Criminal Trials +
Appeals Lawyer
Clients deserve more than a lawyer who speaks for them—they deserve a lawyer who listens to them.
My approach to criminal defence is built on preparation, communication, and partnership. I work closely with every client to understand their goals and ensure they have a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect their case. I believe that clients should understand not only what is happening in their file, but why it is happening, and I make communication a priority throughout the process.
My practice is multi-faceted. I regularly represent clients charged in serious or complex matters. I have a particular passion for appellate advocacy and regularly appear before appellate courts across Canada. I work extensively with Indigenous communities in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
At every stage of a case, my goal is simple: to help clients navigate a difficult situation with confidence, clarity, and the strongest possible advocacy.
Areas of Practice
Trials
I represent clients on all manner of criminal charges, from domestic assaults, to serious drug and firearms offences, to homicides. No case is too small and no case is too complex. I accept Legal Aid Ontario certificates for trial matters on a case-by-case basis. Matters in Nunavut or the Northwest Territories are assigned to me directly by their respective legal aid plans.
Appeals
I regularly act for clients appealing their convictions or sentences on serious indictable matters before appellate courts across Canada. Sometimes, an appeal is needed to correct an injustice that has occurred at trial. I generally accept Legal Aid Ontario certificates on appeals being taken to the Court of Appeal for Ontario. I also accept assigned appeal matters in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Public Interest
I regularly act in a public-interest type capacity. I frequently accept amicus curiae appointments to assist individuals without counsel who need legal assistance to ensure they are treated fairly. I am Staff Duty Counsel with the Pro Bono Inmate Appeal Program at the Court of Appeal for Ontario, and I previously worked extensively as a pro bono Program Coordinator with the Toronto Superior Court of Justice duty counsel program. I have also represented interveners on cases before the Court of Appeal for Ontario and Supreme Court of Canada.
“At the heart of a free and democratic society is the liberty of its subjects. Liberty lost is never regained and can never be fully compensated for; therefore, where the potential exists for the loss of freedom for even a day, we, as a free and democratic society, must place the highest emphasis on ensuring that our system of justice minimizes the chances of an unwarranted denial of liberty.”
–R v Hall, 2002 SCC 64, [2002] 3 SCR 309 at para 47 per Iacobucci J, dissenting.