About Us
Where we are
Our team works 100% remotely and we meet our clients virtually via videoconferencing.
Team LJD Law’s office is located in the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations, in a place that we now call Toronto. The Team is grateful to be in these lands where we acknowledge that immigration has a historical and a continuing direct impact on the indigenous populations of Turtle Island. We consciously strive that our work in immigration law be driven by the principles of reconciliation.
How we work
Team LJD Law is a collaborative law firm. This means, we work with our clients in their matters. We take pride in our ability to be flexible to the needs of our clients through technology-driven solutions.
Meet the Team
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Lou Janssen Dangzalan
FOUNDER
Languages:
Tagalog & English (native/C2), French (professional/C1), Spanish (intermediate/B1)
About:
Lou Janssen Dangzalan focuses on complex economic immigration, study and work permits, permanent residence, and judicial review proceedings before the Federal Court of Canada. He advises skilled professionals, students, workers, and employers navigating Canada’s increasingly technical and unforgiving immigration system. His work frequently involves high-stakes inadmissibility and misrepresentation findings. Lou has extensive experience in Express Entry, category-based selection, and provincial nominee programs, and regularly designs tailored pathways for clients with intersecting temporary and permanent residence considerations. Lou has been recognized by the Canadian Bar Association for his contributions to immigration law. He is a frequent speaker at national conferences and continuing professional development programs and has appeared on several occasions as an invited witness before committees of both the Senate and the House of Commons in Canada. He also teaches migration and governance courses at the university level. He is regularly sought by media outlets to explain complex immigration policy in clear and accessible terms.
Education:
Bachelors in Sociology, University of Santo Tomas
Master of Arts in Global Politics (Graduate Scholar), Ateneo de Manila University
Master of Social Sciences (Research Scholar), National University of Singapore
Licence en droit (droit civil), Université d’Ottawa
Juris Doctor (common law), University of Ottawa
Affiliations:
Founding Member, former Vice President for Policy, Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association (CILA)
Canadian Bar Association (CBA), Immigration Law Section
Artificial Intelligence Monitor for Immigration in Canada and Internationally (AIMICI)
Socials:
[image credit: William Garcia]
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Carmelo "C.J." Ramos
CASE MANAGER
Languages:
Tagalog (native/C2), English (native/C2)
About:
Carmelo, or CJ, is the firm's immigration case manager based in Manila, Philippines. He has a passion for humanitarian work. He is detail oriented and hardly anything escapes his attention in reviewing our files.
He previously worked as one of the Philippine Red Cross’s national project officers under the National Society Development project, funded by the American Red Cross.
His father being an overseas Filipino worker, CJ cares greatly for migrant workers. He works towards the reunification of migrants/immigrants and their families, knowing the hardships of being separated from loved ones.
Outside work, CJ loves music and has a strange interest in retro video games.
Education:
Bachelors in Diplomacy and International Relations, with specializations in East and Southeast Asian Studies, Ateneo de Manila University
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Albertson "Chon" Otchengco
ARTICLING STUDENT
Languages:
Tagalog (native/C2), English (native/C2)
About:
Albertson, or “Chon,” is a licenced lawyer in the Philippines. He joined LJD Law as a law student having immigrated from the Philippines recently.
He focuses his work on economic and business immigration, as well as on complex matters such as inadmissibility, sponsorships, and applications on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
Before joining LJD Law, Chon worked as a business lawyer, representing Philippine and international corporations across diverse industries, including data, energy, technology, crowdfunding, and construction, and working on contracts valued at upwards of 200 Million Pesos (4.7M CAD / 3.5M USD).
His passion for advocacy began in law school, where he worked in the field of human rights, assisting fellow Filipinos with socio-economic issues such as reproductive health, bullying, drug policies, and poverty.
Outside of work, Chon enjoys keeping up with global news and economic trends, spending time with family, playing basketball and video games, and reading manga.
Education:
Professional LLM in Canadian Common Law, Osgoode Hall Law School
Juris Doctor, University of the Philippines
Bachelor of Arts Major in Applied Psychology, University of the Philippines
Affiliations:
Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association (CILA)
Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)
Socials:
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Andrew Koltun
OF-COUNSEL / LEGAL CONSULTANT
Languages:
English (native/C2)
About:
Andrew is a practising immigration and refugee lawyer. He is based in the Niagara Region in Ontario. Andrew is a strong believer in open borders for all.
At LJD Law, Andrew worked on a diversity of immigration and refugee files, ranging from complex temporary resident visa applications to “crimmigration” (the intersection of criminal and immigration law) with inadmissibility and removal issues. He also has strong foundations in working on applications involving humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
Andrew has appeared in immigration stories in the Canadian media. He has also testified before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.
Prior to joining LJD Law, Andrew worked as a student caseworker with the immigration division of the Community Legal Services of Ottawa. He also worked as a research assistant at the Refugee Hub where he supported federal court litigation on issues bridging criminal law and immigration law.
Education:
Bachelors in Political Science and History (honours), Wilfrid Laurier University
Master of Arts in Global Governance, University of Waterloo
Juris Doctor, University of Ottawa
Affiliations:
Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL)
Canadian Bar Association (CBA), Immigration Section
Junior Refugee & Immigration Lawyers Network (JRILN)
Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association (CILA
Law and Mental Disorder Association
Artificial Intelligence Monitor for Immigration in Canada and Internationally (AIMICI)
Socials: