About The Law Firm

Dean Collett

Partner

Dean came to the profession as a second career after two decades of success as an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry. Driven by a strong desire to help people, especially those in crisis, and a long-held passion for criminal justice, Dean attended the finest Criminal Law School in Canada, Osgoode Hall. With a clear focus as to what kind of law he wanted to practice, Dean was in the Criminal Intensive program, as well as the Innocence Project, where he was able to pursue his passion of working on cases for clients who were wrongfully convicted. In his upper years, he was also honoured to be asked to become the Dean’s Fellow for Constitutional Law.

When Dean began his career in criminal law he was a sole practitioner, but always maintained a vision of building a powerhouse firm with other like-minded and driven lawyers with a passion for criminal defence work. In 2018 Dean teamed up with his fellow Osgoode Hall Criminal Intensive Program classmate Jessica Read. Jessica left a successful stint as a crown attorney in the Hamilton Crown Attorney’s office to build the firm they began talking about years earlier as classmates.

A strong and passionate advocate for his clients, Dean prides himself on getting to know his clients as people which he believes is an integral part of advocacy. He thrives in the office environment he and Jessica have created. They spend hours each day talking about their client’s cases and the law. Dean works exclusively in criminal law and has represented clients in all areas of criminal law, including as co-counsel on a trial where his client was charged with First Degree Murder that was successfully defended in a jury trial with an Acquittal in October of 2019. Fearless in the courtroom, Dean has fought and won trials for clients charged with very serious offences.

Dean is on the Executive Board of Directors of the Hamilton Criminal Lawyers Association, and is a member of the Hamilton Law Association and the Criminal Lawyers Association, as well as a former member of the Board of Directors of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Halton. Dean is proud to have been invited to be a guest lecturer for various classes at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Jessica Read

Partner

Jessica attended Osgoode Hall Law School where she was awarded a position in the Criminal Intensive Program. During the program she completed a student clerkship with the Honorable Justice Joseph F. Kenkel. Her time with Justice Kenkel strengthened her desire to be a fierce trial lawyer. Hard-wired to fight for individual rights, she always envisioned herself as such.

After graduating from Osgoode, Jessica was successful in beating out dozens of candidates and securing an articling position with the Crown Attorney’s office in Hamilton, where she honed her research skills, ran trials in provincial offences court and assisted senior lawyers on serious criminal matters including jury trials for sexual assault and first-degree murder. She spent time at the Centre of Forensic Science with senior Crowns across the province learning the latest in DNA technology. When called to the bar she was again successful in being hired back to the office as an Assistant Crown Attorney.

She spent the first year of her career with the Ministry of the Attorney General where she gained invaluable experience working on a wide variety of criminal cases as a prosecutor. Jessica was also specifically trained to prosecute impaired driving charges as she was sent to “crown school” to learn this very technical part of the law inside and out. She ran numerous impaired driving trials facing a multitude of various defences against some of the most experienced and successful defence lawyers in the province.

As much as she enjoyed her time as a prosecutor, Jessica could not ignore the inner passion she had always had for defence work. Knowing that was where her true calling lied, she made the difficult decision to leave the security of working as a Crown to join Dean to realize their shared vision of building a powerful defence firm. Jessica has never looked back and the success she has had in defending and helping her clients has been the rewarding work she always believed it would be. Fearless in the courtroom, Jessica is a tour de force as a criminal defence lawyer, who also has an innate ability to relate to her clients, and their families. She is exactly where she is supposed to be.

Jessica is proud to be a guest lecturer for first year Criminal Law at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Jason Alsbergas

Associate Lawyer

Jason graduated from Wilfred Laurier University in 2015 with an honors BA with high distinction, specializing in criminology. He was on the Dean’s honor roll and received an in-course scholarship. He went on to Osgoode Hall Law School where he was in the Criminal Intensive Program. A highly decorated student, Jason received the top individual oralist in Canada award at the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot in 2017 and placed second overall and received the distinguished Oralist Award in the 2015 Lerner’s Moot Competition. Jason worked as a research assistant to the honorable Justice James Stribopolous, and contributed to multiple published legal articles, essays and textbooks as a research assistant. Jason also pursued his passion for helping those who were wrongfully convicted by spending a year in the Innocence Project working with Alan Young.

