Who we are

The Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic provides free legal advice and representation, with interpretation services, for low-income people across BC. The clinic acts as a safety net for individuals and families, whose cases are not covered or easy to serve in the traditional legal aid system. 

Alongside our casework, we advocate for change on issues that repeatedly come up for our clients by engaging in systemic litigation and law reform efforts. We provide legal education to community groups and service providers across BC. Clinic staff also serve as mentors to law students and junior lawyers interested in the refugee and immigration law field.   

Our guiding values

We aim to reach those who often fall through the cracks of our legal system and provide them with excellent, respectful, and caring legal advice and representation.

Legal excellence

We strive to maintain a high standard of legal excellence in all the work we do for our clients, whether we are helping them to understand their legal options, providing written submissions to a decision-maker, or making oral arguments before a court.

Accessibility

We work to reduce barriers to accessing legal services, including linguistic, cultural, functional and physical barriers. This commitment requires us to be flexible, responsive and innovative in how we deliver and modify our services.

Respect and care

Being an excellent lawyer must include treating your clients with dignity, respect, and sensitivity.

A new legal clinic for BC

The provincial government’s External Review of Legal Aid Services in BC, Roads to Revival, concluded in early 2019 that a new immigration and refugee legal clinic needed to be created to complement the legal aid system and to “take on urgent and complex cases.” The Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic was created in response to this review. It is the only legal clinic dedicated to immigration and refugee issues in western Canada.

The clinic is deeply committed to creating a service that is responsive and effective. Staff at the legal clinic have worked for many years in the immigration and refugee law area.

Meet our team

The legal clinic is made up of two lawyers, a legal assistant, and a community legal worker. We also have the assistance of wonderful volunteers and students.

Juliana Dalley (she, her)

Clinic Co-Lead and Staff Lawyer

Juliana Dalley (she, her)

Clinic Co-Lead and Staff Lawyer

Juliana is a passionate advocate for newcomers to Canada. Prior to joining the IRLC, Juliana worked as an immigration and refugee lawyer in private practice and at a legal clinic where she helped migrant workers with immigration and employment issues. She has appeared before all levels of the Immigration and Refugee Board as well as the Federal Court and has testified before House of Commons standing committees. Juliana clerked for Madam Justice Hansen at the Federal Court of Canada after receiving her law degree in 2013.

Darcy Golden (she, her)

Clinic Co-Lead and Staff Lawyer

Darcy Golden (she, her)

Clinic Co-Lead and Staff Lawyer

Darcy Golden is a dedicated legal advocate. Prior to joining the IRLC, Darcy worked with newcomers to Canada as a sole practitioner in private practice. Darcy’s legal education includes an internship at the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative in Accra, Ghana, a fellowship at the Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto and an internship at the Together Against Poverty Society in Victoria, BC. Darcy has represented clients at the Immigration and Refugee Board, the Federal Court and the Provincial Court of British Columbia.

Laura Best (she, her)

Lawyer

Laura Best (she, her)

Lawyer

Laura believes that everyone has a right to live in safety, and that Canada should be a safe haven for those who need it. She is experienced in helping reunite families, aiding those fleeing war or persecution, and assisting students and workers find their way in Canada. She has over 10 years of experience in immigration and refugee law in both British Columbia and Ontario. Laura regularly appears before all levels of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada and the Federal Court of Canada. She is frequently relied upon by various media outlets to comment on issues relevant to Canadian immigration and is often asked to speak at legal conferences and community events.

Karen Jantzen (she, her)

Associate

Karen Jantzen (she, her)

Associate

Karen graduated from UBC with a law degree in 2021. She previously worked and volunteered with various organizations that support refugees, immigrants, and migrant workers in Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver. She plans to use what she is learning to continue advocating on behalf of newcomers to Canada. In her free time, Karen enjoys baking, crocheting, and cycling.

Dunni Awe (she, her)

Articled Student

Dunni Awe (she, her)

Articled Student

Dunni obtained her law degree and was called to the Bar in Nigeria before moving to Canada to pursue her master’s degree. Before joining IRLC, Dunni worked as a legal advocate providing a range of advocacy services to marginalized persons in Vancouver. She intends to continue honing her advocacy skills to promote access to justice.

Jinhee Lee (she, her)

Legal Assistant

Jinhee Lee (she, her)

Legal Assistant

Jinhee obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from South Korea, and immigrated to Canada in 2015. After arriving in Canada, Jinhee worked at a legal clinic in Edmonton, Alberta, where she found her passion providing legal support to people who are in challenging circumstances. She continued working at an immigration law firm after relocating to Vancouver where she gained extensive knowledge of immigration & refugee law. She is fluent in Korean, and in her spare time, she enjoys knitting.

Omar Chu (he, him)

Community Legal Worker

Omar Chu (he, him)

Community Legal Worker

Through his involvement with grassroots migrant justice movements, Omar Chu has been assisting with immigration and refugee legal issues for over five years.  He has a BA in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford, and he has worked fighting for rights and better policy with the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition and the BC Health Coalition. He can speak French conversationally and can tell when his friends are making fun of him in Spanish.

Priscila Pimont Berndt (she, her)

Student Legal Worker

Priscila Pimont Berndt (she, her)

Student Legal Worker

Priscila is a newcomer to Canada and started volunteering with refugee and immigrant support organizations since she started her Master’s degree at the University of British Columbia in 2021. She speaks Portuguese, Spanish and French, and hopes to become a lawyer in Canada soon and continue to assist and advocate for other immigrants and refugees. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, reading, and taking long walks.

Xilonen Hanson Pastran (she/her)

Volunteer

Xilonen Hanson Pastran (she/her)

Volunteer

Xilonen is a law student working at the clinic for summer 2022. She just completed her second year of law at the University of Victoria. Before joining the IRLC, Xilonen worked as a research assistant on projects involving family law, class-action settlements, and restorative justice. She was a recipient of the 2020 BC Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal for Democracy, Inclusion, and Reconciliation.  In her free time, she enjoys walking with her dog, Mijo.  

Fran Gallo (she, her)

Volunteer

Fran Gallo (she, her)

Volunteer

Fran has been working or volunteering to support refugee claimants since arriving in Canada in 2001.  She received a B.A. in International Relations from Pitzer College and a M.A. in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University.  Fran enjoys improving her Spanish language skills and studying beginner level French.