The Honourable Alan S. Diner - Chief Justice

Credit: Balfour

The Honourable Alan S. Diner was appointed to the Federal Court in 2014.

Prior to his appointment to the Court, Chief Justice Diner practised immigration and administrative law with several law firms, including Bennett Jones and McCarthy Tétrault, in Toronto, and Flavell Kubrick & Lalonde, in Ottawa. He later held senior public service positions, including managing the establishment of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program for Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. In 2008, he joined Baker & McKenzie, where he led the firm’s Canadian Immigration Law Practice Group until his appointment to the Court.

Throughout his career, Chief Justice Diner has been active in community service with board and pro bono work, for which he was recognised with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and several other awards, including most recently the inaugural President’s Award from the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association. Since joining the Court, he has chaired both its Immigration Committee and its Technology Committee. He has also actively engaged with law students, having founded the Immigration Law Moot, served as a judge for the Fox and Wilson Moots, and taught at law faculties, including at the University of Toronto and Bond University.

Chief Justice Diner holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Laws in International Trade and Competition Law, both from Osgoode Hall Law School. He was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1995 and the Bar of New York in 2005. He was certified as a Specialist in Immigration Law by the Law Society of Ontario in 2013 and was recognised in peer-reviewed services such as Who’s Who, Lexpert, and Martindale Hubbell.