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Board of Directors

Annie (Qurrat-ul-ain) Tayyab

President

Annie (Qurrat-ul-ain) Tayyab is a litigator at Torkin Manes LLP with a practice that encompasses all aspects of commercial litigation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. She specializes in high-stakes litigation, including multi-jurisdictional class actions, contractual disputes, and shareholder disputes. She has appeared in Courts of Appeal throughout the country, and has made written submissions to the Supreme Court of Canada on behalf of an intervener.

Annie has served on SABA Toronto’s board in many capacities over the years. She has previously been a member of the Young Advocates’ Standing Committee at The Advocates’ Society, Public Affairs Liaison of the Ontario Bar Association’s Women Lawyers’ Forum, and currently participates in several mentorship and pro bono initiatives, including volunteering quarterly with Pro Bono Ontario.

In her spare time, Annie is learning kathak, tries to keep up her streak on Duolingo for French, and loves to try new restaurants around the GTA.

Monty Dhaliwal

Vice President

Monty Dhaliwal is a Partner in Pallett Valo LLP’s Commercial Litigation group. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including shareholder disputes, bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings, and crisis management in general. He is a graduate of the University of Buckingham and the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) process.

Monty served on the Board of SABA Toronto from 2019-2023, including as its Vice President and Secretary. He returns to the board for the 2024-2025 term to further his goals for the Association. He has previously acted as a member of the Advocates’ Society’s Young Advocates Standing Committee.

Gurteg Singh

secretary

Gurteg Singh is a human rights, employment, real estate, and corporate lawyer based in Mississauga, Ontario. His primary area of practice is human rights and employment law, with a focus on workplace investigations and institutional climate reviews addressing issues of racial discrimination, gender bias, bullying, and harassment in Ontario universities and colleges. He also advises clients on a broad range of real estate, corporate and commercial matters, including private mortgage financing, mortgage enforcement, franchise disclosure prep and review, share/asset purchase transactions. 

Beyond his practice, Gurteg is an active advocate for accessibility and equity in the legal profession. He regularly mentors internationally trained lawyers and law students navigating the NCA process and Ontario’s licensing exams. In 2021, he received one of Precedent Magazine’s Innovation Awards for his “101 Series for Young Lawyers” free CPD initiative.

In addition to his legal work, Gurteg is an entrepreneur and community builder. In 2023, he founded a Toronto-based music and arts collective that has grown into a highly engaged community platform that fosters connection, representation, and cultural impact across the city.

Richa Oza

Treasurer

Richa Sandill is an employment and human rights lawyer in the legal clinic system. Her practice focuses primarily on advising and representing marginalized and low income workers on all aspects of employment law, including test case litigation, workplace harassment, discrimination, and wrongful dismissal. She practices at Don Valley Community Services as its Employment Law Team Lead. She works with the clinic’s Toronto East End Employment Law Services or TEELS program, a joint initiative between six East Toronto clinics to provide employment law services to low income workers in their catchment areas. She is also actively involved in public legal education initiatives for Toronto’s east end communities through her clinic role, including co-founding the “Tareekh Pe Tareekh” South Asian language TikTok campaign aimed at spreading awareness on Ontario employment law rights in Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil and Kannada.

In addition to her practice, Richa is an active member of the legal profession and a dedicated advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion. She served six terms on the Ontario Bar Association (OBA)’s Women Lawyers Forum executive, including as Chair in 2019-2020. She has been part of OBA Council, the OBA Equality, Dialogue on Licensing, and the Pro Bono Standing Committees, and from 2021-2022 she was a Member at Large on the Labour & Employment Law section of the OBA. In her capacity as Co-Chair of the Women’s Committee for SABA Toronto in 2020-2021, Richa represented SABA Toronto in 2020 on stakeholder consultations with the Prime Minister’s office and the Law Society of Ontario, as well as co-chairing SABA Toronto’s first Women’s Leadership Summit in 2021.

Amanda Cutinha

Director

Amanda Cutinha is a litigation associate at Miller Thomson LLP, where she advises clients on a broad range of litigation matters. She is also part of Miller Thomson’s national Cybersecurity and Privacy team, assisting clients with privacy, data breach and cybersecurity issues.

