SGM’s criminal law lawyers are experienced criminal litigators who defend cases at trial and on appeal and appear in all levels of the Ontario courts and in the Supreme Court of Canada. SGM’s criminal law group also acts in extradition cases, quasi-criminal law matters such as proceeds of crime litigation and provides opinions on complex legal issues to other lawyers, institutions and organizations. SGM’s criminal lawyers have been involved in a number of notable cases under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including cases involving privacy and freedom of expression issues.

SGM’s criminal lawyers are actively involved in the work of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted, the Criminal Lawyers Association and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. SGM’s criminal lawyers teach at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and are frequent speakers at continuing legal education programs. Members of our criminal law group have also acted as counsel in a number of public inquiries into wrongful convictions.

Our criminal lawyers also provide advice and representation for clients of the civil and employment law groups at the firm in police and child welfare investigations.

Some of our significant criminal cases include:

R. v. Dimitrov (2003), 68 O.R. (3d) 641 (C.A.)

R. v. Ruzic, [2001] 1 S.C.R. 687

R. v. Glad Day Bookshops Inc. (2004), 70 O.R. (3d) 691 (S.C.)

R. v. Hornick and Aitcheson, [2002] O.J. No. 1170 (O.C.J.)

Little Sisters Book and Art Emporium v. Canada (Minister of Justice), [2000] 2 S.C.R. 1120

Ontario (Attorney General) v. Langer (1995), 97 C.C.C. (3d) 290 (Ont. Gen. Div.)