Osuji & Smith Calgary Lawyers In The Media and Featured Interviews
Getting a foot in the door. We hear from a Nigerian-born lawyer who is offering foreign trained lawyers the help he wish he’d been given.
Aired: Nov. 14, 2022
In this episode, LevelUP interviewed Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) a multi-award-winning lawyer and the CEO of Calgary’s Osuji & Smith law firm. He was chosen as one of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 and one of the top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada. From law school in Nigeria to law firm CEO in Calgary, Charles’ rise to the top has been swift—only seven short years—earning him a LEXPERT Rising Star.
Inspiring the world! Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) was a keynote speaker at the Immigrant Services Calgary award ceremony. His speech focuses on resilience and giving people the chance to change their lives for the better – so they can change the world.
Thank you all so much! Immigrant Services Calgary!
JUSTICE IN PIECES Guest Speaker Series: Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.)
Speaking with Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) about his practice, and the tremendous amount of success he has accomplished in his career on Justice in Pieces
Osuji shares his story of immigration, representation, and success
Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.), one of Lexpert’s Rising Stars in 2021, embodies the diversity of the legal profession in Canada. The Nigerian-born lawyer joined the firm in 2013 as an articling student, was called to the Alberta bar in 2014, and became a partner in 2016. Osuji took on a lead role at the firm when his former principal James Smith was looking for a successor as he was about to retire. This opened a path for the young lawyer to become the firm’s sole owner in 2017.
A joint project between CRIEC and Bow Valley College
Pathways to Belonging and Influence
Strategies and skills of the flourishing Canadians, born abroad
“Get out there and connect with people.”
A conversation with Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.)
Each February, Canada recognizes Black History Month and honours the contributions of Black Canadians. This month, we are highlighting the commitment to pro bono service exemplified by the following Pro Bono Law Alberta volunteers and champions.
Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) is a champion for pro bono causes, and an active mentor for internationally trained lawyers in Alberta. Through his work with internationally trained lawyers, he was referred numerous volunteers to pro bono organizations around our province, including PBLA.
Charles received his legal education in Nigeria, and was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 2014. He began articling at what was then called Smith Law Office, and became a named partner in 2016, and sole owner of Osuji & Smith in 2017. Charles currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Calgary Regional Immigrant Employment Council, where he also volunteers as a mentor to other internationally trained professionals. He has previously volunteered for the Elizabeth Fry Society of Calgary and the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre. Charles is also a volunteer for the Igbo Cultural Association, the Mustard Seed, and Habitat for Humanity.
Building for Success: Tips from lawyer and entrepreneur Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.)
Running a law firm is no child’s play. You are both a lawyer and a business owner. Grow slowly. Focus on good customer service. Be kind to your staff.
Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) – Lawyers Profile on Best Lawyers Ones to Watch
Charles is a multi-award winning lawyer, and one of the leading young lawyers in Canada. He is the CEO and Managing Partner of Osuji & Smith, one of the fastest growing law firms in Alberta. He has been chosen as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada, the Entrepreneur of the Year by Diversity Magazine, the 2020 Immigrant of Distinction (Achievement Under 35) Award by Immigrant Services Calgary, Calgary Top 40 under 40, and repeatedly voted as one of the top 3 Employment, Divorce, Civil Litigation and Business lawyers in Calgary by ThreeBestRated, among other awards and recognitions. He has recently been recognized, and voted by his fellow lawyers across Canada, in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada, 2022, for his outstanding professional excellence in private practice.
Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) – The Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers of 2020
The Top 25 Most Influential 2020 winner
By the age of 30, Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.), an internationally trained lawyer from Nigeria, bought a 37-year-old firm wherein he had served as an articling student not long before. Today, Osuji & Smith is a thriving small-sized firm that offers multi-generational and multi-cultural perspectives to its client base.
Starting a business can be both exciting and stressful. And most people have the question of whether or not to hire a business lawyer when starting their business.
