Our Legal Team
Michael Korman, B.Sc., LL.B
Barrister and Solicitor
Member of the Law Society of Upper Canada.
Michael Korman is the senior lawyer at Otis & Korman. Mr. Korman earned his Bachelor of Science degree from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec in 1986. He received his Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Canada, in 1990. Mr. Korman became a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada in February of 1992, and he remains a member to-date. Mr. Korman is also a Notary Public in and for the Province of Ontario.
Mr. Korman's area of expertise is Canadian Immigration law, with particular emphasis on appeals of immigration officers' decisions to the Immigration Appeal Division, and to the Federal Court of Canada. Over the years, many of Mr. Korman's appeal cases have been cited in various Canadian Law Journals including the Immigration Law Reporter.
Mr. Korman has lectured on Canadian Immigration law at the College level, and he has given numerous seminars on the topic to community organizations in and around Toronto. He has also written a number of articles on key issues in the field of Canadian Immigration Law.
Elyse Korman
Barrister and Solicitor
Elyse Korman is a lawyer at Otis & Korman. Elyse's area of expertise is Canadian Immigration law, with particular emphasis on appeals of decisions of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada to the Federal Court of Canada.
Prior to joining Otis & Korman, Elyse practiced as a litigator at a large Toronto law firm where she worked on a number of complex commercial, administrative and constitutional law matters before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Court of Appeal for Ontario and Federal Court of Canada.
Elyse received a B.A. in Humanistic Studies/International Development Studies from McGill University in 2000 and a J.D. from the University of Toronto in 2004. While attending law school, Elyse co-authored an amicus curiae brief that was adopted by the Appeals Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone concerning the recruitment of child soldiers into armed conflict. Elyse became a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2005.
Elyse joined the firm in 2008
Shani Hanwella CCIC,FMIC
Certified Canadian Immigration Consultant
Full Member of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants
Former Visa Officer, Canadian High Commission, Colombo
Born in Sri Lanka, now a Canadian citizen living in Canada, Shani Hanwella is a full-member of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants.
Ms. Hanwella brings with her a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience gained through her years of work at the Canadian High Commission in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Ms. Hanwella joined the Canadian High Commission as a Consular Assistant in 1990. In 1996 she became a Visa Officer and in 1997, the then Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada designated Ms. Hanwella to the position of a fully-fledged Visa Officer. Ms. Hanwella worked as a Visa Officer at the Canadian High Commission in Colombo until migrating to Canada in September of 2002.
Ms. Hanwella joined the law firm of Otis & Korman in November 2003. She manages the firm's professional skilled worker/business immigration program. Ms. Hanwella travels regularly to interview and select prospective clients to be represented by the law firm.
Ms. Hanwella is Fluent in English and Sinhala. She has written articles and appeared on television talk shows both in Canada and Sri Lanka to discuss key topics in the field of Canadian Immigration law.
Hunimano Coelho
Legal and Administrative Assistant
Hunímano Coelho is the office's Legal and Administrative Assistant. His three years of experience in the area, combined with his ability to communicate with our clients in five different languages (Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, and English) and his great people skills make him a valuable part of our team
