Annie O’Dell, B.F.A., LL.B., B.C.L., is a highly accomplished immigration and refugee lawyer known for her exceptional advocacy in complex humanitarian and protection cases. She has represented clients from nearly 90 countries before every level of Canada’s immigration tribunal system and the Federal Court of Canada.
Annie has achieved outstanding results across hundreds of matters. She has completed more than 150 refugee hearings with an over 85% success rate (over 90% when including decisions later overturned on appeal) and close to forty refugee appeals with a 50% success rate. She has also perfected over 80 judicial reviews before the Federal Court, with leave granted in approximately 65% of cases and settlements achieved in more than one third. Annie has appeared in over 20 Federal Court hearings and 16 stay motions, successfully halting removals and securing critical relief for her clients.
Her litigation experience includes significant national-level cases, such as in Pepa v. Canada (MCI), 2025 SCC 21, where she served as co-counsel for the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers at the Supreme Court of Canada.
Other notable cases include:
- Aguirre Manjarrez v. Canada (MCI), 2025 FC 1264 concerning the refused H&C application from a Mexican family;
- Lopez Hernandez v. Canada (MPSEP), 2025 CanLII 67714 (FC), stopping the removal of a Mexican family;
- HK v. Canada (MCI), 2025 FC 1606 concerning the refused H&C application from a Korean family;
- Castillo Malagon v. Canada (MPSEP), 2025 FC 1258 stopping the removal of a Colombian national;
- Connell v. Canada (MCI), 2025 FC 1180 and Connell v. Canada (MCI), 2023 FC 1316, both concerning refusals of the same H&C application for a Caribbean woman;
- Udroiu v. Canada (MCI), 2025 FC 902 overturning the refused refugee appeal for a Roma Romanian;
- Cunningham v. Canada (MCI), 2023 FC 1651 concerning the refusal of a Jamaican’s H&C application;
- Osei v. Canada (MCI), 2023 CanLii 98000 (FC), stopping the removal of a Ghanaian man;
- AB v. Canada (MCI), 2022 FC 1540 about an H&C refusal for a Vietnamese man;
- Nunez Guillen v. Canada (MCI), 2022 FC 1158 overturning the H&C refusal of a Mexican woman; and
- Lee v. Canada (MCI), 2020 FC 504 concerning an H&C for a Korean family.
Annie prioritizes trauma-informed lawyering in her practice coming from a strong intersectional feminist perspective. It is her priority that the immigration process is minimally re-traumatizing, without negatively affecting the strength of the case.
At AKM Law, she represents clients in refugee claims, refugee appeals, Federal Court judicial reviews, pre-removal risk assessments, and immigration matters intersecting with criminal law.
Annie occasionally accepts Legal Aid Ontario matters (limited to refugee claims, appeals, and judicial reviews).
