Our Team
Meet Our Team
Jennifer Dagsvik
Jennifer Dagsvik (she/her) has been an immigration and refugee lawyer since 2007. Before becoming the Clinic’s director, Jennifer worked in private practice serving migrants and refugees in Thunder Bay, and before that she represented the Government of Canada in immigration and refugee cases at Federal Court. Jennifer also teaches the immigration and refugee law course at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law.
Robert St Aubin
Robert is an immigration and refugee lawyer. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa in 2024, after which he completed his Articles of Clerkship with an immigration firm in Toronto, Ontario. Robert provides the Clinic’s clients with a broad range of legal services, including legal advice, assisting with immigration applications, and representing clients at the Federal Court and immigration and refugee tribunals.
J. Bianca Espinoza
Bianca is our Clinic’s Outreach and Program Coordinator. Bianca has graduated with a Master’s in Social Justice from Lakehead University. She collaborates with community partners, coordinates with interpretation services for staff who need it, researches and updates anything related to the TFW program, reports and budgets for the clinic, trains temporary staff and law students, and interprets for the clinic, as needed.
Alejandra Jimenez
Alejandra, our Intake Worker, is an architect from Colombia and a journalist from Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto. At the clinic, she coordinates the intake system, provides administrative support, and manages the social media, the monthly newsletters and reports.
Nikrista Thapa
Nikrista is a second year student at Lakehead’s Bora Laskin Faculty of Law. Before law school, she earned her Paralegal diploma at Loyalist College and a Bachelor's degree in Law & Society from York University. Currently, she is a general editor for the Lakehead Law Journal.
Brendan Tutolo
Brendan is a second-year student at Lakehead University Bora Laskin Faculty of Law. He is passionate about problem-solving and advocating for individuals in need. He is excited to support clients and the migrant community in Thunder Bay alongside the Newcomer Legal team.
Nana Aba Banie
Nana is currently in her final year of the Master of Arts in Social Justice program at Lakehead University. She holds a Master of Science in Crime Intelligence and Data Analysis from Teesside University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of Ghana. She enjoys volunteering weekly in her local community and serves as a Global Ambassador International at Lakehead University.
Past Lakehead University Clinic Students
Bora Laskin Faculty of Law:
Brandon Teo,
Sharon Tathgur,
Esma Haider,
Rahemah Siddiqui,
Harleen Toor,
Siera Hammill,
Jesse Ruberto,
Mina Eskaroos,
Anais Giasson.
Master in Social Justice:
Durba Shyam,
J. Bianca Espinosa.
Others workers:
Miranda Dell’Anna,
Alex Ahmadi,
Nahal Golmohammadi,
Yeldi Nuri,
Mary Beshay,
Charlotte Bueckert-Dyck,
Alexandra Fank,
Aida Hossein Zadeh,
Kiana Naser,
Kunal Pandya,
Yvonne Oni,
María del Mar Rojas.