Jonathan Dawe is a member of SGM’s criminal law group. He joined the firm in 1997 after clerking for former Chief Justice Antonio Lamer at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Jon’s practice focuses on criminal and constitutional law, particularly at the appellate stage.  He was a member of the legal team that successfully defended one of the two accused in the Air India bombing trial, the longest criminal trial in Canadian history.  In 2006, he served as Associate Commission Counsel to the Driskell Inquiry in Manitoba. Some of Jon’s notable cases include:

• R. v. Grant (SCC) — 2009 S.C.C. 32
• R. v. Harrison, 2009 S.C.C. 34 (for the intervener Canadian Civil Liberties Association)
• R. v. Harris (2007), 225 C.C.C. (3d) 193 (Ont. C.A.)
• R. v. Clayton, 2007 SCC 32 [for intervener Criminal Lawyers' Association]
• R. v. Thompson (2005), 74 O.R. (3d) 721 (C.A.)
• Application under s. 83.28 of the Criminal Code (Re), [2004] 2 S.C.R. 248; Vancouver Sun (Re), [2004] 2 S.C.R. 332
• R. v. Glad Day Bookshops Inc. (2004), 183 C.C.C. (3d) 449 (Ont. S.C.J.)
• R. v. Golden, [2001] 3 R.C.S. 679 [for intervener Canadian Civil Liberties Association]

Jonathan received a bachelor of science degree with honours from McGill University in 1987 and spent several years pursuing graduate studies in theoretical particle physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before changing careers and attending law school.  He received a bachelor of laws degree with honours from the University of Toronto in 1994, and a master of laws degree from the Yale Law School in 1996. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1997.

Jonathan is a member of the Ontario Criminal Lawyers’ Association.  He is an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where he teaches criminal procedure and an advanced seminar on criminal procedure and Charter issues.  He has published papers in the area of the Charter and the law of restitution, and his work has been cited by the Supreme Court of Canada and the New Zealand Court of Appeal