20 Under 40: Cassandra DeMelo
Meet Cassandra DeMelo, 37, founding partner at DeMelo Heathcote and one of our 20 Under 40 Class of 2026 recipients
CASSANDRA DEMELO IS a criminal defence lawyer and the founding partner of DeMelo Heathcote, the largest criminal defence firm in Southwestern Ontario. Servicing more than 600 clients annually, the firm has grown to a team of more than 10, including a partnering lawyer, junior associate lawyers, paralegals, students and admin staff. A Western Law JD and LLM graduate, she is now a PhD candidate focused on drug reform, a lecturer at Western Law and has co-authored two books, Law and Mental Health in Canada: Cases and Materials and Canadian Anthology on Mental Health and the Law. A 2026 Best Lawyers honouree, she has appeared at all court levels, including the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.
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What is your biggest career achievement so far, or the thing that you’re most proud of?
Starting my own firm in 2014, after only a year of being a lawyer, was a calculated risk. I was one of only a handful of women defence lawyers in London. Beginning my own firm that quickly, that young, as a woman, came with doubters and naysayers. But I knew I was smart enough to do it, hardworking enough, and that whatever I didn’t know yet, I could learn. I had a fantastic group of lawyers around me — women and men — who assisted me through the early years and gave their time and expertise to help me grow. Women-led firms — across all types of law — remain very rare. Thus, choosing a female lawyer as my business partner was natural and deserved, but also intentional. I, and then we, have grown this firm to the largest criminal defence firm in Southwestern Ontario, the only one from this area ever listed on the ‘Best Lawyers’ list and one that continues to put client service in sharp focus.
“Women-led firms — across all types of law — remain very rare. Thus, choosing a female lawyer as my business partner was natural and deserved, but also intentional”
What’s the best movie or show you’ve watched lately?
Heated Rivalry. Worth the hype!
How has technology changed your work over the past couple of years, if at all?
Technology has made our job easier, in terms of accessibility. But it has made it increasingly harder, too. In a profession built on relationships and reputation, the distance created by Zoom meetings, emails instead of phone calls and the transition away from in-person opportunities has been damaging to those relationships and reputations.
You’ve got an open ticket to your dream vacation — where are you heading?
Portugal with my family. My first home.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Do exactly what you’re doing. It will work out.
And finally: what’s your guilty pleasure?
Lying in my bed, doing absolutely nothing. My favourite place/thing in the world. I think that’s also a sign I probably work too much! 
Interview by Kieran Delamont / Photos by Reid Lucier