— Professor Dhanam Kissoon celebrates 30 years of distinguished service to the legal profession

By Frederick Halley

GUYANA-born Adjunct Professor, Dhanam Kissoon, recently celebrated 30 years in the legal profession in Canada, and among those extending warm congratulations to him in a commemorative magazine on the auspicious occasion were Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.
Ontario Premiere, Doug Ford; Toronto Mayor, John Tory; Toronto Police Service; Queen’s University Faculty of Law, where he still teaches and the Rotary Club of Brampton also extended their congratulations. In his congratulatory message, Prime Minister Trudeau said “The legal profession has greatly benefited from your candor, experience, and knowledge. As a lawyer for the past 30 years, you have fought to promote equality and justice for everyone while representing your clients with integrity and compassion. In addition to your esteemed legal career, you have devoted your time to various community initiatives which have benefit so many individuals. Over your many years teaching at Queen’s University Faculty of Law, you have gained the confidence and the admiration of your students.

Your commitment to educating future lawyers has rightfully gained you numerous teaching awards. Thank you for all that you have done to inspire the next generation of legal minds. Please accept my best wishes for your future endeavours.” According to Premier Ford, “Members of the legal profession play an important role in protecting our rights, freedoms and institutions, safeguarding the common good, and ensuring a fair and just society. Mr. Kissoon, I want to congratulate you on this significant milestone. With dedication and skill, you have represented clients in the areas of immigration and criminal law. You have also found time to give back to the Guyanese community, as well as the broader community, through charitable work. In addition, you have shared your knowledge and experience with the next generation of lawyers and legal professionals. You are a role model for your colleagues and a pillar of the community. Thank you for all you’ve done and continue to do.”

IMPRESSIVE WORK
Toronto Mayor John Tory said “The milestone anniversary is an opportunity to look back on Mr. Kissoon’s impressive work in the field of criminal and immigration law. Thank you for your dedicated efforts in defending your clients over the past three decades. Congratulations on starting your firm, Kissoon and Associates, in 2000, after a stint on Bay Street. Your practice has also helped many people in the areas of real estate law, family law, and corporate commercial law. I also commend you for passing along your specialised knowledge to future lawyers, at Queen’s University for the last 27 years. On behalf of Toronto City Council, I offer my best wishes on this significant anniversary and continued success.”
The board and members of the Rotary Club of Brampton Flower City Centennial, of which Kissoon is staunch member and past President, pointed out that Kissoon is a founding member of the club where he held the position of club President twice, in 2005 and again in 2015. The club added: You are an inspiration to others. Your dedication to your work is exemplary. Thank you for making a difference. Mr. Kissoon, we applaud you, and we wish you continued success in your years ahead.”

Professor and Dean of Law at Queen’s University, Mark Walters, also extended congratulations to Professor Kissoon.
“This is truly a wonderful milestone for you. This year marks not just the anniversary of an important achievement, but it provides us with a moment to reflect upon the contributions to Canadian society in the intervening thirty years.
“Over the course of three decades, you have served your clients with skill and integrity. You have for 30 years been an educator. For three decades, law students at Queen’s University have benefited from your commitment to teaching, in particular your course ‘Racism and Canadian Legal Culture’. In response, students have honoured you with the Law Students’ Society/Stan Corbett Award on four occasions,” Professor Walters said.
There are now more than 20 lawyers in the Kissoon family worldwide, one of whom is Dhaman’s uncle, Nandram, a retired Court of Appeal judge in Guyana. The most recent example of the Kissoon family’s legal practice pursuits is actually Dhaman’s own son, Navan, who was called to the Ontario Bar in June 2020.