Dr. Demola Okeowo

Vancouver Lawyer Specializing in Refugee, Immigration, Civil Litigation, Human Rights, Employment and Labour Law

Dr. Demola Okeowo’s legal practice focuses significantly on administrative law generally, and specifically on immigration, refugee, and citizenship law, employment, labour, human rights, and residential tenancy. He has experience in these areas of law as well as advanced degrees in law that bolster and complement this experience.

His professional, volunteer, and academic experiences demonstrate that he has the skill set necessary to assist clients within his areas of expertise and beyond. With legal trainings and experience acquired in Africa, Europe and North America, Dr. Okeowo is well prepared to understand and unravel complex legal issues and resolve them. He has represented clients with commendable results in refugee matters, temporary and permanent residence applications, inadmissibility issues and detention review applications, citizenship applications, passport and refugee travel document applications, judicial review applications, matters involving terminated or departing employees, wrongful dismissal, the drafting of employment agreements and workplace policies, occupational health and safety issues, human rights litigations, residential tenancy matters, breach of contract litigation, and other matters.

Dr. Okeowo has prepared legal submissions on behalf of clients in proceedings before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada, Social Security Tribunal of Canada under the Employment Insurance Act and its Regulation, WorkSafeBC, Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board, BC Labour Relations Board, BC Residential Tenancy Branch, BC Human Rights Tribunal, Canadian Human Rights Commission, BC Provincial and Supreme Courts, and the Federal Court of Canada. In each of these cases, Dr. Okeowo thoroughly reviewed the home statutes and regulations of the applicable administrative body, including cases and other relevant legislation and policies not only to advise clients but to also put up adequate legal representation for them.

Teaching engagements, paper presentations at local and international conferences, courts and tribunal appearances, and daily speaking engagements with clients have not only developed Dr. Okeowo’s advocacy and interpersonal skills but have honed them.

On a Personal Note...

Dr. Okeowo is married with three children. Outside of his professional life, Dr. Okeowo engages in public motivational speaking. He enjoys staying active by riding his bike with his children, playing keyboard and drums, and playing soccer, squash, badminton, and basketball. He also loves to watch movies as a form of relaxation. Having lived in 3 continents, he is an avid traveller and is always looking forward to his next adventure.

Education

Ph.D. in Law, University of British Columbia, Canada.
Certificate of Qualification, National Committee on Accreditation, Federation of Law Societies of Canada.
LL.M., Queen’s University, Canada.
LL.M., University of Groningen, Netherlands.
B.L., Nigerian Law School.
LL.B., Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria.

Bar Admission

The Law Society of British Columbia
The Law Society of Alberta
Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria

Professional & Community Affiliations

Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch
Canadian Bar Association, Alberta Branch
Nigerian Bar Association
Founding Member, Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association
Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers
Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia
Canadian Association of Black Lawyers
Volunteer Lawyer, 2022 LobbyCon of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers
Access Pro Bono Volunteer Lawyer
Editorial Committee Member, CBABC BarTalk

Publications

Books:

Trailblazer: A Selection of Essays and Papers in Celebration of Chief ‘Folake Solanke, SAN, CON (Abuja: Legal Magnates International, 2019).
Euthanasia and the Right to Life in the Netherlands: Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? (Germany: Lambert Academic Publishing, 2012).

Journal Articles (Peer-reviewed):

“Why International Law Should Respond to Cross-Border Environmental Migration” (2014) 3 NIALS Journal of Environmental Law 110.
“Examining the Link: Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Migration” (2013) 15:4 Environmental Law Review 273.
“Climate Change, Forced Migration, and International Law” (2013) 1:1 Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy 171. (Book Review).
“An Appraisal of the Night Masquerade and Discrimination Against Women in Nigeria from an International Human Rights Law Perspective” (2013) 6:1 African Journal of Legal Studies 103.

Journal articles (Non-peer reviewed):

Making A Case for Due Process As Customary International Law: Human Security, International Organizations, and the Rights of A Criminal Suspect” (August 2012) Unpublished.
“Statehood, Effectiveness and the Kosovo Declaration of Independence”, (November 3, 2008). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1316445 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1316445
“An Appraisal of the Rules of Treaty Interpretation in the ICJ Wall Opinion”, (September 29, 2008). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1318142 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1318142
“Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Rights or Privileges?” (December 12, 2008). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1320204 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1320204
“Migrant Workers: Where Lies Their Haven under the United Nations’ Migrant Workers’ Convention?” (December 4, 2007). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1043682 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1043682
“Living Will and the Nigerian Law: The Need for Legislative Intervention,” (December 11, 2007). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1032121 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1032121
“The Global Fight Against Terrorism and its Perpetrators: Correcting a ‘Wrong’ by a ‘Wrongful’ Means?” (December 18, 2008). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1317640 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1317640

Research Recognition

Appointed a Member of the Advisory Committee of the Platform on Disaster Displacement, Geneva, Switzerland (July 2017 – Present).

Webinar Presentations

Expert Speaker on Canadian Study Permit at a Webinar organized by the African Scholar Initiative on February 27, 2021.
Expert Speaker on Canadian Study Permit at a Twitter Session organized by the African Scholar Initiative on March 4, 2022.
Guest Speaker at the 11th Annual Refugee Night of the University of Ottawa Chapter of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers on March 28, 2022.

Conference Papers & Presentations

“Welcome Address”. An Address delivered at the opening of Chief ‘Folake Solanke, SAN, CON Annual International Conference, at the Civic Centre, Lagos, Nigeria (December 2019).
“The Transformative Influence of the UNHCR and the Nansen Initiative’s Protection Agenda on Cross-Border Disaster Displacement”. A paper presented at the Transformations Conference – Learning from Transformative Action and Thinking at the University of Chile, Santiago, Chile (October 2019).
“Establishing the Legal Status of Cross-Border Climate Migrants: A Soft Law Approach”. A paper presented at the Third Workshop on Climate Migrant at the University College Cork, Cork, Ireland (June 2014).
“Why International Law Should Respond to Cross-Border Climate Change Migration”. A paper presented at the Second Workshop on Climate Migrant at the University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece (October 2013).
“Euthanasia and the Right to Life in the Netherlands: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?” A paper presented at the 6th International Conference of the Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights, at the Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON (February 2010).
“Migrant Workers: Where Lies Their Haven under the United Nations’ Migrant Workers’ Convention?” A paper presented at the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Conference, at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON (January 2010).
“The Night Masquerade and Discrimination in Nigeria: Human Rights in Collision”. A paper presented at the Canadian Association of African Studies at Carleton University, Ottawa, ON (May 2010).
“Resolution 1267 Committee in the War on Terror: A Ticking Time Bomb on Human Rights”. A paper presented at the Osgoode Hall Law School Graduate Students’ Conference, Toronto, ON (May 2010).

Workshop Attendance

Attended Platform on Disaster Displacement Advisory Committee Members Workshop, Bogis-Bossey, Switzerland (February 2019).
Attended “Politics of the Earth”, SciencesPo/University of Liege, Paris, France (September 2016).
Attended International Migration Law, International Organization for Migration, Sanremo, Italy (September 2014).
Attended Teaching Law, Ethics and Human Rights, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary (July 2009).