Member Spotlight August 2021 – Baljinder Kaur Girn

This month’s spotlight is on member Baljinder Kaur Girn.

Prior to law school, Baljinder earned a degree in criminology from Simon Fraser University. Baljinder then obtained her law degree from Queen’s University and was subsequently called to the Ontario bar in 1999. Baljinder began her legal career working at a criminal law firm in Toronto specializing in white collar defence work. In 2002, Baljinder joined the Department of Justice, Federal Prosecution Service (now the Public Prosecution Service of Canada) and was called to the BC bar that same here. She is is currently Senior Crown Counsel with the Organized Crime Team of the PPSC where her practice involves litigation of a broad range of increasingly complex criminal, regulatory and economic prosecutions of offences under various federal statutes. She also provides training to lawyers and law enforcement agencies on a range of legal issues.

She is actively involved with the Canadian Bar Association – BC Branch serving as a Director-at-large on its Board and a member of Provincial Council. Baljinder participates on various committees, including chairing the CBABC Barry Sullivan Law Cup. Outside the courtroom, Baljinder is a competitive soccer player and volunteers in her community and with amateur sports in BC. Baljinder has devoted significant time to mentoring students and young lawyers. She serves an articling student principal, a guest instructor at PLTC and mentors with the CBABC – WLF and law schools mentorship programs. Baljinder is proud to advocate for and sponsor students and young lawyers from the South Asian community.

Baljinder is a passionate advocate of equity, diversity and inclusion in the legal profession – she is the National Advisor for Racialized Persons on the PPSC’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, chairs its regional Committee and serves as a national co-Champion for the PPSC’s initiative on addressing systemic discrimination and racism for a bias-free workplace. Baljinder recently began working with the PPSC’s Advancement Centre on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.