Criminal Law

Criminal Law — Toronto

Telesh Law Firm defends criminal charges in the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice across Toronto and the GTA, from offices in Scarborough and Mississauga. We engage the Crown early, review the evidence with you in full, and set out the routes and the rates before any work begins.

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Your counsel

Caleesis Telesh
Founder & Principal Lawyer
Shaneisha Mattis
Foreign Trained Lawyer
Diego Herrera
Internationally Trained Lawyer
Daniel Osei
Student Legal Assistant

The person reviewing your matter is the person who answers your call. Meet the team →

Paid one-hour consultationRates set out in writing before work beginsCounsel in eight languagesSaturday by appointmentReplies within one business day

More about the firm

Hours: Telesh Law Firm Professional Corporation is open Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Saturday by appointment. Sunday closed. Consultations are booked in advance; walk-ins are not seen without an appointment.
Offices: Telesh Law Firm has two offices: the Scarborough office at 1585 Markham Road, Scarborough, ON M1B 2W1, and the Mississauga office at 2960 Drew Road, Unit 139, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A5. Call 416-639-0887 or 416-299-8088, or email tlf@teleshlawfirm.ca.
Consultation and rates: Telesh Law Firm offers a paid one-hour consultation: a full review of your matter with a lawyer, so you leave knowing where you stand and what your options are. Rates for the work that follows are set out in plain language before any work begins.
Response time: A member of the team responds to consultation requests within one business day. For an urgent criminal law matter, call rather than write.
Languages: Counsel is available in eight languages: English, Hindi, Urdu, Farsi (Persian), Punjabi, Spanish, and Tamil.
Courts: Telesh Law Firm appears in the Ontario Court of Justice, the Superior Court of Justice, and Small Claims Court in Toronto and across the Greater Toronto Area.
Licensing: Telesh Law Firm Professional Corporation is a member of the Law Society of Ontario. Caleesis Telesh, Founder & Principal Lawyer, is an Ontario licensed lawyer. The firm is also a member of the Canadian Bar Association, Criminal Lawyers' Association, Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association, and Durham Region Law Association.
Clients from: Criminal Law clients come to Telesh Law Firm from the Greater Toronto Area, including Scarborough, Mississauga, Toronto, Brampton, Milton, Newmarket, Oshawa, Barrie, Guelph, Hamilton, and Bracebridge.
Facts reviewed: September 2026. Fees, hours, and availability change; call to confirm before relying on them.

The defence brief

A charge is an allegation. What happens next is a sequence of decisions.

Being charged is not the same as being convicted, and the period between the two is where most of the real work happens. We act for people facing charges in the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice — from the bail hearing and the conditions that follow, through disclosure, Crown and judicial pre-trials, to resolution or trial. The first job is to make sure you understand what you are actually facing, what the Crown has to prove, and what each available route would cost you in time, money, and consequence.

Matter index

What we examine, and why it matters.

The first decision in the case

Bail & release conditions

Police may release you at the station on an undertaking, or hold you for a bail hearing before a justice. Where a hearing is held, the court decides whether you are released and on what terms — a surety, a deposit, a curfew, a residence requirement, or no contact with named people. Those conditions govern your life for months, and a variation later is a separate application. We prepare the release plan, brief the proposed surety, and argue for terms you can realistically live with.

When to call

Immediately after an arrest, before a bail hearing, when a proposed surety is unsure what they are agreeing to, or when an existing condition has become impossible to comply with.

Documents to gather

The release document, undertaking, or bail order
Proof of address, employment, and income
Contact details for a proposed surety
Any prior orders, probation terms, or peace bonds

Documents to gather

The release document, undertaking, or bail order
Proof of address, employment, and income
Contact details for a proposed surety
Any prior orders, probation terms, or peace bonds

Questions we assess

Will there be a bail hearing, or a release from the station?
Who can realistically act as surety?
Which conditions will actually affect work, housing, or family?
Can a condition be varied later, and how?

Questions we assess

Will there be a bail hearing, or a release from the station?
Who can realistically act as surety?
Which conditions will actually affect work, housing, or family?
Can a condition be varied later, and how?

Two proceedings, not one

Impaired driving & over 80

Impaired operation, driving with a blood alcohol concentration at or over 80 mg per 100 mL, and refusing to provide a sample are separate offences with separate elements. These cases usually turn on procedure — the grounds for the demand, the timing of the tests, the operation and maintenance of the instrument, and how the samples were taken. There is also a parallel administrative process: a licence suspension imposed by the Ministry that runs on its own track and is not decided by the criminal court.

When to call

As soon as possible after a roadside stop or arrest, while the timing details are still fresh and before any deadline in the administrative suspension process passes.

Documents to gather

The charge documents and any notice of suspension
Certificates of analysis or breath-test results
Your own note of times, locations, and what was said
Driver's abstract and any prior driving record

Documents to gather

The charge documents and any notice of suspension
Certificates of analysis or breath-test results
Your own note of times, locations, and what was said
Driver's abstract and any prior driving record

Questions we assess

What grounds did the officer have for the demand?
Were the samples taken within the required timing?
Is the licence suspension separate from the charge?
What are the consequences for insurance and employment?

Questions we assess

What grounds did the officer have for the demand?
Were the samples taken within the required timing?
Is the licence suspension separate from the charge?
What are the consequences for insurance and employment?