Passionate about advocating for equity issues, Amanda served as Equity Officer at her law school where she supported student clubs and initiatives focused on advancing equity, diversity and inclusion. She has previously volunteered with the Ontario Justice Education Network and the Pro Bono Students Canada. Amanda hopes to continue supporting the promotion of inclusivity in the legal field in her professional endeavours.

In her spare time, Amanda enjoys running, trying out new restaurants in the city, and reading.

Arun Krishnamurti

Director

Arun Krishnamurti is an experienced technology lawyer with a track record of practical, business-oriented legal advice.  After having worked at a leading Canadian law firm, and now in-house at Google Canada, Arun’s well versed in analyzing and responding to complex (and frequently cross-border) legal issues, including product launches, cloud services agreements, consumer protection and many other commercial and regulatory topics.  Arun currently serves as a Vice-President of the Canadian Technology Law Association and has repeatedly served on the board of the South Asian Bar Association of Toronto. He remains actively involved in his communities, taking on roles in mentoring, as well as supporting diversity and equity seeking groups  broadly.  In recognition of his accomplishments, Arun has been named to Lexpert Rising Stars: Leading Lawyers Under 40 and recognized by the South Asian Bar Association of North America as a Rising Star.  He was also nominated as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada in 2023 and 2024.

Christopher Dias

Director

Christopher is a civil litigator based in Toronto. He was called to the Ontario bar in 2021. 

He earned his Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School, graduating as a recipient of the Dean’s Gold Key Award and the Wendy Babcock Social Justice Scholarship. 

He has been a long-time supporter of initiatives rooted in social action and student mentorship. He is a former Program Coordinator of Pro Bono Students Canada and former student board member of the Community & Legal Aid Services Programme (CLASP) where he also worked as a student caseworker, assisting low-income individuals with commonplace legal concerns. He coaches one of Osgoode Hall’s competitive and award-winning mooting teams that specializes in international media rights issues. 

He currently is a Director of the South Asian Bar Association (Toronto), the Osgoode Cup, and the PRISME Conference Committee.

Chris Sewrattan

Director

Chris Sewrattan is a criminal lawyer who conducts trials and appeals. He also teaches criminal procedure at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law in Toronto. Partnering with his sister, their firm has been ranked as one of the best criminal law firms in Canada by Best Lawyers. 

Chris joins SABA Toronto’s Board after having served as a Director and Executive of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association.

Gurvir Sangha

Director

Gurvir Sangha is an associate in the Business Law Group at McCarthy Tétrault. He maintains a broad corporate practice, with focuses on capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, securities matters, board governance and other corporate affairs. He is also an integral member of the firm’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Sustainability Strategic Issues Group, advising clients on domestic and international ESG-related developments including climate-related financial disclosures.

Gurvir recently completed a secondment as Legal Counsel to Hydro One, the largest electricity transmission and distribution service provider in Ontario, and he previously worked for the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII). He is actively involved as a mentor at law schools across Ontario, and currently participates in mentorship programs at the University of Toronto, Osgoode Hall Law School, Western University, Queen’s University, and Toronto Metropolitan University.

Gurvir is a graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law (JD ’20), where he was a recipient of the 2020 Student Recognition Award from SABA Toronto, and the University of British Columbia (BA ’16).

Jaskaran Grewal

Director

As a corporate associate at Dentons, Jaskaran Grewal advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, securities transactions, and corporate finance matters. He leverages his legal expertise and his technology consulting background to provide comprehensive solutions for clients in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

Jaskaran holds a JD from Western University and a MMgt (with distinction) from the Schulich School of Business. He is passionate about community service and social entrepreneurship, and has helped several organizations develop sustainable business models. He also enjoys reading, following the financial press, working out, and admiring watches he can’t afford.

Lipi Mishra

Director

Lipi is a litigator at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP with a practice that encompasses all aspects of commercial litigation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. She has a wide-ranging corporate-commercial litigation practice, with expertise in complex class action litigation and matters relating to securities, regulatory enforcement, and internal investigations. Lipi obtained both her law degree and her Master’s of Science in Epidemiology from McGill University. She is passionate about access to justice and is a regular duty counsel volunteer with Pro Bono Ontario. In addition to serving on the SABA Toronto Board, Lipi is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

Outside of work, Lipi is an avid runner, coffee-nerd, and enjoys exploring Toronto’s diverse food scene (with a penchant for sampling the city’s best Jamaican patties).

