From lawyer to legal tech co-founder, Aimee Schalles’ (JD ’12) path has been guided by empathy, community and a commitment to making legal services more accessible.
As a barrister and solicitor practicing in Revelstoke, BC, Aimee specializes in business, real estate and family law and is the owner of Mackenzie Peak Law Corporation. In 2025, Aimee co-founded Jointly, a platform that offers family law education and relationship agreements services online.
Journey to Law School
Aimee grew up on a farm in a small town in Saskatchewan. She studied Criminal Justice at Athabasca University, but becoming a lawyer wasn’t on her radar at the time. “Law wasn’t something that I grew up thinking I would do,” Aimee recalls.
After completing her bachelor’s degree, Aimee began working as a frontline advocate, helping precariously housed individuals find housing. “I enjoyed the advocacy involved in helping people who found themselves in difficult positions for all sorts of reasons,” she says. “It made me realize that, if just a few bad things happened in your life, that could be you.”
That experience instilled a deep sense of empathy in Aimee, which continues to inform her legal practice today. “Everybody has a story, and you don’t know what that story is,” she reflects. “You can’t judge from the outside looking in. Everybody deserves a chance to recover.”
While working in social services was rewarding, it was also emotionally demanding. Aimee realized that passion alone couldn’t sustain her long-term and she set her sights on law school at UBC. Once at Allard Law, she immersed herself in mooting and advocacy work. “I was lucky to do the Gale Moot, coached by Janine Benedict and Isabel Grant, both brilliant and supportive,” she says. A poverty law seminar with Professor Margot Young also stands out as a formative experience. “I thought I understood a lot about working with marginalized communities, but she really expanded my perspective,” Aimee adds.
Early Career
After launching her career at a large downtown Vancouver firm, Aimee moved to the small community of Revelstoke and took over a small practice from a retiring lawyer. “I grew up in a smaller place and wanted that sense of community,” she explains. “I haven’t looked back.”
Aimee acknowledges that rural practice comes with its own challenges, namely fewer resources and less institutional support, but the trade-off was worth it. “Here, I know my clients. I see them at the grocery store. It’s not for everyone, but I love those deep relationships,” she says. “Staying in a big city isn’t the only way to have a fulfilling legal career. The quality of life is 14 out of 10 out here.”
Bridging the Access to Justice Gap
Aimee’s passion for helping people and innovation led to her next chapter. In her practice, she had noticed many clients were bringing in poorly drafted online templates. “People knew they needed a lawyer for part of the process, but not all of it,” she explains. Beyond the affordability crisis in law, Aimee also noticed that there could be stigma around working with a lawyer. “People don’t always want to start by going to a lawyer, especially for personal issues like family agreements,” she says.
Realizing that there had to be a better way to make legal services more accessible, Aimee co-founded Jointly, an online platform that helps people draft affordable, legally valid agreements, together with fellow lawyer Amanda Baron in March of 2025.
Launching a legal tech company has its challenges, and Aimee has worked closely with regulators to find a balance between protecting the public interest while breaking down barriers to access to justice. “Law is a tightly regulated profession, and for good reason, but part of protecting the public interest is actually getting more people access to legal help,” she says. “Pro bono hours and reduced fees alone won’t fix access to justice. We need to rethink how law itself is delivered.”
Defining Success
Looking back at her journey from big law to small-town practice to legal technology, Aimee is proud of how she’s charted her own course. “I’ve always been motivated to address issues I see and push for change,” she notes. “It’s about finding a place in law that reflects the life you want.”
Aimee’s advice to law students is to keep exploring until you find what truly fits: “Re-evaluate every few years, ask yourself, is this still working for me? We’re privileged to have that flexibility as lawyers.”
Success is about “alignment, purpose and community,” and not just billable hours, Aimee adds. “When you’re genuinely happy and satisfied professionally, you have so much more to give. That’s when you can do your best work.”