Areas Of Practice
Individuals
If you have been charged with an offence, my office will represent you at every stage of the process, from bail to trial, including: pre-trial meetings, motions and applications; preliminary hearings; challenges under the Constitution or Charter of Rights and Freedoms; and trial with a judge, or, a judge and jury.
I can help you with the following types of offences:
Professional Clients
For legal colleagues, professional and institutional clients, I welcome the opportunity to assist you in achieving your goals related to specific clients, projects or initiatives. Some examples include: serving as co-counsel on complex and serious criminal trials; legal research and writing; co-authoring publications related to the advancement of legal theory or practice; advocacy in the areas of socio-criminal or politico-criminal hearings or submissions; providing legal insight related to policy issues that are the subject of advocacy efforts.
These charges are allegations that someone has committed an offence defined in the Criminal Code. These are true criminal charges, and, upon conviction may result in a criminal record. Crimes as defined by the Code include theft, fraud and other property crimes; assault, robbery and other crimes of violence; many offences related to guns or firearms, and; crimes against the administration of justice, such as breaching or disobeying a court order.
The Code also contains procedural sections which set out the methods for moving through many parts of a criminal case, such as bail, and sentencing upon conviction, and appeals.
The Code is also linked to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, which sets out how a youth (someone between the ages of 12 and 17) charged with an offence, including a charge under the Code, will be dealt with.
The Controlled Drugs and Substances Act sets out charges specific to drugs and drug related crimes. The Act works in conjunction with the Criminal Code of Canada, and the Youth Criminal Justice Act, where appropriate.
Speeding, careless driving, and other offences related to the privilege of driving in Ontario are set out in the Highway Traffic Act. The Fire Code deals with the rules around such things as smoke detectors, sprinklers, and other aspects of fire-related safety. Other legislation enacted by the province of Ontario works to regulate many aspects of a citizen's life in the province, and, many of these Acts set out offences that are tried in the Ontario Court of Justice (Provincial Division).
Some laws enacted by the province create offences or rules about what someone can or can't do, or, what an agency can or can't do to you, however, those matters are heard not by a judge in a court of law, but, by a tribunal. Some examples are the Licence Appeal Tribunal (for example, someone wishes to dispute a medical licence suspension), or the Ontario Racing Commission tribunal (for example, if someone is responsible to the Commission, and has been accused of improper conduct while on-the-job).
If you wish to appeal your conviction after a criminal trial or other hearing, the punishment imposed on you, or both, contact me as soon as possible. Or, if the Crown Attorney is appealing your acquittal or your sentence. There are strict timelines respecting the notice of an intention to appeal or to defend against an appeal. I can provide you with an opinion as to the merits of your appeal, to the hearing of your case at the appeal court. I have appeared at all levels of appeal, from tribunal appeal hearings to the Ontario Court of Appeal.