Marco Mendicino, a former chief of staff to Prime Minister Mark Carney and a long-time member of Parliament, has joined Toronto-based law firm

“Cassels is an ideal fit for me, where I can offer strategic counsel in a way that connects the law, business and public purpose,” Mendicino said in the statement.

Kristin Taylor, Cassels’ managing partner, said the appointment reflects the law firm’s commitment to delivering strategic advice that helps Canadian businesses succeed.

Prior to his role as chief of staff to the prime minister, Mendicino served as Canada’s

immigration minister from 2019 to 2021 and the minister of public safety from 2021 to 2023. He was the member of Parliament for the Toronto riding of Eglinton-Lawrence for almost a decade, starting in 2015, but said in January that he did not intend to run again.

When he was immigration minister, Canada held its largest ever express entry draw in February 2021 when it invited 27,000 people, all of whom were already in Canada, to apply for permanent residence. The move took place at a time when the country was falling short of meeting its annual immigration targets due to the pandemic.

As chief of staff, Mendicino led the Prime Minister’s Office through a national election and a transition of government. As a federal prosecutor, Mendicino litigated before both trial and appellate courts, and was assigned to high-profile anti-terrorism and national-security cases, Cassels said.

His legal career included being elected president of the Association of Justice Counsel, managing investigations at the Law Society of Ontario and teaching as an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School.

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