So, is it necessary to hire a lawyer when starting your business?
Nigerian Born Calgary Employment & Business Lawyer Named in Top 25 Influential Lawyers in Canada
It only took Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) a few years to go from arriving in Calgary as a newly minted Nigerian lawyer to being named one of the Top 25 Influential Lawyers in Canada in 2020 by Canadian Lawyer.
Lawyer Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) – Immigrant to Partner by 31
Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) is the managing partner at Osuji and Smith Lawyers in Calgary, Alberta. He came to Canada from Nigeria and challenged the Canadian bar. After this, through hard work and dedication, he worked his way up through the ranks to eventually making partner. Shortly after, he bought out his partner James Smith. Charles, at the young age of 31, is a shining example of what you can accomplish if you’re hungry and willing to work. In this interview, we talk about the struggles he faced as well as the advice he has for new entrepreneurs.
One of Calgary’s Top Lawyers Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) Recipient of Prestigious Awards in 2021
A few years ago, Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) was a budding lawyer in Nigeria. Today, he’s the managing partner and CEO of Calgary’s fastest-growing law firm, Osuji & Smith, and a frequent recipient of prestigious national and local awards and recognitions.
Osuji’s acclaim began in 2016 when he was nominated as the 2016 Professional of the Year by Obsidian, Alberta. The next year, he was rated one of the Top 3 Employment Lawyers in Calgary, Alberta for 2017 – an award he’s won every year since then.
I seat down with Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.), the owner and Managing Partner of Osuji & Smith Lawyers in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Charles shares his journey as a young man growing up in a large family in SE Nigeria, he shares details of his legal training in Nigeria and steps he took to become a foreign-trained lawyer licensed to practice in Alberta. We take a deep dive into his journey from an articling student at Smith Law Office to his eventual acquisition of the law practice which is today Osuji & Smith Lawyers. We talk about diversity, race, and racism, and end with nuggets of wisdom that many will find insightful.
The discipline of Focus – Journey to Becoming Canada’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyer
So I finally caught up with Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) after trailing him for 3 years reading about his meteoric rise to “legal stardom” in Canada and got him to talk about what and how exactly this rise came about.
“ My name is Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.). I’m the seventh child out of eight kids. I came to Canada in 2011, sponsored by my brother, Joseph Osuji, a Nursing Professor. Before writing the bar exams, I did all kinds of survivor work, you can think of, sleeping only two nights in a week and eventually articling in a law firm that I currently own
I’ll talk a little bit about my journey before that point in history, and it was typical of any immigrant’s journey, arriving in a new country, having left all of the comforts, your home country afforded. I had family members here, but I told them I was only going to stay with them for a month and then start out on my own because I wanted to challenge myself.
And that’s exactly what I did. I tried my hands on all kinds of work. This time I was working three jobs at a time morning afternoon night, you know, I was surviving on Red Bull at some point Red Bull came to its limit… “
For anyone who knows Charles, this is not your typical interview!
LUCY JEFFREY B.ED had a great conversation on Entrepreneur TV powered by Rogers TV with Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) the CEO and Managing Partner of Osuji & Smith Lawyers in Calgary, Alberta.
Balancing legal practice with managing a FAST-GROWING LAW FIRM IN CALGARY
Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) is the Managing Partner and CEO of Osuji & Smith Lawyers. He is one of the leading young lawyers in Canada. He has been chosen as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada, the Entrepreneur of the Year by Diversity Magazine, the 2020 Immigrant of Distinction (Achievement Under 35) Award by Immigrant Services Calgary, and repeatedly voted as one of the top 3 Employment and Business lawyers in Calgary by ThreeBestRated, among other awards and recognitions.
Charles joined ITL Voices to share his story and the demands of balancing legal practice with managing a fast-growing law firm.
Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) is the Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Osuji & Smith, a multiple award-winning Calgary full-service law firm with a focus on Employment Law, Civil Litigation, Real Estate, and other services.
From Grass to Grace in Canada with Calgary Lawyer Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.)
Interview by Bukky Wonda
Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) awarded the 2020 Immigrant of Distinction (Achievement Under 35) Award by Immigrant Services Calgary


Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) sits down with Franklin of Diversity Magazine to discuss how Osuji & Smith has embraced diversity in the workplace

Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA) Podcasts for September 2018. AREA recently featured Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) and Jim Smith on its monthly podcast. This time, they talked about when Realtors, mortgage brokers (or anyone) should incorporate and the benefits of incorporation.

The Ambition Project- Episode 8. January 8, 2019. Immigrant to Partner by 31 is the title of the interview where Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) talked about his journey from an immigrant to a successful entrepreneur.” For more details about this interview from The Ambition Project …

Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) was interviewed by Phina Brooks
Afro-X TV Show on OMNI TV. November 2, 2018. Phina Brooks chats with Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) on the popular Afro X TV Show about his growing up in Nigeria, law career, professional life in the diaspora, family and more. Charles was required to speak in Pidgin English on this interview.For more details…

Dami Adeniyi’s Blog. October 26, 2018. The Spotlight Series, Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) shares with NIDOA Correspondent, Jenny Aik his journey as an immigrant and offers tips on how he has been able to overcome all obstacles to become a successful Nigerian in Diaspora. Dami adeniyi is a passionate media influencer who has decided to take up the task of spreading the positive news we rarely see on mainstream media. For more details see interview…
The Ambition Project

The Ambition Project. August 15, 2018. Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) was recently part of the award-winning “the Ambition Project”, where successful and ambitious Calgary entrepreneurs were interviewed and given the opportunity to express their struggles, and what they’ve had to overcome on their journey. This video took the first position for the just concluded 2018 Calgary Professional Videographer’s Association annual film contest. For more details see interview…
NIDOA Spotlight Series

NIDOA Spotlight Series, October 23 2018. In this first episode of the NIDOA Calgary Spotlight series, Jennifer sits down with Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) who tells his story about how he beat all odds and has achieved and exceeded expectations in a seemingly short period of time. For more details.

Calgary Citytv News. September 28, 2018. Brittany Rosen, reporter with Citytv News, Calgary, sought Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.)’s opinion on what employees can or cannot do in their personal time outside their employment. For more details.
The Impact of Mentorship on Newcomers to Canada

Global News Morning Calgary. June 10, 2018. Interview to Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.), Managing Partner at Osuji & Smith Lawyers, and mentor with the Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council. For more details see interview…
Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.) Nominated For The Prestigious Immigrant Of Distinction (Achievement Under 35) Award By Immigrant Services Calgary.

Dami Adeniyi’s Blog. Posted February 18, 2018. Read more…
From Nigeria to Calgary: Osuji & Smith Lawyers Video

Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council (CRIEC) . Posted on January 4, 2018. Video on You Tube with more than 1,000 views. Want to see more…

The Lawyer’s Daily. Published by LexisNexis Canada, article written by Carolyn Gruske. Posted on December 19, 2017. Read more…
From Law Student to Partner to owing a Law Firm: Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.)’s Road to Achieving His Dream

Dami Adeniyi’s Blog. Posted November 20, 2017. Read more…
From Nigeria to Calgary – An Internationally Trained Lawyer’s Successful Journey

Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council (CRIEC) Posted on November 15, 2017. Interview to Dr. Charles Osuji (Hon. D.). Read more…
The Three Best Employment Lawyers in Calgary, AB

The Best Employment Lawyers in Calgary, AB. Read more…
Osuji & Smith Lawyers Rated as Best Employment Lawyers in Calgary, AB

Dami Adeniyi’s Blog. Posted June 23, 2017. Read more…
…Osuji & Smith Calgary lawyers has just won the 2025 Three Best Rated for Best Rated Employment Lawyers in Calgary. This is our ninth win having won it in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. We have also won the 2025 Three Best Rated for Best Rated Business Lawyers in Calgary for 2025. This is our 7th win having won it in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Osuji & Smith has also won the Three Best Rated for Best Rated Divorce, Civil Litigation and Estate Planning Lawyers in Calgary for 2025. This is our 5th win. We have also won the 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 & 2025 Top Choice Award for Business Services in Calgary and the Hope Awards, Aspen, among other awards.
“Diversity and inclusion is at the core of our Calgary law firm mission and strategy. We walk the talk when it comes to diversity and multiculturalism. Also, effective communication is the key to our success. Our friendly and multilingual legal team speaks more than 32 languages including English, Mandarin, Uyghur, Turkish, Ibo, French, Edo, Urdu, Punjabi, Urhobo, German, Itsekiri, Italian, South Korean, Twi, Ewe, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, Hindi, Yoruba, Pashto, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, Uzbek, Bengali, Hausa, Esan, West African Pidgin, Gujarati, Kiswahili, Moldavian, honesty and efficiency. We speak your language. Our lawyers will connect with you and understand your instructions.”