Shaela W. Rae Associate

Shaela W. Rae

Shaela Rae is an associate lawyer in Gowling WLG's Ottawa office and a member of the firm's Business Law Department. She focuses her practice chiefly on corporate governance, capital financing and mergers & acquisitions - with a strong emphasis on the tech, FinTech and blockchain sectors. She complements this focus with experience in the business side of estate and succession planning, particularly with respect to the growing field of digital and cryptoasset planning.

Shaela is regarded for her ability to leverage sophisticated technologies in the execution of complex corporate transactions. From digital closing rooms and e-signatures, to VDRs and AI-facilitated due diligence, she operates at the forefront of her profession - saving her clients significant time and money in the process.

Over the course of her career, Shaela has spoken and published widely on a range of topics related to fintech and the regulation of crypto assets in particular. Most recently, she co-authored an article in the Banking and Finance Law Review titled "Crypto Asset Trading in Canada: Entering a New Era of Regulation."

With the benefit of a French civil law degree and having studied South American civil law in Chile, Shaela offers legal services in English, French and Spanish.

Prior to attending law school, Shaela worked as a correctional officer. She subsequently summered and articled at a large, full-service law firm in British Columbia and clerked for the Chief of Chambers at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Shaela also worked at a national law firm prior to joining Gowling WLG.

As an active participant in her community, Shaela was involved in the political lobby for the creation of the Registered Disabilities Savings Plan and raised large sums for charities supporting Canadians with disabilities.

Shaela is an avid sports enthusiast and plays high-level softball and volleyball (beach and court). She trained with Team Canada (softball) and is a former assistant coach to the BC Special Olympic softball team.