Faisal Mirza
Faisal Mirza is a partner at Mirza Kwok Defence Lawyers. He practices trial and appellate litigation in the areas of criminal, constitutional, and regulatory law. He frequently appears on behalf of clients and human rights organizations at the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Mr. Mirza is an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School where he teaches Advanced Criminal Law. He is also an instructor in National Security and the Law at the University of Toronto. He is the author of Criminal Jury Charge Practice and several articles about criminal procedure and sentencing.
Mr. Mirza is co-founder of the Sentencing and Parole Project, which focuses on anti-Black racism in the criminal justice system. He is President of the Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association, a board member of The Advocates’ Society, and a contributor to various initiatives with the South Asian Bar Association and the Criminal Lawyers’ Association.
Mr. Mirza has been recognized by Best Lawyers magazine as one of Canada’s leading appellate lawyers and received the Diversity Award by the South Asian Bar Association for his work in social justice. He was also nominated in Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers of 2020, in the Changemakers section.
Mr. Mirza holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Osgoode Hall. Before being called to the bar in 2002, he articled at Greenspan Humphrey Lavine, and worked for the Honourable Fred Kaufman and Mark Sandler during an independent review of the Government of Nova Scotia’s response to abuse in provincial institutions.
