ADVISORY COUNCIL

Malliha Wilson is Senior Counsel at Nava Wilson LLP and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb). Previously, Malliha served as the Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Civil, of the Government of Ontario for over 8 years. She was Senior Appellate Litigation Counsel with the Ontario Government for more than 30 years, participating in over 20 notable cases at the Supreme Court of Canada and the Ontario Court of Appeal. She specializes in international, human rights, indigenous, constitutional and labour law. Throughout her career she has been a champion of diversity and inclusion.

Formerly she was the Special Legal Advisor at the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (IMCO).

Malliha completed her undergraduate degree at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. She completed her law degree at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Toronto, Ontario in 1981.

In 2009 she was recognized by the South Asian Bar Association with a Distinguished Career Award, in 2012 by her alma matter, Osgoode Hall Law School, with a Gold Key Award for the Public Sector, and in 2015 she was awarded the Daniel Mark Public Sector Lawyer award by the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers. In 2022, Malliha was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Malliha currently serves on the Board of the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy, the Board of the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, the Editorial Board of The Philippe Kirsch Institute Global Justice Journal, the Principal’s Advisory Group at the University of Toronto Scarborough, and the Advisory Board of the Canadian Tamil Congress. Previously, she served on the Board of Directors of the Osgoode Hall Law School Alumni Association and was an adjudicator on the Hearings Panel of the Mutual Fund Dealers Association.

Malliha also donated her father’s (Professor A.J Wilson, a renowned academic) and her grandfather’s (S.J.V. Chelvanayakam, an eminent lawyer and politician in Sri Lanka) papers to the University of Toronto Scarborough archives which led to the establishment of the A.J. Wilson archives and the S.J.V. Chelvanayakam Archives.

Abimanyu (Abi) Singam has more than 10 years of experience as a real estate lawyer and has assisted thousands of clients with their real estate, wills and estate and family law matters.

He currently advises clients on a wide range of matters including purchase and sale of businesses, corporate structuring, real estate purchase, sale, refinance, and private mortgages.

He regularly advises, drafts and negotiates a wide range of agreements and documents, including shareholder, joint venture, and partnership agreements, agreements of purchase and sale, leases, and loan and security documents on behalf of purchasers and vendors, landlords and tenants, and financial institutions and borrowers.

He also serves as a volunteer advisor to INCome - Investing in Community Empowerment, an international development organization. 

Packialuxmi Vasan began her legal journey in Sri Lanka, where she received her Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Colombo. The Civil War forced her to flee to Canada before she could fully invest in her career.

After obtaining her accreditation through Western University and the University of Ottawa, she secured employment with Lorne Waldman, a boutique law firm specializing in immigration and refugee matters. While working there, she had the honor of working as a lawyer in British Columbia, helping 92 individuals who arrived on the MV Sun Sea ship fleeing Sri Lanka and 492 individuals who arrived on MV Ocean lady ship fleeing Sri Lanka in 2009 & 2010. 

Now a sole practitioner at the Law Office of Packialuxmi Vasan, she has over 16 years of experience specializing in immigration & refugee matters and Real estate work. She dedicates time to pro bono work for those in need who cannot afford legal support.

Vasan was instrumental in forming the Tamil Service Providers Coalition within the GTA, helping to create an information booklet for Tamil Community Services. She is passionate about helping marginalized populations and has served on various committees, including the Children’s Aid Society, SSN Markham, Tamil Eelam Society, Markham Tamil Organization, York Region Police Advisory Committee, and Family Health Team at Carefirst Seniors and Community Services Association.

She collaborated with the CLEO Six Languages Advisory Group, which produced public legal education materials in six languages, including Tamil, with support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Legal Aid Ontario.

Vasan received a certificate of recognition from the Canadian Bar Association of British Columbia in 2011 for her work with the MV Sun Sea arrivals. She also received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Award on December 4, 2022, and the Leadership Award by Uthayan Newspaper International in 2023.

Currently, she is the Vice President of the Markham Tamil Organization and the President of Puttalai Maha Vidyalayam, Canada Branch.

Outside of work, she enjoys performing Bharatha Natyam, participating in debates, and cooking for seniors whenever time permits.