Meet the Carter Simpson Team
Bob Carter, K.C. - Partner
Bob was born in Wolfville and raised in Halifax and St. John’s, Newfoundland. He graduated from Dalhousie University in 1993 and the University of New Brunswick Law School in 1998. Bob was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1999.
Bob is a leader in his field. Recognized by his peers, he is consistently listed in Best Lawyers in Canada (2007 to present) in the area of personal injury. Since 2019 he has been recognized by Lexpert as a leading lawyer in Canada. In February 2020 Bob was honoured to receive his King’s Counsel (K.C.) designation.
He is Co-Chair of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia Liaison Committee and Chair of the Law Office Management Committee for the Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society. Bob has argued successfully in all levels of Court in Nova Scotia including the Provincial Court, NS Supreme Court, and NS Court of Appeal as well as the New Brunswick Court of Queen’s Bench and Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island.
Community Involvement
Bob has a long history of community involvement. He was chair of the Fairview Family Resource Centre for a number of years. He is Past-Chair Emeritus of the Canadian Mental Health Association-Halifax/Dartmouth Branch after serving as Chair and Co-Chair for more than 15 years. He is a Past-President of the Springvale Elementary School PTA. He has also volunteered for the Brain Injury Association of NS. Bob served on the first Organizing Committee of the Brunswick Street Mission Breakfast. He is currently NS Branch President for the Last Post Fund and is also on the Board of the Halifax Youth Foundation. He was President of Halifax Minor Baseball and a member of the Board from 2016-2023. In 2011, Bob was named as one of HRM’s Volunteer’s of the Year.
He has regularly presented at Conferences for the Canadian Bar Association, both in-person and via webinar, as well as at LIANS Annual Risk Management Conferences, the Advocates Society, and the Atlantic Province Trial Lawyers Association. He has presented on topics such as Civil Procedure Rule 55, Future Income Loss Claims, Structured Settlements, Summary Judgements, SEF 44 Coverage and Mediations.
He continued his community involvement as a Scout leader and a Coach for his children’s minor baseball teams. He was also the Head Coach of his son's basketball team and ran the U18 program for West End Steelers for two years.
Fascinated with history, Bob has been a supporter of the Vimy Foundation and Western Front Association and spent time visiting the historic battlefields of the First World War, primarily Beaumont-Hamel, the burial ground for hundreds of soldiers of the Newfoundland Regiment. He is also a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and has been attending their Annual Convention since he was 17 years old.
He lives in Halifax with his wife Joanne and their children, Elizabeth and Daniel and their cat Macey.
Ansley Simpson - Partner
Born and raised in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Ansley has worked in the legal field for over 20 years. She began working as a Legal Assistant and Paralegal while completing her Psychology degree (Honours) at Acadia University. Ansley received an academic scholarship to Dalhousie University's Schulich School of Law and continued her work at the firm part-time. After graduating from Dalhousie in 2009, she was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in 2010.
From 2010 to 2017 Ansley gained experience and grew her practice on the personal injury team at one of Halifax's larger law firms. She has represented clients in claims varying from car, motorcycle, truck, plane, boat, ATV, and bicycle accidents as well as slip and falls, injuries by falling objects and projectiles, dog bites, and product liability claims.
She is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Atlantic Trial Lawyers Association. She has argued successfully in all levels of Court in Nova Scotia including the Provincial Court, NS Supreme Court, and NS Court of Appeal as well as the New Brunswick Court of Queen’s Bench. In 2012 Ansley completed the Intensive Trial Advocacy Programme, Université de Moncton.
Community Involvement
Since 2015 Ansley has been a Dalhousie Law Alumni Association (DLAA) board member.
Ansley joined the board of the Metro Community Housing Association in 2008 while she was a second-year law school student. She remained active on the board until 2013. In 2013 Ansley joined the Canadian Paraplegic Association (NS Branch) where she served until 2015.
From 2011 to 2014 Ansley hosted Pub Trivia nights in support of various charities including the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Bide Awhile, the Boys and Girls Club, the Red Cross, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Besides the inherent reward of giving back to such worthy causes, Ansley met her husband in 2012 while at a Trivia Night, she was hosting in support of the Hockey Hero tournament for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
From 2014 through 2017 Ansley taught the Workshop component of the second-year Civil Procedures course at Dalhousie University’s Schulich School of Law.
In 2016 she presented to family physicians during a continuing medical education conference at Dalhousie University on authoring expert medical reports for the court. Ansley presented several times to physiotherapy students at Dalhousie concerning their patients and the litigation process. She presented on no-fault accident benefits and Section D claims at the 2018 and 2021 Atlantic Trial Lawyers Association Conference.
Ansley lives in Dartmouth and spends her free time with her husband Richard, and their toddler Vincent. They enjoy exploring the trails and beaches of our beautiful province. Ansley is a news junkie and loves to discuss current events.
Allison Harris - associate lawyer
Allison joined Carter Simpson in June 2021 after articling and beginning to build her practice at another boutique Halifax law firm. She has extensive experience in the legal industry, having worked as a legal assistant and then paralegal at one of Halifax’s larger law firms for over a decade while completing her psychology degree at Mount Saint Vincent University and applying to law school. She continued to work part-time as a paralegal while she was a full-time law student at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. She was called to the bar in June 2020.