Jason spent his final summer of law school working at a prestigious law firm in Toronto, where he ended up doing his articles after he graduated in 2018. Jason was called to the Bar in 2019 and regularly appears before the Ontario Court of Justice and Superior Court of Justice for a variety of serious criminal matters. He has also been appointed as amicus curaie by the OCJ in relation to serious matters, such as aggravated assault. Jason is proud to be a valuable member of the Collett Read LLP team where he brings his glowing academic credentials and enthusiasm for defence work. He shares the vision that Dean and Jessica have, their passion for their clients and their unbridled pursuit of justice.

Jason believes in actively giving back to the legal community and regularly acts as a judge for the Canadian national rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot. Jason is also proud to be a guest lecturer for first year Criminal Law at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Nicole Arski

Associate Lawyer

Nicole graduated from McGill University in 2019 with a BA in political science. During her undergraduate studies, she interned at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice in Accra, Ghana, where she developed a passion for championing the rights of the public at large.

Nicole went onto attend the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. In law school, Nicole quickly became a decorated advocate, winning awards for both her written and oral legal submissions. She was one of five students chosen to compete in Dalhousie’s annual Smith Shield Moot, where she took home the A.S. Pattillo Prize in Advocacy, awarded to the two winners of the moot. Nicole also competed in the prestigious Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot, where she and her teammates were crowned the National Champions of all Canadian law schools. At international rounds, Nicole was also distinguished as a top 25 oralist amongst 500 law students.

Since her first year in law school, Nicole never had a doubt that she wanted to work in criminal law. She joined Collett Read as a 2L student in the summer of 2022 and completed her articles with the firm in 2023. As a student, Nicole had the opportunity to work on complex cases involving wiretaps, and also developed a keen interest in impaired driving cases.

Nicole is a proud member of the Polish community and is able to provide legal services in both English and Polish.

Adrianne DiSimoni

Associate Lawyer

Adrianne graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 2019 with an Honours BA with a Specialization in Criminology. Adrianne maintained a continuing scholarship throughout her four years at Western as she achieved exceptional grades. Through this program Adrianne was able to engage with and learn from professionals and experts in the criminal justice system.

Adrianne had a long-established passion for law having completed several co-op positions as well as continuing volunteering roles in criminal law firms throughout her high school and undergraduate education. Collectively, these experiences strongly encouraged and influenced Adrianne’s decision to pursue a career in law, specifically in criminal defence, and apply to Law School.

Adrianne graduated from Lakehead University’s Bora Laskin Faculty of Law in 2022. In her studies, she achieved the course prize in Constitutional Law in her first year and went on to complete extensive training through experiential learning opportunities specifically in Indigenous Law and Indigenous Legal Traditions. Adrianne also participated in the Lakehead Law Journal as an Articles Editor and then Managing Editor where she oversaw the successful publication of multiple Law Journal issues. In her second year, Adrianne was a research assistant to one of her professors which allowed her to strengthen and perfect her legal research abilities.

Adrianne was born and raised in Hamilton and was eager to return to the community, and as a result she completed her placement at Collett Read LLP in 2022 within the Integrated Practice Program. This working experience solidified her ambitions of being a criminal defence lawyer as she routinely engaged in complex cases and intricate research, as well as developed a passion for interacting with clients and ensuring their concerns are heard and valued.

Adrianne is a driven and highly motivated advocate for her clients. Adrianne was called to the Bar in 2022 and she is excited to be a part of the Collett Read Team.

Natalia Pawlowski

Associate Lawyer

Natalia graduated from McMaster University in 2019 with an honors degree in Political Science and a specialization in Public Law. Knowing from an early age that she was passionate about criminal defence, the next step for Natalia was to attend Osgoode Hall Law School, where she would take part in the Criminal Law Intensive Program, after focusing her studies almost exclusively on Criminal and Public Law. Through her placements in the Criminal Law Intensive, Natalia would gain comprehensive experience in assisting defence counsel through a serious, multi-month homicide trial. This opportunity reinforced her passion for Criminal Defence, and has assisted her greatly in understanding the needs of the client at every step of the legal process. In addition to her interests in criminal defence, Natalia is also highly passionate about Charter Rights and is a stark advocate for government and police accountability.

Natalia feels a very strong connection to the Hamilton community, and is excited about practicing both in the city, and in the surrounding area. Natalia is also fluent in Polish, and is happy to provide services in both English and Polish, thereby ensuring that every client’s unique needs are met.