Nandishi Bekah

Director

Nandishi Bekah is an experienced Family Law lawyer at Stanchieri Family Law in Downtown Toronto. She is a compassionate advocate, focused on preserving the family nucleus insomuch as possible through tactful negotiations and client-focused solutions. She has represented her clients at all levels of court in Ontario and holds a Masters of Laws from Osgoode, with a particular specialization in Alternative Dispute Resolution. Nandishi has been featured on CTV National, Global TV, Sirius XM Radio and has been a regular contributor to the Lawyer’s Daily. She has been nominated for the Top 25 Most Influencial Lawyers in Canada in both 2023 and 2024 and has been recognized by her peers for her noteworthy training modules focused on advancing the standard of practice for lawyers in order to best serve clients in today’s modern society. Her passion for the law and education meet through the creation of modules intended to break social barriers and enable legal professionals to be socially relevant and client centric advocates. Nandishi also remains active in her community, and is a contributing member to various organizations and committees, such as the Toronto Lawyer’s Association, CAMH and the Hospital for Sick Children.

Nandishi speaks 4 languages, English, French, Creole and Hindi and is able to provide legal services in both English and French. She recently authored her first ever children’s book called “I USED TO HAVE ONE BUT NOW I HAVE TWO” which is a child-friendly book about the realities and impact of divorce on families

Nevethan Balendra

Director

Nevethan is a lawyer in the Global Contracts and Technology Group at Manulife and is also the founder and principal lawyer at Balendra Law Professional Corporation. He provides legal advice on a broad range of corporate/commercial matters, including mergers and acquisitions, privacy and data security, competition law, health law, regulatory compliance, technology contracts, and private investments.
Nevethan received a Bachelor of Science, Master of Health Information Science, and Juris Doctor from Western University.

Nevethan is a co-founder and the vice president of the Tamil Bar Association since its inception in 2022.

Raghav Jain

Director

Raghav Jain, is the founder and principal lawyer at Vantage Immigration Law. He brings a wealth of experience in Canadian and international legal systems. A dual-licensed lawyer in Ontario and India, Raghav has honed his expertise in immigration litigation such as judicial reviews of visa refusals, mandamus applications for visa delays, stay of removal orders, inadmissibility appeals etc. His legal career also includes representing high-profile cases before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal.

His firm – Vantage Immigration Law is a boutique immigration law firm located in the heart of Downtown Toronto, with a satellite office in Chandigarh, India. He provides comprehensive immigration services, delivering solutions that are as diverse as the needs of his clients. His mission is to simplify the immigration process while ensuring every case is handled with professionalism, integrity, and a deep understanding of the law.

At Vantage Immigration Law, he leverages this unique combination of international legal acumen and practical immigration expertise to deliver results-oriented solutions. Whether you’re pursuing economic opportunities, reuniting with family, or planning to build a new life in Canada, he guides his clients through every step of the way.

Outside of law, Raghav has been involved in numerous community service projects under the auspices of Rotary International. He takes a keen interest in international relations, European football and world history. Additionally, he embarks on frequent mountaineering expeditions in the Himalayas and canoe trips in Canada’s north in order to de-stress.

Vipal Jain

Director

Vipal Jain is a privacy and technology associate at WeirFoulds LLP in Toronto. She helps organizations navigate and manage data privacy and technology risks.

Vipal previously served as a Legal Counsel to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. In that role, Vipal advised the Commissioner and senior officials on a range of issues in the context of public and private sector privacy.

Before joining the SABA Toronto board, Vipal spearheaded the SABA Spotlight Series, profiling over a dozen members of the community to showcase their accomplishments, unique South Asian backgrounds, and the impact SABA Toronto has had on them.

Vipal holds a JD from the University of Ottawa and a B.Sc. from the University of Toronto, where she specialized in Genetics and Biotechnology.

Devin Persaud

Ex Officio - Past President

Devin Persaud is a Partner at Miller Thomson LLP, one of the largest full service law firms in Canada. Devin provides advice to clients on all aspects of Canadian competition, antitrust, foreign investment, marketing, and corporate compliance law. Devin also advises clients on all potentially anti-competitive and consumer protection business practices as well as in running internal investigations and implementing corporate compliance programs.

