Immigration Issues in Depth 2024

Course Chairs
Erica L.C. Louie — Department of Justice Canada, Vancouver
Brett J. Nash — Department of Justice Canada, Vancouver
Deanna L. Okun-Nachoff — McCrea Immigration Law LLP, Vancouver

About the Course Chairs
Erica Louie is counsel in the Public Safety, Defence and Immigration Law section of the Department of Justice Canada (DOJ). She received her LLB from Queen's University in 2006. After articling with the Attorney General of Ontario, she moved home to Vancouver and joined the BC Regional Office of the DOJ in 2008. In recent years, Erica's practice has focused primarily on immigration, refugee, and administrative law. 

Brett Nash is counsel with the Department of Justice Canada in Vancouver and practices primarily in the area of immigration and refugee law. Brett has appeared in the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal on a wide range of immigration and refugee issues. Prior to focusing on immigration matters, Brett was counsel on Aboriginal rights and title claims in the Aboriginal Law Section, and before joining the Department of Justice, he had a general litigation practice. Brett holds a Master of Laws degree focusing on constitutional and statutory interpretation and international law. 

Deanna Okun-Nachoff is a partner at McCrea Immigration Law LLP, where she focuses on litigation and permanent migration to Canada, especially for those seeking to overcome admissibility and eligibility barriers. She represents refugees, foreign nationals, and permanent residents at all levels of the IRB and at the Federal Court. Deanna runs a trauma-informed practice, and has extensive experience assisting victims of domestic violence, undocumented workers, survivors of torture, and persons who have persecuted on SOGIESC grounds. She also co-hosts a monthly podcast called "Borderlines" covering immigration and other border related issues.

Faculty
The Honourable Alan S. Diner — Federal Court, Ottawa
Preeti Adhopia — Assistant Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Protection Division, Western Region, IRB, Calgary
Laura A. Best — Laura Best Immigration Law, Toronto
Jody Brennan — Assistant Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Appeal Division, Western Region, IRB, Vancouver
A. Connie Campbell — Edelman & Co. Law Offices, Vancouver
Antoine Collins — Coordinating Member, Refugee Protection Division, Quality Centre, IRB, Ottawa
Sharalyn Jordan — Associate Professor, Counselling Psychology and Equity Studies in Education, SFU, Burnaby
Sadaf Kashfi — DMF Law, Vancouver
Kamaljit K. Lehal — Lehal Law Corporation, Delta
Mark Mancini — Assistant Professor, Thompson Rivers University, Faculty of Law, Kamloops
Mary Murray — Department of Justice Canada, Vancouver
Dupe Oluyomi-Obasi — Department of Justice Canada, Toronto
Johanna Russell — Legal Counsel, IRB, Vancouver
Sarah E. Sharp — Practice & Equity Advisor, Law Society of BC, Vancouver
Alice Tang — Assistant Deputy Chairperson, Immigration Division, Western Region, IRB, Vancouver
William Tao — Heron Law Offices, Vancouver
Linda Taylor — Assistant Deputy Chairperson, Immigration Appeal Division, Western Region, IRB, Vancouver

Click here for full faculty bios

• review of key Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada immigration, refugee and citizenship decisions in 2024
• discussion of recent developments in other areas of the law that may impact immigration, refugee, and citizenship law practice
• trends, highlights, and lowlights in recent jurisprudence, and what is expected in 2025

• updates from the IRB

• how to "manage the back end" of your practice—so you can continue doing the work you believe in (yes—even the legal aid files!)
• building a balanced practice that leverages profitable work to "subsidize" pro and low-bono files
• tech (or other) tools to facilitate faster and more effective research—including tips for cataloguing materials for maximum searchability
• tips to avoid burn-out and to identify/managing burn-out among staff
• challenges for new lawyers seeking to break into this area of practice
• mentoring junior litigators: best and worst practices 

• practice tips for leveraging Chairperson's Guidelines 4, 8 and 9 
• a "how to" on client-centred and collaborative advocacy, with an emphasis on
  
  • unique issues for refugee claims on SOGIESC grounds
  • trauma-informed lawyering best practices and special accommodation options for complex hearings