Daniel is a Certified Specialist in Citizenship and Immigration Law (Law Society of Ontario), with over 20 years of experience heading a team representing clients in all areas of immigration law. The Certified Specialist designation is granted by the Law Society of Ontario to lawyers who have demonstrated substantial involvement, special education, and experience in their area of practice.
As a leading immigration and Federal Court litigator, he has successfully represented hundreds of clients in resolving complex immigration issues. In the Federal Court, he has won countless applications for leave, judicial review, and stays of removal. At the Immigration and Refugee Board, he has resolved highly contested admissibility hearings, detention reviews, removal and sponsorship appeals, and refugee claims. In federal and provincial courts, he has sought civil remedies for wrongful detention.
Prior to founding Kingwell Immigration Law, Daniel was a partner and litigation team leader at Mamann Sandaluk, and recognized by his peers in Canadian Lawyer magazine as one of the very best in Canada. A lawyer’s lawyer, he regularly receives referrals from other counsel, entrusting him with their clients, family, and friends. He is frequently consulted by media, educators, and community leaders for his opinion and advice.
Daniel’s connection to immigration law runs deeper than his career. During law school, he spent a year abroad and met his wife, and found himself on the other side of the process he would go on to practise. As he puts it:
“A bureaucrat gets to decide if I can live with my wife in Canada — which effectively means if the answer is no, I’ve got to leave, and I’ve lived here my whole life.”
That experience shaped how he approaches every spousal and family case today.
What sets Daniel apart is his unique combination of skill, experience, and commitment to his clients’ needs. From his many years of practice, he is able to cut to the core of the issue to find the most efficient solution to any immigration problem. This requires a level of understanding of the law and the system that can only come from his decades of experience.
Daniel describes his practice as being “sort of the fire department”; the lawyer people call when the situation is urgent, the stakes are high, and ordinary processes have failed. A significant part of his work is also what he calls cleanup: recovering cases damaged by bad advice, fraudulent documents, or misrepresentation encouraged by unscrupulous consultants. These are the cases where experience at the Federal Court and IRB makes the difference.
He’s also a member of the following professional organisations:
- Law Society of Ontario
- Canadian Bar Association
- Ontario Bar Association
- Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association (CILA)
- Refugee Lawyers Association of Ontario
- Best Lawyers
