She replaced Raj Anand, who stepped down last month
Neha Chugh has begun leading the Law Commission of Ontario board as chair as of May 22.
She replaced Raj Anand, who stepped down on May 21. Anand had served in the role since 2020.
Chugh first took a board seat in 2021. She is an Ontario Law Society bencher, sitting on the discipline tribunal.
She is an Akwesasne Mohawk Court prosecutor as well as the hearings officer for the Town of Cobourg, the Municipality of Brighton and the City of Cornwall. She has conducted trials and appeals at various levels of court in Ontario.
Chugh has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada as counsel for Intervener Barbra Schlifer Clinic and the Intervener the Akwesasne Justice Department. In 2011, she started concentrating on criminal defence law, practising in Eastern Ontario; she founded Chugh Law Professional Corporation in Cornwall in 2013.
She is an intensive trial advocacy instructor at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law. She is a visiting professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences, teaching upper year seminars and introductory classes in the criminology department. Moreover, she taught at St. Lawrence College and at the Iohahiio Akwesasne Education and Training Institute.
Chugh has received the Advocates’ Society’s Catzman Award for Professionalism and Civility. She is on Cornwall-based non-profit community boards.
She has co-edited the Criminal Lawyers Association magazine “For the Defence” and has published works related to family law, criminal law, and practice management.
Chugh holds honours degrees in sociology and social work from the University of Waterloo. She obtained a masters of science in planning and development, focusing on community vulnerability and resilience, from the University of Guelph.
She received her JD from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2010 and her LLM in 2025. She is studying therapeutic justice initiatives in rural communities as a Concordia University PhD candidate.
Recently, Chugh represented Aitken Roberston lawyer Sudine Riley in a matter involving Riley's alleged assault by Durham Regional Police Service officers.
“The LCO has grown and thrived under Raj’s leadership. He has been a leader, mentor, colleague and friend to the LCO staff for many years. I know that Neha will lead the LCO with the same commitment and skill, and I look forward to working with her as the LCO’s new chair,” said Nye Thomas, LCO executive director, in a statement.
Chugh praised her predecessor’s mentorship as well.
“I am so grateful to Raj Anand for his leadership of the LCO board of governors and his invaluable mentorship as I step into this role. We are so grateful for his commitment to the Law Commission’s goal of promoting access to justice for all Ontarians. On behalf of myself and the board, we wish Raj all the best in his next endeavours,” Chugh said.
