Welcome
The Canadian Association of Sikh Lawyers’ (CASL) mission is to provide a platform for Sikh lawyers across Canada to connect and maintain a professional network, with the ultimate goal of advocating on matters of interest to the Sikh community and beyond, and social justice issues in line with the Sikh value of “sarbat da bhalla” or “welfare of all”.
We welcome all lawyers, law students, and jurists who identify as Sikh and reside in Canada, inclusive of all races, castes, gender identities, and sexual orientations. CASL acknowledges that members of the aforementioned groups are often left out of the discourse, and therefore will make every effort to foster and encourage diversity in our membership.
“Sarbat da bhalla”
More specifically, CASL’s mission includes:
1. Community work in the form of public interest advocacy and appellate level interventions that align with the mandate of the organization;
2. legal education and awareness;
3. creating connections between Sikh legal professionals and the broader Sikh diaspora, and eventually
4. a Sikh Community Legal Clinic aimed at serving the most marginalized demographics of our community.
CASL recognizes the important work of front-line legal service providers, specifically those working in grassroots community organizations and legal clinics.
Who are we?
CASL originates from the experiences of Sikhs as a religious minority, who:
Have faced, and continue to face historical injustices and discrimination in Canada and internationally;
Have been at the forefront of human and civil rights movements, as can be evidenced through precedent-setting case law; and
Have reached a critical mass within the Canadian and international legal communities and would benefit from a comprehensive legal infrastructure.
Meet the team
Avineet Kaur Cheema (she/her)
Avi is an immigration and refugee lawyer in Toronto working in the community legal clinic system.
Jagtaran Singh (he/him)
Jagtaran is a human rights lawyer from Toronto. Yes, Scarborough is Toronto.
Harsimran Dhaliwal (he/him)
Harsimran devotes his time to the information technology sector of Toronto as a product manager and UX/UI designer.
