article entitled “Mr. Big and the New Common Law Confessions Rule: Five Years in Review” which was published in the Manitoba Law Journal with Professor Adelina Iftene (Dalhouise Law).

Originally from Hamilton, Ontario, Vanessa and her husband quickly fell in love with Nova Scotia when they moved here in 2016. They now live in Windsor Junction, Nova Scotia with their two children and their dog.

Emily Annand

Emily grew up in Truro, Nova Scotia. She attended Acadia University in Wolfville, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2016 and was a three-time CIS Academic All-Canadian.

Following undergrad, Emily taught English as a Second Language in South Korea and spent time backpacking abroad.

Upon returning to Nova Scotia, Emily received her Juris Doctor degree from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in the spring of 2023. A highlight was working at the Dalhousie Legal Aid Clinic for a summer term in 2022.

Since May 2023, Emily has been completing her articles at Carruthers MacDonell & Robson, with a focus in the practice areas of family law and estate planning. She was called to the Bar in June 2024 and began as an Associate at the firm following her call. She looks forward to helping clients navigate emotionally charged situations with empathy and reach client-focused solutions.

In her spare time, Emily enjoys spending time at her family cottage on the North Shore, running the streets of Halifax where she lives with her partner, Corey, and their golden retriever, Basil, downhill skiing, dining out, or fitting pieces together in her latest jigsaw puzzle.

Our Staff

Stacey MacPhee

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER / ESTATE PARALEGAL
Since March 1989

stacey@carmaclaw.com

Areas of practice:
Estates

Jacki Chandler

PAYROLL AND ACCOUNTS MANAGER /
CORPORATE PARALEGAL
Since October 2006

jacki@carmaclaw.com

Areas of practice:
Corporate

Katie Williams

PROPERTY PARALEGAL
Since August 2020

katie@carmaclaw.com

Areas of practice:
Payroll and accounts, property (quotes, purchases, sales, mortgages, refinances, migrations, easements and rights-of-way, deeds)