Rishi Gill is dedicated to Law and The Vancouver Community
Rishi’s passion for Vancouver and British Columbia comes from roots that run deep. His grandfather settled in the city in 1906 and, in the century since, the Gill family has called BC their home. Often sought by the local and national press for comment on legal matters, Rishi has distinguished himself as a respected figure in the law community which he is proud to serve.
Rishi’s legal career began in the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria after his undergraduate studies at the University of British Columbia. While still a student he completed a four-month full-time term at the UVIC Law Centre Legal Clinic, where he conducted many trials for the accused.
An expert with perspective
After being called to the Bar of British Columbia, Rishi became a commercial litigator, acting for one of the largest corporations in Canada. Rishi was also called to the Bar of Ontario.
After two years of corporate law, Rishi made the switch to his passion, criminal law. Rishi first acted as Crown Counsel, prosecuting primarily narcotics-related offences, then moved on to criminal defence.
While not the first lawyer to ‘cross the street’ (that is, switch from doing prosecution to defence), it has given Rishi a useful perspective that his clients clearly benefit from. Since making the switch, Rishi has focused on a wide variety of cases, including many high-profile matters in British Columbia.
Giving back
As an active member of the Canadian Bar Association, the Law Society of British Columbia, the National Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, Rishi is well-connected in the local and national law communities.
Expanding his breadth of knowledge, Rishi completed a one-year term with the British Columbia Securities Commission as a prosecuting counsel and has also acted as a supervising lawyer for the UBC First Nations Legal Clinic.
When not involved in trial work, Rishi volunteers his time mentoring at the UBC law school and works with advocacy programs through UBC and the Law Society of BC.
Education
- University of Victoria
- Juris Doctor (J.D.), Law (1992 – 1996)
- The University of British Columbia
- Political Science and Government (1991 – 1992)
Languages
- English
Notable Cases
- R. v. Chauhan, 2019 YKSC 57
- R. v. Chan, 2013 BCSC 2586
- R. v. Palmer, 2009 BCSC 751
- R. v. Leila, 2008 BCCA 8
- R. v. Nguyen, 2007 BCSC 1203
- R. v. Cromwell, 2007 BCSC 207
- R. v. Jamieson, 2006 BCSC 1914
- R. v. Struve, 2006 BCSC 107
