Answers, in plain language.

Our focus is criminal defence and civil litigation. We defend charges from bail through to trial — assault and domestic matters, impaired driving, drug and weapon offences, theft and fraud — and handle contract, debt, property, employment, negligence, and small claims disputes. We also continue to act for business owners on incorporation, shareholder agreements, contracts, and compliance.

Counsel is available in eight languages, including English, Hindi, Urdu, Farsi/Persian, Punjabi, Spanish, and Tamil. Discuss your matter in the language you speak at home.

We have two offices: 1585 Markham Road, Scarborough, ON M1B 2W1, and 2960 Drew Road, Unit 139, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A5. We serve clients across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond.

We serve businesses and individuals across the GTA, including Toronto, Scarborough, Brampton, Mississauga, Milton, Newmarket, Oshawa, Barrie, Guelph, Hamilton, and Bracebridge.

We set out our rates up front, in plain language, before any work begins.

Book online or call us at 416-639-0887. Choose a time that works for you. Consultations are available in eight languages.

Yes. The person reviewing your file is the person who answers your call.

Say as little as possible to police and speak to counsel before giving any statement. You have a right to remain silent and a right to counsel, and an explanation offered to sound cooperative becomes evidence that is very difficult to undo later.

A surety pledges an amount of money and takes responsibility for supervising you in the community and reporting a breach of your conditions. The money is usually not deposited up front, but it can be called on if conditions are not followed. Anyone considering it should understand that obligation before the bail hearing.

No. A record follows a conviction, not a charge. Matters are withdrawn, resolved on a peace bond, or resolved by a discharge, and some proceed to trial and end in an acquittal. Which of those is realistically available depends on the evidence and the circumstances, which is what the first review of disclosure is for.

It can. For permanent residents and foreign nationals, a conviction can carry consequences for status and admissibility that are more serious than the sentence itself. If you are not a Canadian citizen, say so at the first meeting so it shapes the strategy from the outset rather than being discovered at sentencing.

Do not simply stop complying — failing to comply is a separate offence and it makes release harder next time. Conditions can be varied, on consent with the Crown where possible and by application where not. Raise it with counsel as soon as the problem appears.

A mediator helps the parties negotiate their own settlement and cannot impose one. An arbitrator hears the dispute and decides it, much as a judge would. Mediation keeps control with you; arbitration hands it over in exchange for a binding answer.

The mediation itself is not. Nothing said in it can be used against you later, and you are free to walk away. What does bind you is the settlement agreement, if you reach one and sign it — at that point it is an enforceable contract.

Often, yes. Mediation is faster and materially cheaper than litigating, and a large share of civil matters settle there. It is not a guarantee: if the other side will not engage, or the dispute turns on a point of law that needs deciding, court remains the route.

The mediator's fee is usually shared equally, though the parties can agree otherwise, and a settlement can allocate it differently. Each side pays its own lawyer.

Disputes where the parties have a relationship worth preserving, or where the commercial cost of fighting exceeds what is in issue — contract and payment disputes, shareholder and partnership disagreements, and construction or supply disputes all mediate well.

Yes. In Ontario only a lawyer can complete the transfer of title and register it electronically. A real estate agent negotiates the deal; the lawyer is who actually closes it.

Title insurance protects you against defects in title, survey problems, and title fraud after closing. It is not legally required, but it is standard on residential purchases and most lenders insist on it.

Ontario charges land transfer tax on a sliding scale, and a purchase inside the City of Toronto attracts a second municipal tax on top. First-time buyers may claim rebates against both. Have the figure calculated for your specific price before you budget.

Typically 30 to 90 days between a firm agreement of purchase and sale and the closing date, though the parties set that date themselves. The legal work — title search, requisitions, mortgage instructions, funds — runs through that window.

Once the agreement is firm, walking away is a breach of contract. The seller can keep the deposit and sue for any further loss if the property later sells for less. Get advice before you refuse to close, not after.