Prioritizing Indigenous and Black lawyers, and lawyers from other equity-deserving communities.
The ALAS Mentorship & Training Program pairs junior Ontario lawyers with experienced volunteers from the entertainment law community. Over the course of a year, mentees build practical skills, expand their network, and gain hands-on experience through the ALAS legal clinic, all at no cost.
Highlights include small group learning with leading practitioners across music, film/TV, trademarks, and video games; 1-on-1 mentorship tailored to your professional goals; supervised clinic sessions; and opportunities to present on legal issues impacting artists.
This program is made possible entirely by the generosity of volunteer lawyers who give their time and expertise to support the next generation of legal talent in the arts. It is open to lawyers called to the bar in Ontario with less than two years of experience in entertainment law, who identify as members of equity-deserving communities.
Applications for 2026 are now closed. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified when the next cycle opens.
Meet the 2026 ALAS Mentees
We are proud to introduce the lawyers participating in the 2026 ALAS Mentorship and Training Program.
Annie Chu
Annie is a lawyer, educator and artist with a cross-disciplinary background in legal practice, professional development, and food and travel media. She holds a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School and an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in International Studies and Modern Languages (French Immersion) from the University of Ottawa. She has held various legal roles in legal practice and legal professional development and is deeply passionate about supporting creative communities and exploring the legal issues shaping the arts sector.
Malik Nembhard
Malik serves as Counsel at Lucentem Sports & Entertainment Law PC, where his practice spans litigation and dispute resolution, commercial transactions, and intellectual property matters across the sports and entertainment sectors. He has prior experience from a leading Toronto entertainment and media law firm and a downtown civil and employment litigation boutique, where he supported files across the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the Divisional Court, and various administrative tribunals.
Before being called to the bar, he worked in business and legal affairs for a Canadian production company, coordinating with U.S. studio counsel on talent and distribution matters, served as an associate producer on a nationally broadcast television series, and served as a board director of the National Campus and Community Radio Association, Canada’s advocacy body for campus and community radio. During law school, he served as President of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society, where he expanded the executive team, launched flagship programming, and led the school’s first Hockey Arbitration Canada competition.
He also contributes to LexisNexis Canada’s Practical Guidance platform as a Legal Editor, supporting practitioner resources across litigation, intellectual property, privacy, and personal injury. He holds a Juris Doctor from the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Called to the Bar of Ontario, 2025.
Tanysha Samal-Roy
Tanysha is a litigation-trained lawyer based in Toronto, with experience in criminal and mental health advocacy. She has developed a strong foundation in litigation, client counselling, and navigating complex, high-stakes matters, alongside a strong interest in intellectual property and entertainment law — supported by her background in media law and a Certificate in Entertainment Law from Osgoode Professional Development.
Having grown up around art and artists, Tanysha is drawn to the intersection of law and creativity and is particularly interested in helping creators understand and protect their rights.
Outside of law, she enjoys painting, ambitious DIY projects, reading, hosting game nights, and going on what she insists are “short walks” that inevitably turn into hours in the park.
Ahmed Ismail Fakira
Ahmed is a lawyer practising in Toronto, with a practice spanning business law, regulatory matters, litigation, and advising not-for-profit and charitable organizations. His work regularly brings him into contact with individuals and organizations operating in evolving spaces, where legal, commercial, and creative considerations intersect. He has a particular interest in the legal dimensions of creative industries, including the protection of rights and the structuring of ventures. He also serves on the board of a charitable organization, bringing firsthand insight into governance and the unique challenges facing the not-for-profit sector. His practice is grounded in a commitment to access to justice and delivering thoughtful, effective legal support.
Past Mentees
2025 Cohort
Kenyah Coombs
Sally Yoon
Jessica Commanda
Get Involved
The ALAS mentorship program runs on the generosity of the legal community. If you are an entertainment lawyer interested in volunteering as a mentor or speaker, or if your organization would like to support the program through sponsorship, we would love to hear from you.
Reach out at info@alasontario.ca
