Wikipedia

Mark Persaud

Mark M. Persaud, LL.B., LL.M., LL.D. is a Canadian lawyer, entrepreneur, civic leader, and public figure. He is a former federal prosecutor.[citation needed]

Mark M. Persaud
Born
Guyana
OccupationLawyer
EmployerPersaud Law Group Professional Corporation

Childhood edit

Persaud was born in British Guiana (now Guyana) in South America where he grew up and attended high school. He was active in politics as a student and eventually departed to Canada alone as a youth as a result of civil and political unrest in his country of birth.[1] He started life in Canada [1] as a homeless youth on the streets of Toronto in winter from where he was rescued by the Scott Mission, a Christian outreach organisation.[1]

Education edit

Persaud read political science at York University [2] and received both his law degrees ( LL.B. 1991, LL.M. 2001 ) from Osgoode Hall Law School.[3] He also studied at the Center for the Study of Values in Public Life at Harvard University.[citation needed] In June, 2016 he received an honorary Doctor of Laws LL.D. from the Law Society of Upper Canada.[4]

He has taught as an adjunct law professor in the United States [5] as well as being a guest lecturer, speaker and media commentator.[citation needed] He continues to be actively involved in mentoring students and young professionals.[citation needed]

Legal career edit

Persaud worked as a federal prosecutor at the Department of Justice and as civil litigation counsel arguing judicial reviews in the Federal Court of Canada.[citation needed] He was also legal counsel to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on organized crime/proceeds of crime investigations.[citation needed] He subsequently worked in a private law firm in Toronto where he practised in both civil, criminal and regulatory law before starting the Persaud Law Group Professional Corporation[6] in 2011. He is a member of the Editorial Board of Canadian Lawyer and the Chair of the Justice Committee of the Black North Initiative (BNI).[citation needed]

Politics edit

He was twice elected to the National Executive of the Liberal Party of Canada.[citation needed] He served as an Advisor to a Federal Cabinet Minister.[7] As a result of internal disagreements with senior staff to Prime Minister Paul Martin regarding the unequal treatment of minorities in the party he left the Liberal Party of Canada and publicly supported the Conservative Party of Canada[8] in the 2008 election. He is currently not affiliated to any political party.[citation needed]

Awards and recognitions edit

Three years after arriving in Canada, he was nominated and short listed for the Toronto Man of the Year Award in the Toronto Star newspaper for his work with refugees.[citation needed] He has been the founder, director, advisor and volunteer with numerous non-profit organisations and has won many awards and recognitions for his public service.[citation needed] These achievements include the 2007 Alumni Public Sector Law Gold Key award from Osgoode Hall Law School, both the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Queen Diamond Jubilee medals as well as the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Award for leadership and service to Canada.[citation needed] He also was awarded a Canada 150 Anniversary Medal in recognition of his many contributions.[citation needed] He received the Osgoode Hall Law School Alumni Public Sector Gold Key Award for Public Law in 2007.[9] He was nominated by the diplomatic community for the 2006 Seoul Peace Prize and recognised by The Law Society of Ontario as an exceptional lawyer (1941–present) as part of their Lawyers Make History Project.[10] In June 2016 the Law Society of Ontario Canada conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa (LLD) in recognition of his extraordinary accomplishments and achievements.[4]

Human rights edit

He has worked on refugee protection, racial and gender equality and homelessness.[citation needed] He publicly alleged racism and discrimination at the Department of Justice when he was invited to testify before the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights.[11][12] As a result of his testimony before the Senate Human Rights committee, the Department of Justice determined that over six hundred of its most senior lawyers must receive diversity and anti-discrimination training.[citation needed] In 2020, he was appointed the inaugural Chair of the Justice Committee of the Black North Initiative.[13]

Social entrepreneur and community leader edit

Persaud is the founder, director, advisor and volunteer with numerous not for profit organisations assisting the most vulnerable members of society as well as a committed advocate for fairness and equality.[citation needed] Over the course of his extensive work in the community, he has personally assisted thousands of refugees and other vulnerable and disadvantaged persons.[14] He is also the Founder and former President of the Canadian International Peace Project (CIPP), an organisation that promotes inter-community goodwill through building relationships between diverse national, ethnic, religious, and community organisations.[15] Among the projects that he led are a multi-faith international Afghan Project and the Canadian Jewish-Somali Mentorship Project. He is the Chair of the Justice Committee of the Black North Initiative (BNI) and a Director on the Editorial Board of Canadian Lawyer magazine.[16]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Navigating challenges faced by minorities and women in the legal profession – NSRLP". 9 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  2. ^ "York University – Creating Positive Change". York University.
  3. ^ "Home". Osgoode Hall Law School.
  4. ^ a b "Honorary LLD | Law Society of Ontario".
  5. ^ "WMU-Cooley Law School". www.cooley.edu.
  6. ^ "Persaud Law Group". Persaud Law Group. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  7. ^ "Mark Persaud". www.taaproject.com. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  8. ^ Woods, Allan (2007-01-12). "The second defection of a former high-ranking Liberal to the Conservative party in less than a week illustrates that the Tories are winning over ethnic voters across Canada, and particularly in the Toronto area, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  9. ^ "Alumni Gold Key Recipients". Osgoode Hall Law School.
  10. ^ "Diversifying the Bar: Lawyers Make History | The Law Society of Upper Canada". www.lsuc.on.ca. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  11. ^ "Mark Persaud rocked Justice Canada with his allegations of systemic racism". Canada.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-19. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  12. ^ Naumetz, Tim. "Lawyer tells Senate he was driven out". www.lawtimesnews.com. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  13. ^ "Home". BlackNorth Initiative.
  14. ^ "'It sucked the soul out of me'". Ottawa Citizen. March 9, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ Paul Lungen (30 April 2009). "CIPP leader honoured for humanitarian work - The Canadian Jewish News". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  16. ^ "Mark Persaud | Canadian Lawyer".

External links edit

www.markpersaud.com

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mark_Persaud&oldid=1219114031"