Ayman Bdewi

For Ayman Bdewi, pursuing Osgoode’s Professional LLM in Canadian Common Law was the next step in a long and dedicated legal journey.

“I had a long career as a lawyer outside Canada,” he says. “I’m originally from Syria, where I practiced law before joining the United Nations. I worked with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for about seven years, and when I moved to Canada, I wanted to continue doing what I love. I have a passion for law, and this program helped me keep pursuing that.”

Coming from a civil law jurisdiction, Ayman Bdewi knew he needed structured guidance to adapt to the Canadian system. “The approach is completely different,” he explains. “In civil law, there’s a code – you go one, two, three. Here, common law relies on case law and how the law evolves over time. It would have been very difficult to explore that on my own. This program was very, very helpful.”

While completing the program, Ayman Bdewi worked across the street at Legal Aid Ontario’s downtown Toronto office – a setup that made for long but rewarding days. “I used to cross the street, take my classes, and then go back to work,” he says with a laugh. “I was lucky to be able to do that.”

That combination of work and study opened doors to his first opportunities in Canada. “I started by volunteering at Legal Aid Ontario,” he explains. “Then they offered me a position as a case worker. When I finished the program, they recommended me for an articling position. I did ten months of articling – five months in family law and five in criminal – and from there I applied for a counsel position at the Law Society of Ontario.”

He spent seven years as Discipline Counsel at the Law Society, prosecuting cases involving lawyers and paralegals, before moving in 2025 to a similar role at the College of Citizenship and Immigration Consultants (CCIC). “Now I prosecute immigration consultants,” he says. “It’s very similar work. We handle everything from communication complaints to serious cases like fraud or money laundering. It’s meaningful work because it protects the integrity of the profession.”

Bdewi says the connections he made at Osgoode continue to shape his career. “We had social events, career resources, and sessions about how to find jobs and approach people,” he recalls. “I still meet many of my classmates – they’re lawyers and senior counsel now. We run into each other in court or at conferences. Those friendships are important.”

The highlight of the program, Bdewi says, was the instructors themselves. “They were excellent – lawyers and professionals who were actually working in the field,” he recalls. “They had up-to-date knowledge and knew how to guide us, especially those of us coming from civil law backgrounds. They understood our challenges and gave us the practical tools to succeed.”