Catherine (Kate) Eseonu
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
…Kate is a private practitioner specializing in Immigration Law, Family Law, Real Estate, Wills, and Estates. She provides contractual immigration services to Osuji & Smith Lawyers. Kate is also a Private Panel Family Lawyer with the Legal Services Board, Nunavut. Kate’s professional career began with a BA (Hons) in Linguistics from the Abia State university in Nigeria. After her graduation, she did go on to acquire a Law Degree from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and subsequently went to the Nigerian Law School to complete her bar admission program. Kate was called to the Nigerian Bar on May 08, 2008.
After the BAR ceremony, Kate’s law career kicked off as a Private Practitioner, during which she took on Spring Bank (Lagos Branch), Nigeria as her first client, providing them with contractual services in criminal matters and perfection of legal mortgages. During her time working for the bank, Kate gained a great deal of knowledge in finance, real estate, and accounting, which she has continued to develop in her journey as an entrepreneur. She went on to establish her law office in partnership with a senior lawyer in Nigeria, where she provides family law, immigration, corporate law, and adoption services. Through active participation and leadership in her Nigerian Law firm, Kate has been able to maintain her legal practice and licensure as a Nigerian bar member, to date, and continues to enrich her knowledge of the Nigerian law system through continuous learning. Kate has also supported numerous Nigerians in immigrating to Canada, Australia, and the USA through her active service in immigration in her Nigerian law office.
Kate immigrated to Canada in 2009 with her husband and six children. She temporarily took on a new career working on the front lines of child protection and social services. She was able to acquaint herself with the Canadian court systems and family law matters as a front-line staff.
Kate challenged the Law Societies of Canada NCA exam in November 2013. This was followed by a 12-month articling experience in Edmonton, where Kate worked in a Law Firm that specializes in immigration, legal drafting, research, real estate, Wills and Estates, and family law.
Immediately after articling, Kate went back to school and obtained a Master’s Degree in Conflict Analysis and Management at the Royal Roads University, Victoria BC, to enhance her conflict resolution skills. After graduating from the Master’s program, Kate secured employment at the Legal Services Board (LSB), Nunavut, in the areas of family law and child protection as an articling student. She was subsequently called to the Nunavut Bar in 2022. Kate also got admitted to the Law Society of Alberta, in 2022. This sums up her law licenses in 3 different Geographical Jurisdictions.
From working on the front lines with families and youth involved in the criminal justice system, taking on an articling experience dealing with a multicultural pool of clients, and providing supervised legal services up North, Kate has been able to develop and maintain strengths in providing culturally sensitive services, and provides mentorship and education to peers who may struggle with the skills, due to limited professional exposure to diverse populations.
Apart from her love for the law profession, Kate is passionate about human justice and fair treatment for all. When she is not in her wig and her gown, Kate spends her free time providing humanitarian services through volunteering with youth and family programs in both Canada and Nigeria.
EDUCATION
- MA, Conflict Analysis and Management
Royal Roads University, BC., 2021.- BL
Nigerian Law School, Enugu. 2008.- LLB Degree
Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, 2006.- B.A (Hons) Linguistics, 1993
Abia State University, Nigeria
MEMBERSHIPS
Nigerian Bar Association
Law Society of Nunavut
Law Society of Alberta
You may contact Kate via email [email protected] or phone 403-283-8018.
What People Say About US
“Charles was fantastic to work with! He was very professional, made sure I knew my options and supportive to the end. He successfully handled my employment matter and I would hire Charles again if needed.”
Aniedi Davidson at Osuji & Smith made our experience of incorporating interesting, accessible and hassle free. She took the time required to help us understand the process thoroughly and was very kind and friendly. Incorporating felt like a large task to us and she made it easy! I would highly recommend her services to anyone looking to incorporate their business.
Quite frankly, Osuji & Smith is the best. Charles and his team handled my Divorce process with ease. Their level of flexibility and professionalism is second to none! Would advise the general public to contact Osuji & Smith for all their legal needs.
I would like to thank Nitin Srivastava of Osuji & Smith for his help on my recent case. He was very professional and knowledgeable and helped me to make the proper decision regarding my case. I would recommend Nitin to anyone needing advice on labour and employment law.
