Law Practice

MY PHILOSOPHY
The state makes the laws, polices communities, and prosecutes individuals. When an individual is charged criminally, the critical check on the power he or she faces is a dedicated and effective defence lawyer. Through passionate and intelligent advocacy, I put power on the side of my clients.

MATTERS ON WHICH I ACT
My practice is devoted to the defence of individuals charged with criminal and quasi-criminal offences. This includes Criminal Code offences, offences under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and some more serious Highway Traffic Act offences.

Specific offences include, but are not limited to:
• Obstructing police;
• Drug possession and trafficking offences;
• Impaired and other criminal driving offences;
• Shoplifting, theft, and fraud offences;
• Uttering threats, and criminal harrassment;
• Sexual, domestic, and common assaults;
• Weapons, firearms, and robbery offences;
• Failure to comply with bail conditions or court orders.

WHAT I DO
Being charged criminally is a generally confusing and stressful experience. From the outset, I set out the process clearly, carefully explaining a client’s options and responsibilities. While striving to be a cost-effective and accountable service provider, my primary concern is always the protection of a client's rights, reputation and freedom.

Specific duties I take on as counsel include:
• Negotiating bail conditions with the Crown;
• Contacting and preparing sureties for bail hearings;
• Visiting clients in custody to provide case updates and gather information;
• Reviewing disclosure (evidence), and requesting additional disclosure when relevant materials are missing;
• Negotiating potential resolution with the Crown, with a focus on diversion options, and reviewing the prosecution’s position with you;
• Preparing and filing constitutional (Charter) motions, defence motions, and other applications;
• Researching and preparing for Crown and judicial pre-trials, preliminary hearings, and trials;
• Helping resolve outstanding warrants;
• Appearing for you in court under a designation (available in some situations);
• Explaining appeal options;
• Assisting with pardon applications;
• Filing civil motions to retrieve seized assets and challenge forfeiture;
• Being available to answer your questions and provide case updates on an ongoing basis.