Ria Macasaet obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Philosophy from Ateneo de Manila University.

In 2020, Ria received her Canadian Juris Doctor from the University of Windsor, where she served as Program Coordinator for Pro Bono Students Canada. She was also a member of the five-person Delphi panel, which conducted an external review of the Immigration Appeal Division’s documents through the National Self-Represented Litigants Project.

In the same year, Ria received her American Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit Mercy, where she served as a judicial intern in the 35th District Court and received the Book Award for her successful advocacy on behalf of an asylum applicant in immigration court.

Ria joined Meridian Law Group as an articled student in 2020 and was called to the bar in British Columbia in 2021. Ria practices immigration and refugee law, insurance law, personal injury law, and general civil litigation. She has represented clients before the Provincial Court and the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

Ria volunteers with the Canadian Bar Association and Legal Aid BC and is a mentor to law students through the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers Society. She was recently selected to co-chair CBABC’s Young Lawyers Advisory Committee.

Outside of work, Ria enjoys steeping herself in different cultures, practising hatha and yin yoga, and writing stories.