My partner and I had a meeting with Charles today. He was very welcoming and so full of knowledge! Not only that but most importantly, honest. He helped us understand our situation and did so without us retaining him and charging us a ton of money! Such a different experience than any other lawyer I had dealt with in the city. He did not make us feel as if we were just a dollar sign and actually seemed to care. That is not common in lawyers. You’re awesome Charles and we would most definitely recommend you to anyone!
Charles Osuji has been my legal advisor for some time now. From the first day I met with him, I came to the conclusion that being brilliant and respectful has nothing to do with race or colour of skin. If you need a smart, efficient, competent, hardworking and professional lawyer, Charles Osuji embodies all these qualities. Charles is a very patient, considerate, hardworking lawyer that works 24/7 for the best interest of his client. He has been handling all my legal matters and has done an amazing job. I should note that he works with a dynamic and friendly team. I highly recommend him and his law firm, Osuji & Smith!
I had a great experience with Charles Osuji and his staff! Very professional and friendly and helpful. They are very reasonable with their hourly rates. I highly recommend Charles Osuji and Osuji & Smith to all my friends and anyone out there who is looking for professional help.
Had a great experience dealing with Charles. He looked after our best interests and finished our contract in good time. We will be using Osuji and Smith in the future.
Osuji and Smith handles all of our personal and business needs and we could not be happier with them. They are always available to answer any questions and provide sound advice. If you are looking for a great law firm, call them and they will take care of you every step of the way.
They are Excellent and I had a wonderful experience especially Mr. Charles! He is very friendly and explained us all the outcomes. And we won the case!
Charles and Colleen provided me with some legal and real estate services. They are very professional, competent and on time. Their fees are very reasonable too. I highly recommend Charles Osuji and to anyone looking for a competent and knowledgeable lawyer that can resolve your case quickly at a reasonable price. Thanks, Osuji and Smith for the excellent work!
We hired Charles to help us with Employment law. He was very knowledgeable on the matter, he worked very efficiently and he achieved a favorable result in a short period of time. He was also very reasonable priced. I highly recommend him to anyone in a need of legal advice and services.
I came to Osuji & Smith to review a commercial lease for my new business location. Charles and Alessia thoroughly reviewed my lease with me so that I understood it, and provided me specific notes about the present lease to take back to the landlord. Charles exceeded my expectations by also giving me additional tips on legal contracts on top of sharing some business advice that will be invaluable to the future of my business and my success as a new business owner. I feel the value I received from this office is why I will surely choose them again in the future.
I worked solely with Charles on an employment case that was very personal to me. From the get go he displayed nothing but the highest standard of respect, knowledge, case fact competency and actually cares about your interest & well being. Always reachable even whilst I was overseas in multiple countries. His consistency, experience, historic reference, and flawless case punctuality are very noticeable in the way he handled every single matter. I can’t thank him enough for his honest work, support, and dealings. Osuji and Smith law-firm is an amazing establishment. Thank you again, Charles.
Charles Osuji has been my legal advisor for some time. From the first day I met with Charles I came to conclusion that being brilliant and respectful has nothing to do with race or colour of skin. If you need a smart, efficient, competent, hardworking and professional lawyer, Charles embodies all these qualities. Charles is very patient, considerate, hardworking lawyer that works 24/7 for the best interest of his client. He has been handling all my legal matters and had done an amazing job. He works with a dynamic and friendly team. I highly recommend him and his law firm Osuji & Smith Lawyers.
I have used them once and all I can say is their services are top notch, didn’t have anything to complain about. Hence I will definitely recommend them to friends and family.
I had the opportunity to have Charles Osuji providing legal services for myself and I can say that he and his team dealt with my matter in a very professional way. They are very responsive and Charles worked even on a Sunday to have my issue solved as soon as possible. Reasonable priced and more than that, he offered me the most cost-efficient alternatives for my case. Highly recommend this law firm.
I hired Charles for a prenuptial agreement. He is amazing from day 1. Unlike other corporate family lawyers, Charles calls you back even after 9 pm and even on a Saturday or Sunday. You can directly talk to Charles anytime unlike other lawyers who are not so easy to talk. His prices are reasonable and he is very professional. I would highly recommend Osuji & Smith for your legal needs.
I worked with Charles and Colleen for the sale of my old home and the purchase of my new home. They were so wonderful to deal with. Very professional and helpful. I would highly recommend Osuji & Smith for your legal needs!
Charles is amazing. He handled my divorce efficiently and professional and put up with some craziness on my part. Would definitely recommend!