About us
Kes Posgate
Principal Lawyer
Email: kes@kesposgatelaw.com
Tel: 647-946-1814
Pronouns: He/Him
Kes specializes in immigration and refugee law. Through this work, Kes has appeared before the Federal Court and all divisions of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Kes also frequently prepares written applications to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and Canada Border Services Agency.
In addition to private practice, Kes is employed as an adjunct instructor at Queen’s University, Faculty of Law in the Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law. Prior to founding Kes Posgate Law, Kes articled at the Federal Court as a judicial law clerk and then worked as an associate lawyer at one of Canada’s leading immigration and refugee law firms.
Kes holds a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology & Equity Studies from the University of Toronto.
During law school, Kes worked with legal service providers and organizations in Vancouver’s downtown east side, representing individuals in a diversity of legal matters. Kes received several awards for that work, including a Law Foundation of British Columbia Public Interest Award.
Kes is a member of the Refugee Lawyers Association of Ontario and the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, the latter of which Kes has represented as counsel in strategic litigation. Kes is an active volunteer for the Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic for LGBTQ+ Individuals at the 519 Centre in Toronto. Kes has also volunteered as a coach and judge for several moot competitions, including the Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Law Moot and the Federal Courts’ Exchequer Cup.
Maria Diaz
Law Clerk, Paralegal
Email: clerk@kesposgatelaw.com
Tel: 647-946-1865
Pronouns: She/Her
Maria brings over a decade of experience advocating for fairness, equity, and representation. She has been a licensed paralegal since 2013. Her career began at a criminal law firm in Toronto, where she developed a strong foundation in navigating complex legal issues. In 2016, she expanded her expertise while working with Legal Aid Ontario, gaining valuable experience in human rights law. By 2019, Maria further honed her skills in refugee and immigration law, assisting clients with a wide range of immigration-related processes and challenges.
Fluent in both English and Spanish, Maria is dedicated to breaking down language barriers and ensuring that clients feel understood and empowered throughout their legal journey. Her mission is to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where clients feel heard, supported, and confident.
Maria is also the founder of Open Doors Legal Services, where she provides legal services in her capacity as a paralegal, including for residential tenancy, criminal, and immigration matters.
Bayley Esteves
Law Clerk
Pronouns: She/Her
Bayley graduated with a Legal Studies and Sociology degree from the University of Waterloo and has been working in collaboration with various Canadian immigration lawyers since that time.
Being a first generation Canadian, Bayley is passionate about immigration and refugee work. She enjoys connecting with clients and helping them along their immigration journey in Canada. Given the experiences and difficulties her family faced leaving their home countries to immigrate to Canada, she wishes to use her position to lessen feelings of stress and uncertainty during the immigration process. Bayley speaks French and English.
When Bayley isn’t working, she enjoys being active in nature and immersing herself in different cultures through food, music and travel.
