Julian Falconer has been practicing law in the areas of policing, human rights, Indigenous rights, and state accountability for over thirty years. He holds degrees from the University of Alberta, McGill University, and the University of Toronto, in addition to an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Guelph-Humber. He previously served as a Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario from 2010 to 2023, spanning the maximum of three terms.
Julian is also an author, writing extensively on issues of race and civil liberties, and co-authoring the book The Annotated Coroners Act (Butterworths Press). In the true tradition of a barrister, Julian Falconer’s practice takes him to civil, administrative, and criminal courts at both trial and appellate levels, including the Supreme Court. He is bilingual and has argued cases in both English and French.
Julian has acted as counsel on matters related to prisoner rights, police accountability, First Nations child welfare, and human rights, including representing Maher Arar, the family of Ashley Smith, the family of Sammy Yatim, and Adam Nobody and the “Free Press Four.” He has also acted as counsel in the Ipperwash Inquiry, the Goudge Inquiry, the Seven Youth Inquest, and for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
More recently, Julian has served as legal counsel and lead negotiator for the Indigenous Police Chiefs of Ontario in the fight against discriminatory funding for First Nations community safety, and as counsel for Kimberly Murray, the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools.
Julian has acted as counsel for Nishnawbe Aski Nation (“NAN”) in various matters since 2008, including child welfare reform since 2016 through NAN’s ongoing intervention in the Caring Society case before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.
Outside of the courtroom, Julian is also a pilot and has logged over 3,000 hours in his Cessna 182, flying to and from the North to meet with First Nations clients and communities.
