Joanna Birenbaum

Joanna Birenbaum

Founder | Birenbaum Law Office
Director of Capacity Building | Canadian Centre for Legal Innovation in Sexual Assault Law Response (CCLISAR)

Joanna Birenbaum is an experienced litigator in Toronto and one of Canada’s leading lawyers in the areas of gender equality and sexual violence. Her extensive experience in this area includes constitutional litigation, civil sexual assault , employment law, human rights and workplace investigations, representing complainants in criminal processes and defending malicious prosecution and defamation claims targeting complainants who have reported sexual violence. Joanna’s recent Supreme Court of Canada advocacy in these areas includes R v. J.J.; R v. A.S. (2021), R v. Kirkpatrick (2021), Platnick v. Bent (2019) and R. v. Quesnelle (2014). Joanna advises institutions and employers on sexual violence policies and procedures. She also prosecutes for regulated health colleges in Ontario and conducts audits and training in the area of regulated health. Her most recent publication is a co-authored book with Professor Karen Busby titled “Achieving Fairness: A Guide to Campus Sexual Violence Complaints” published by Thomson Reuters (March 2020). Joanna was a 2014-2015 McMurtry Fellow at Osgoode Hall Law School and adjunct faculty at Osgoode (2014-2017) teaching in the area of gender, equality and the law. In addition to her private practice, Joanna is the Director of Capacity Building for CCLISAR (Canadian Centre for Legal Innovation in Sexual Assault Law Response). Under the auspices of CCLISAR, Joanna was the chair of two expert Independent Review Panels to review the sexual violence responses, policies and procedures at StFX University in Nova Scotia (2019) and Mount Allison University in New Brunswick (2021).