Justin Jalea

Justin Jalea is an employment, labour and human rights lawyer in Hicks Morley’s Ottawa office. His practice includes providing advice and representation to employers in the public and private sectors on a wide range of human rights, labour and employment matters. Justin brings a unique lens to legal practice with a multidisciplinary background in DEI strategy, higher education, and the arts.

Justin holds dual B.C.L./J.D. degrees from McGill University’s Faculty of Law, where he received the Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg Community Engagement Award and worked at McGill’s Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism. He also earned an M.A. from the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University, an M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Alberta, and an Honours B.A. from the University of Toronto where he received multiple awards for academic excellence, community engagement and leadership.

Justin completed his articles in the Toronto office of a global full-service firm, where he advised clients on employment, labour, human rights, and commercial litigation matters. He has acted for clients in mediations, arbitrations, and superior court proceedings and has provided strategic legal advice on workplace accommodations and regulatory compliance. Justin also assisted equity-seeking community organizations and BIPOC-owned businesses on a pro bono basis.

In addition to his legal work, Justin has extensive experience designing and implementing DEI policies, programs and evaluation frameworks that spans the arts, education, and non-profit sectors with national and international organizations.

A seasoned public speaker and educator, Justin has taught courses on human rights at Durham College and Mount Royal University. A published author, Justin’s work has been featured in academic and public media outlets on topics ranging from democracy and human rights to music and social movements.