My name is Ilias Loui Dallas. I am a criminal defence lawyer who was born and raised in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough. I speak four languages (English, French, Macedonian and Hungarian) and I have four degrees (Honours Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Master of Education and Juris Doctor), plus two French certificates.

Before attending law school and becoming a lawyer, I spent five years as a Toronto, inner-city, high school teacher helping youths succeed. In my fifth year of teaching, I decided to take my vision of representative justice to a higher level by applying to law school and becoming a lawyer.

I graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2006, the same year it was ranked number one in Canada by Canadian Lawyer magazine. While in law school, I focused on social justice law and criminal defence law.

In the social justice realm, I completed two terms at Parkdale Community Legal Services (PCLS), a legal clinic in inner-city Toronto that provides legal advice and representation to low income individuals. While at Parkdale, I won all five of my hearings before the Social Benefits Tribunal, and in doing so, I secured disability benefits for my clients.

In the criminal defence law realm, I participated in the criminal law division of the Community Legal Aid Services Program (CLASP). CLASP, like PCLS, provides legal advice and representation to low income individuals. My relevant courses in law school included Criminal Law, Policing, Evidence, Criminal Procedure and Legal Negotiation. 

Upon graduation, I completed my mandatory, 10 month, articling internship at Derstine Penman Criminal Defence Lawyers in Toronto and was called to the Ontario Bar in June 2007. After being called to the bar, I worked for Derstine Penman as a full lawyer until August 2007.

After leaving Derstine Penman, I attended Université Laval in the fall of 2007 and finished a certificate in French. From January to April 2008, I interned at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), in The Hague, Netherlands, where I assisted in the defence of an individual charged with war crimes. This experience enabled me to refine my legal research and writing skills.

Shortly after my return to Canada in May 2008, I set up my own criminal defence law practice.