About Us

Where we are

Team LJD Law’s office is located in the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations, in a place that we now call Toronto.

The Team is grateful to be in these lands where we acknowledge that immigration has a historical and a continuing direct impact on the indigenous populations of Turtle Island. We consciously strive that our work in immigration law be driven by the principles of reconciliation.

How we work

Team LJD Law is a collaborative law firm. This means, we work with our clients in their matters. We combine the flexibility of having a physical office in Downtown Toronto (10 minutes from Union Station by foot) so we can service clients from all over the Greater Toronto Area through GO Transit, with cloud-based technology so that we can offer our services to and from anywhere across the world. Our team members are in Toronto, Niagara, Hamilton, Manila, and in Milton. We take pride in our ability to be flexible to the needs of our clients through technology-driven solutions.

Meet the Team

  • Lou Janssen Dangzalan

    FOUNDER

    Pronouns: he/him
    Languages: Tagalog, English, French, Spanish (in progress)

    As a recent immigrant, Lou brings his diverse personal and professional background in his work as immigration lawyer to his clientts.

    His area of focus in immigration are in economic immigration and family reunification. He assists students and workers in creating bespoke pathways to permanent residency in Canada. A large part of his immigration law practice involves Federal Court of Canada litigation involving temporary residence refusals and misrepresentation findings.

    Lou has appeared before various committees at both chambers of the Parliament of Canada: the House of Commons, as well as the Senate, as an invited expert witness.

    Lou has constantly appeared in Canadian and Filipino media, in English, French, and Tagalog (see Media Appearances).

    Outside work, Lou loves cycling, solo traveling and immersing in local culture and cuisine.

    Education:

    • Bachelors in Sociology, University of Santo Tomas

    • Master of Arts in Global Politics (Graduate Scholar), Ateneo de Manila University

    • Master of Social Sciences (Research Scholar), National University of Singapore

    • Licence en droit (droit civil), Université d’Ottawa

    • Juris Doctor (common law), University of Ottawa

    Affiliations:

    • Founding Member, currently serving on the Board as Vice President in the Policy Team, Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association

    • Canadian Bar Association

    • Junior Refugee & Immigration Lawyers Network

    Socials:

    [image credit: John Hryniuk]

  • Carmelo "C.J." Ramos

    CASE MANAGER

    Pronouns: he/him
    Languages: Tagalog, English

    Carmelo, or CJ, is the firm's immigration law clerk based in Manila, Philippines. He has a passion for humanitarian work. He is detail oriented and hardly anything escapes his attention in reviewing our files.

    He previously worked as one of the Philippine Red Cross’s national project officers under the National Society Development project, funded by the American Red Cross.

    His father being an overseas Filipino worker, CJ cares greatly for migrant workers. He works towards the reunification of migrants/immigrants and their families, knowing the hardships of being separated from loved ones.

    Outside work, CJ loves music and has a strange interest in retro video games.

    Education:

    • Bachelors in Diplomacy and International Relations, with specializations in East and Southeast Asian Studies, Ateneo de Manila University

  • Benjamin Cagayan

    LEGAL ASSISTANT

    Pronouns: he/him
    Languages: Tagalog, English

    Benjamin is the firm’s immigration legal assistant based in Manila, Philippines.

    He previously worked as an intern for the Philippine branch of Social Watch. An international non-governmental organization that aims to achieve poverty eradication, gender equality, and social justice.

    Outside work, Benjamin loves both playing and watching basketball and football. He also occasionally plays 2-D platform video games and runs marathons when he has spare time.

    Education:

    Bachelors in Legal Management, De La Salle University

  • Andrew Koltun

    OF-COUNSEL / LEGAL CONSULTANT

    Pronouns: he/him
    Languages: English

    Andrew is a practising immigration and refugee lawyer. He is based in Hamilton, Ontario. Andrew is a strong believer in open borders for all.

    At LJD Law, Andrew worked on a diversity of immigration and refugee files, ranging from complex temporary resident visa applications to “crimmigration” (the intersection of criminal and immigration law) with inadmissibility and removal issues. He also has strong foundations in working on applications involving humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

    Andrew has appeared in immigration stories in the Canadian media. He has also testified before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.

    Prior to joining LJD Law, Andrew worked as a student caseworker with the immigration division of the Community Legal Services of Ottawa. He also worked as a research assistant at the Refugee Hub where he supported federal court litigation on issues bridging criminal law and immigration law.

    Education:

    • Bachelors in Political Science and History (honours), Wilfrid Laurier University

    • Master of Arts in Global Governance, University of Waterloo

    • Juris Doctor, University of Ottawa

    Affiliations:

    • Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers

    • Canadian Bar Association

    • Junior Refugee & Immigration Lawyers Network

    • Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association

    • Law and Mental Disorder Association

    Socials