James Yap

James Yap | International Human Rights Lawyer | Toronto

Toronto-based lawyer specializing in:

Business and Human Rights • Transnational Corporate Accountability • Modern Slavery and Forced Labour • International Human Rights

James represents plaintiffs in all kinds of human rights and social justice claims, with a focus on cases that raise novel and/or complex issues of transnational justice. In the course of his work he has:

  • Acted as plaintiff’s counsel in some of the key Canadian legal precedents in his field, such as Nevsun Resources Ltd. v. Araya and Toussaint v. Canada.
  • Advised numerous NGOs and international organizations, including Amnesty International, EarthRights International, the American Bar Association, FIFA, the Justice and Corporate Accountability Project, and Above Ground.
  • Spoken to audiences at venues in Canada and around the world, including at Harvard University, the Université de Montréal, the United Nations, and the House of Lords.
  • Published several scholarly articles on topics relating to international human rights and transnational corporate accountability.

James has appeared at all levels of court in Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada and multiple provincial Courts of Appeal. He is President of Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR) and sits on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Council on International Law (CCIL). He also teaches international human rights law at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University.

James holds a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School, where he graduated with various class prizes and the Silver Medal, and a Master of Laws from Yale Law School. After completing his JD he clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada for Justice Ian Binnie. James also holds a BSc in Computer Science and Cognitive Science from a university in Montreal presently named after a former slaveholder.

Currently, James is visiting at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law serving as Acting Director of the school’s International Human Rights Program (IHRP). He speaks English, French, and Spanish.

Hear James speak about his work in multinational corporate accountability and modern slavery as recently featured on CBC Radio’s Ideas.

In the Media


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