Allison thrives on helping people navigate difficult situations. Her practice style is informed by her background in psychology and interest in mental health. She understands the physical and emotional impact of an injury. She also understands how confusing and emotionally taxing it can be to navigate the legal system under any circumstance. Her unique experience helps her to better understand her clients and their problems. Her goal is to make their difficult experience a little easier.
Allison is particularly passionate about improving access to justice and information. She advocates for disability rights and feels strongly that access to justice requires inclusivity and consideration of the needs of all people. While in law school, she completed the Dalhousie Legal Aid Clinical Program and a Clerkship with the Supreme Court (Family Division). Both programs provided her with valuable insight into the complexities of court processes and how difficult those processes can be for people who do not have a knowledgeable advocate. She seeks to help her clients understand the processes involved in their claims by providing knowledgeable legal support and clear communication.
Allison is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Atlantic Trial Lawyers Association. She serves on the executive of the Brain Injury Association of Nova Scotia (BIANS) Board of Directors and is a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society’s Disability Equity Committee. While attending law school, she volunteered as the Project Coordinator for the Dalhousie Mediation Clinic, a pilot project created by Dalhousie Legal Aid. She has spent considerable time volunteering with the Nova Scotia Hospital in various capacities and has participated in numerous annual charity events such as Make-A-Wish® Foundation’s Rope-For-Hope, the Manulife Dragon Boat Festival for Sport Nova Scotia, and CIBC’s Run-For-The-Cure.
Allison grew up in Lower Sackville and has resided in Dartmouth with her husband since 2012. When she is not working, she can usually be found outside; walking the dog, hiking, biking, canoeing/kayaking, golfing, skating, or just working around her yard. She also enjoys travelling, car shows, and spending time with friends and family.
Hayley Jakeman - law Student
Hayley was born and raised in Cow Bay, Nova Scotia. She attended Acadia University from 2016-2018 and finished her undergraduate studies at Saint Mary’s University, graduating in 2020 with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Psychology.
While working on obtaining her undergraduate degree, starting in 2017, Hayley worked part-time in various legal support roles at a large firm in Halifax. After graduating with her BA, Hayley returned to work full-time as a paralegal in real property before being accepted into the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in 2023.
Hayley just recently began living in the South End of Halifax when she started law school. She is enjoying adjusting to life in the city. Outside of work Hayley enjoys spending time with her dog Remi whom she adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as attending fitness classes such as spinning, pilates and yoga. She also loves horror movies and books, her favourite author being Stephen King. She has dreamed of becoming a lawyer since a very young age and is excited to join the team at Carter Simpson and continue to gain experience as she begins her career. Hayley will work part-time at Carter Simpson while in her second year of law school.
Erin Carter - Paralegal case manager
Erin joined Carter Simpson in October 2022. She is a highly skilled paralegal with extensive experience in litigation, personal injury, and insurance. Erin hails from Corner Brook, NL, but has resided in Halifax/Dartmouth area over the last 25 years. She earned her BA in Political Science from Memorial University and her Paralegal Diploma from the University College of Cape Breton (now Cape Breton University). She has also taken CIP courses through the Insurance Institute of Canada.
Erin works with the lawyers and the team managing the cases from start to finish to ensure a smooth and timely outcome. She is a great resource for our clients helping them navigate their way through the claim process. She reviews the evidence and flags important information to the lawyers and prepares litigation disclosure. She drafts pleadings, motions, and other court documents. Finally, she is very instrumental in coordinating and preparing cases with the lawyers for trial.
Outside the office, Erin enjoys the theatre and symphony and strongly supports local arts and culture. She is also an avid reader and a well-known cat lover! She has become an amateur cat photographer on social media. She resides in Dartmouth with her husband and two cats – but often loves to go on weekend get aways around our beautiful province.
jacinda solomon - legal assistant
Jacinda is a 2021 graduate of the Maritime Business College’s paralegal program and is excited to join the Carter Simpson team. She was born in Ottawa but moved to Nova Scotia when she was young and since then has spent most of her time in Nova Scotia.
Jacinda obtained her B.A. from Acadia University in 2019 with a major in Politics and a minor in Legal Studies.
Outside the office, Jacinda spends much of her time in the kitchen working on new baking recipes or curled up with a good fantasy novel and a cup of hot cocoa.
Nicole Murphy - litigation Paralegal
Nicole was born in Antigonish and raised in the little Acadian community of Pomquet. She has extensive experience in personal injury and insurance law, having worked as a legal assistant and paralegal at one of Halifax’s largest law firms for the past 17 years. She graduated from the Legal Assistant Program at Eastern College in 2007 and has worked in personal injury since.
Nicole drafts litigation disclosure and court documents such as motions, pleadings and orders.
Nicole lives in Shubenacadie with her husband and two kids. She enjoys being outdoors walking, biking and playing sports with her kids in her back yard. She also spends her time cheering her kids on at dance & ball.