Andrea Russell

Andrea Russell, M.Phil. (Cambridge), J.D. (UofT), called to the Bars of New York and British Columbia. Ms. Russell received a Master’s degree in International Relations from Cambridge University, which she attended as a Commonwealth Scholar; her dissertation focused on the conceptualization of sexual violence in the initial indictments of the UN War Crimes Tribunals for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia. Following graduation from the UofT Faculty of Law, Ms. Russell conducted international litigation with White & Case LLP in New York, where she represented or acted in matters involving numerous foreign governments. Before returning to Canada, Ms. Russell acted as a Supervising Attorney at the Claims Resolution Tribunal, the legal tribunal established in Zurich by a New York federal court to resolve issues arising from the class-action lawsuit brought by Holocaust victims and their heirs against Swiss banks and other Swiss entities. Ms. Russell has also undertaken significant international human rights volunteer work, serving as a member of the national Board of Directors of Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR); as a Lawyers without Borders volunteer in Namibia; as a researcher on transitional justice issues for the International Center for Transitional Justice; and as an intern with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. She has also taught and consulted on International Criminal Law issues for lawyers and human rights advocates in post-conflict Nepal. Ms. Russell also serves as Executive Director of the Office of the Dean at the Faculty of Law. Contact:  andrea.russell@utoronto.ca