Devin is a passionate advocate for diversity-related initiatives in the Canadian Bar. He is a leading member of the SABA Toronto network and for his efforts was recently one of the youngest recipients of the 2019 Lexpert Zenith Award – celebrating Change Agents in Law. In 2020 Devin was also a recipient of the FACL Young Lawyer of the Year Award, and was a 2022 recipient of the Precedent Setter Award. In 2023 Devin was awarded the Toronto Lawyer’s Association’s Emerging Excellence Award and the SABA North America’s Rising Star Award. He was also named in Best Lawyers Ones to Watch – Competition/Antirust Law and Corporate Law in 2024. Devin is also the co-chair of the SABA North America Antitrust section, and the chair of the CBA’s Marketing Practices Committee for the Competition and Foreign Investment Section.

In his spare time Devin enjoys binging Netflix shows, trying and rating new pizza places around the city and watching/emulating his favourite Bollywood stars.

Student Liaisons

Malaika Hussaini

Malaika Hussaini is a third-year Dual JD student at Windsor Law and Detroit Mercy Law. Malaika previously served as Outreach Advisor to the Premier of Ontario and most recently summered at DLA Piper (Canada) LLP in Toronto.

Malaika has travelled to over 19 countries and enjoys learning about different cultures and cuisines.

Harmeena Dhillon

Harmeena Dhillon is a second-year student at Windsor Law, with an undergraduate Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Wilfrid Laurier University. In addition to founding the Windsor Law Punjabi Association in 2023, she’s also a research assistant to Professor David M. Tanovich in the area of false confessions.

In her spare time you can find Harmeena binge watching The Office, trying out a new recipe, or attempting to train her energetic German Shephard-Rotweiler.

Megh Apte

Megh Apte is an internationally trained lawyer from India pursuing the Professional LL.M – International Business Law (Full-Time) at Osgoode Hall Law School. He is also a NCA Candidate.

Megh was a civil litigator in India and also completed a Masters of Law (Business and Corporate Laws) from Symbiosis Law School, Pune. Megh’s interest in anti-trust law and civil aviation inspired his Masters thesis on the anti-competitive effects of codeshare agreements between airlines.

In his spare time, Megh loves to swim, play badminton, table tennis, soccer and cricket. Megh also loves to watch European soccer and international Test cricket.

Ishani Saxena

Ishani Saxena is pursuing her LLM degree at the University of Toronto. She is an internationally trained lawyer from India. Beyond her academic pursuits, she is an ardent Formula 1 fan who finds joy in the thrilling world of motorsports. When she is not engrossed in legal studies or racing action, you can find her indulging in her passion for the creative world through movies, TV shows, podcasts, music, and memes ofcourse. She is also a culinary explorer, always eager to whip up new recipes and savor different cuisines.

Jahanvi Pandit

Jahanvi Pandit is a third-year student at Osgoode Hall Law School and the co-president of the South Asian Law Students’ Association at Osgoode for 2023-2024. Jahanvi enjoys rewatching her favourite sitcoms, going to the gym, and going to concerts.

She will be completing a fall semester abroad at the University of Copenhagen, in Denmark, during her last year of law school.

Rutvi Patel

Rutvi Patel is a second-year student at the University of Ottawa. She spent her summer after her first year of law school as a Summer Law Student for the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario and is a member of the South Asian Law Students Association at UOttawa.

In her spare time Rutvi enjoys listening to audiobooks/podcasts, working out, and doing DIY projects.

Shirin Monga

Shirin Monga is a third-year law student at Osgoode Hall Law School. She is also the Co-President of Osgoode’s South Asian Law Student Association.

In addition to her academic pursuits, Shirin loves to binge sitcoms or new TV shows on Netflix, exercise, travel, and take care of her mental health. In her final year of law school, Shirin will be working at the Ontario Human Rights Legal Support Centre.

Swetha Subramanyam

Swetha Subramanyam is a third-year student at Western Law. Swetha received her undergraduate degree in Business Technology Management from Toronto Metropolitan University. Before joining Western Law, she worked as a Consultant at Deloitte.

Outside of school and work, Swetha enjoys traveling, Muay Thai, and trying different cafes to find the best coffee in Toronto.

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