Natalia joined Collett Read in the summer of 2021 as a 2L student, and completed her articles in 2022. During her time as a student, Natalia has had the opportunity to be involved in the research and production of complex legal arguments and questions, organizing and analyzing evidence, and engaging and communicating with clients throughout every step of their legal proceedings.

Jordan Peach

Associate Lawyer

Jordan graduated from Brock University in 2014 with BA in Psychology. Jordan became interested in pursuing a career in law and graduated with first-class standing in 2016 with an honours BA in Political Science with a concentration in Public Law. She was on the Deans Honour list and the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards for academic performance. Here, Jordan also got her first experience in law with an Internship at the Crown Attorney’s Office in St. Catharines, Ontario, focusing on the Drug Treatment Court.

Before law school, Jordan took the opportunity to complete her Master’s in Public Policy, graduating in the fall of 2017. The recipient of multiple academic scholarships, her research was focused on the legalization and regulation of cannabis.

After 2 years of work, Jordan began law school at Queen’s University in 2019. She was accepted into the Queen’s Prison Law Clinic and received the course prize. Jordan has maintained a keen interest in legal and political research and has volunteered with the Canadian Labour and Employment Journal, and Pro Bono Students Canada where she worked on the Akwesasne Justice System Project. Jordan was also a Research Assistant for one of her First Year Law Professors.

Emma Roung

Paralegal

From a young age Emma has always been a person who strove for excellence. Gifted with natural athletic ability, in Grade 9 she was an OFSAA champion in both the 100m & 200m sprints. Maintaining her dedication to training, eventually Emma received multiple scholarship offers from Division 1 NCAA schools, but decided to stay in Canada and go to Dalhousie on scholarship. While at Dalhousie she was a two time 4x200m AUS gold medalist and record holder, and went to CIS Nationals twice.

Emma Graduated from Dalhousie in 2015, with a Bachelor of Arts Double Major in Political Science and Classics. She took a year off after graduating and travelled to Thailand and Cambodia. Always interested in a career in Law, Emma then enrolled in the Seneca College Paralegal Program. She Graduated in 2017 with an additional certification of Alternative Dispute Resolution. She passed the P1 exam and became a licensed paralegal in February 2018.

Emma’s passion for helping people was at the centre of her pursuit of a career in criminal justice. She brings that passion to her work here at Collett Read LLP on a daily basis. She is often the member of our team accompanying our clients in the court of first appearance. Compassionate and understanding, she takes great pride in helping clients through the stress of appearing in court. A perfectionist, Emma organizes disclosure and does an initial review as soon as it arrives in our office. Checking for completeness, this helps us prioritize what the first steps are on files, and she is an invaluable resource to whichever lawyer in our firm takes the lead on each file.

Emma also possesses remarkable law related skills, which makes her contributions at our round table discussions on each case invaluable. We are lucky to have such a talented professional as part of our team.

Alyce Wilson

Paralegal

Alyce completed her Undergraduate degree in Criminology from Wilfred Laurier University and returned to school two years after graduating to complete the Accelerated Paralegal Program at Conestoga College where she graduated in 2018 with distinction.

After working for two years as a paralegal at another criminal law firm, Alyce joined our firm in the fall of 2020. Alyce’s strong organizational skills combined with her attention to detail made her the perfect person to administer our voluminous number of DUI files. Every DUI file that comes to our office flows through Alyce. She does first disclosure reviews on every file to ensure completeness. She also reviews all disclosure in concert with the assigned lawyer helping to spot issues, and manages client communication ensuring that every file is given fulsome attention at every step of the process.

Alyce’s passion for criminal law is rooted in her desire to help people. When she was younger, she ran wilderness camps for children of Indigenous descent in Northern Ontario and Manitoba, many of whom were underprivileged.

“I think criminal law is very rewarding when the matter is all wrapped up and completed and clients are happy and satisfied with their outcome. I am usually helping someone through an experience that is foreign and scary to them, when they don’t have the knowledge or ability to work their way through the system. That’s what makes it so meaningful.”

Our Team

Dean Collett

Partner

Jessica Read

Partner

Jason Alsbergas

Associate Lawyer

Nicole Arski

Associate Lawyer

Adrianne DiSimoni

Associate Lawyer

Natalia Pawlowski

Associate Lawyer

Jordan Peach

Associate Lawyer

Emma Roung

Paralegal

Alyce Wilson

Paralegal