Trauma-Informed Advocacy: Effectively Representing Vulnerable Clients in Immigration Law

Included with our Passes

September 30, 2025 at 12:00pm EST

$60

2 hours

Attend Live and On-Demand Recording

SUMMARY

Working with vulnerable clients—such as survivors of persecution, domestic violence, or human trafficking—requires more than just legal knowledge. It demands a trauma-informed approach to advocacy. This interactive workshop equips new lawyers and immigration consultants with practical tools to effectively represent clients who have experienced trauma while maintaining professional boundaries.

Includes:

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

  • The Impact of Trauma on Memory, Recall and Credibility Assessments
  • Building Trust with Clients While Maintaining Professional Boundaries
  • Preparing Clients for Testimony While Minimizing Retraumatization
  • Educating Decision-Makers on Trauma and Credibility
  • Best practices for Connecting Clients with Community Resources for Additional Support

CPD CREDITS

For Lawyers and Paralegals
Law Society of Ontario

Substantive Hours: This program is eligible for up to 2 hours.

Law Society of British Columbia

Approved for 2 CPD credits.

Law Societies of Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia

For members of these Law Societies, consider including this course as a CPD learning activity in your mandatory annual requirements

For Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants

Learn from experts in their field by purchasing this course

This course is included in these Passes:

INSTRUCTOR

Kamaljit Kaur Lehal

Senior Immigration Lawyer and Mediator
Lehal Law Corporation

Kamaljit Kaur Lehal earned her Law Degree from the University of British Columbia in 1989 and was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1990. She articled at the Workers Compensation Board (now known as WorkSafe BC formerly “WCB”). She worked as an associate with a local law firm successfully practicing ICBC defence work. Kamaljit opened up her own law firm in 1992 and operates a successful practice with a focus on immigration law.

Kamaljit has successfully represented clients seeking refugee status in Canada. She is particularly passionate about advocating for women facing gender-based persecution.

As an immigration duty counsel roster lawyer she has represented individuals detained for immigration breaches and inadmissibility allegations.

She and has helped reunite families with their loved ones in Canada through family sponsorship applications. She has secured permanent resident status for clients based on their skills and economic benefit to Canada.

Kamaljit has extensive experience in securing permanent resident status on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, especially for victims of violence. In 2019, after years of advocacy by Kamaljit, the Government of Canada established an expedited process for victims of family violence under the immigration Temporary Resident Permit and humanitarian and compassionate categories. At Kamaljit’ s recommendation these files are flagged “FV” (family violence) for priority processing.

She has represented clients before all immigration tribunals, the Federal Court of Canada Trial Division, and the Federal Court of Appeal. Kamaljit has also appeared at all levels of court in British Columbia and served as co-counsel for the Canadian Council of Refugees in litigation before the Supreme Court of Canada.

Beyond litigation, Kamaljit has completed mediation training through Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation. She is a certified mediator and arbitrator for civil and family law matters.

Deanna Okun-Nachoff

Partner
McCrea Immigration Law

Deanna is one of the most respected immigration lawyers in Canada. She joined McCrea Immigration Law in 2010 after working for many years as the executive director and staff lawyer of a non-profit serving the needs of foreign live-in caregivers. Deanna is a crack immigration litigator, winning all the cases she should and a few she probably shouldn’t.

In between solving seemingly unsolvable problems for her clients, Deanna somehow finds time to speak at various conferences and for grassroots organizations and to challenge our ongoing “cutest office dog” competition.

Deanna is your go-to expert on live-in caregivers, medical inadmissibility, human trafficking and immigration litigation before the Federal Court and the Immigration and Refugee Board.