Friday, June 7, 2024

Prasanna Balasundaram, director of the Faculty's community legal clinic Downtown Legal Services (DLS) was recently appointed as a Special Advocate, situated within the Programs Branch of Department of Justice Canada.

Special advocates are private-practice lawyers who operate independent of government. The objective is to support the Minister of Justice to meet their obligations of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and contribute to a fair process.

Read more about the roles of Special Advocates

Balasundaram’s legal practise focusses primarily on complex immigration and refugee law, focusing on advocacy on a large scale with constitutional challenges, as well as fighting for individuals. He is also a dedicated advocate for ensuring access to legal services for some of the most marginalized members of Canadian society.

U of T News: How U of T's Downtown Legal Services helped refugees strike down the Safe Third Country Agreement in a federal court

DLS provides legal aid for low-income clients. As part of its clinical legal education program, Balasundaram has mentored more than 100 law students.

Read: Director of Downtown Legal Services is Double Awardee