Conditions bite before trial

Assault & domestic charges

Domestic-related charges are handled under a specific court protocol, and the release conditions that follow commonly include no contact with the complainant and a bar on returning to a shared residence — often before any evidence has been tested. Those consequences arrive first and last longest. We deal with the immediate practical problems, review the statements and any recordings, and assess the available routes, which can include trial, a resolution, or in some cases a peace bond rather than a conviction.

When to call

After any arrest arising from an incident at home, when you have been excluded from your residence, before contacting the complainant for any reason, or when a family or child protection matter is running alongside the charge.

Documents to gather

Release conditions and any protection order
The complete charge screening or synopsis, if provided
Messages, photographs, or recordings from the period in issue
Details of any parallel family court proceeding

Documents to gather

Release conditions and any protection order
The complete charge screening or synopsis, if provided
Messages, photographs, or recordings from the period in issue
Details of any parallel family court proceeding

Questions we assess

What exactly do the no-contact terms prohibit?
Where will I live while the conditions are in force?
How does this interact with a family law matter?
Is a resolution without a criminal record available here?

Questions we assess

What exactly do the no-contact terms prohibit?
Where will I live while the conditions are in force?
How does this interact with a family law matter?
Is a resolution without a criminal record available here?

How the evidence was obtained matters

Drug & weapon offences

Possession, trafficking, and weapons charges frequently depend on how the evidence was found — the basis for a stop, a search, a warrant, or a detention. Where a search breached the Charter, the admissibility of what it produced becomes a live issue that has to be argued on a proper record. We review the disclosure for the grounds behind each step, identify the issues worth litigating, and give a candid view of how strong they are.

When to call

After a search of a person, vehicle, or home, when a warrant was executed, when police continue to hold property, or when others were charged in the same incident.

Documents to gather

The information to obtain or search warrant, if disclosed
Property receipts and seizure records
Charge documents and full disclosure package
Names of any co-accused and their counsel

Documents to gather

The information to obtain or search warrant, if disclosed
Property receipts and seizure records
Charge documents and full disclosure package
Names of any co-accused and their counsel

Questions we assess

What authorized the stop, detention, or search?
Is the alleged possession actual, constructive, or joint?
Is there a Charter issue worth litigating?
How does a co-accused's position affect mine?

Questions we assess

What authorized the stop, detention, or search?
Is the alleged possession actual, constructive, or joint?
Is there a Charter issue worth litigating?
How does a co-accused's position affect mine?

Records follow you into work

Theft, fraud & property offences

Theft, fraud, mischief, and possession of property obtained by crime range from summary matters to serious indictable allegations, and the amount alleged changes both the procedure and the exposure. For many clients the sharper problem is collateral: a finding of dishonesty is the kind that regulators, licensing bodies, and employers ask about. We work on the strength of the Crown's case and, where a resolution is realistic, on keeping the outcome off the record if the circumstances allow.

When to call

After an arrest or a request to attend a police interview, when an employer or regulator has been notified, or when restitution is being discussed.

Documents to gather

Charge documents and disclosure
Employment contract and any workplace investigation file
Financial records relevant to the allegation
Details of any professional licence or certification held

Documents to gather

Charge documents and disclosure
Employment contract and any workplace investigation file
Financial records relevant to the allegation
Details of any professional licence or certification held

Questions we assess

Is the matter proceeding summarily or by indictment?
What must the Crown prove about intent?
Does restitution change the available resolutions?
What must be reported to a regulator or employer?

Questions we assess

Is the matter proceeding summarily or by indictment?
What must the Crown prove about intent?
Does restitution change the available resolutions?
What must be reported to a regulator or employer?

Decision pathway

From first question to an actionable record.

Release

We address custody first — the bail hearing or station release, the surety, and the conditions you will have to live under while the case runs.

Disclosure

We obtain the Crown's disclosure and review it with you in full, so the case is assessed on the evidence rather than on the allegation.

Assess

We identify what the Crown must prove, where the case is weak, which Charter or procedural issues are real, and what each route would cost you.

Negotiate

We put your position to the Crown at a pre-trial and test what resolutions are available, including outcomes that avoid a conviction where the circumstances allow.

Trial

Where the case should be tried, we set the election and mode of trial, prepare the applications and cross-examinations, and argue it.

Side by side

The criminal charge and the licence suspension are two proceedings.

An impaired driving or over 80 charge in Ontario runs on two tracks at once. The criminal case is decided by a judge; the administrative suspension is imposed by the Ministry of Transportation and runs whether or not the charge succeeds.

Point of comparison	Criminal charge	Administrative licence suspension
Who decides	A judge of the Ontario Court of Justice or the Superior Court of Justice, after disclosure and, if it goes that far, a trial.	The Ministry of Transportation, automatically under the Highway Traffic Act — no hearing before it takes effect.
When it starts	When the charge is laid; the first court date follows weeks later.	At the roadside, the moment a sample is over 80 or refused: a 90-day suspension begins immediately.
What it can end in	Withdrawal, a resolution, an acquittal, or a conviction with a criminal record, a fine, and a driving prohibition.	The 90 days run regardless of what happens to the charge; reinstatement has its own fee and conditions.
How it is challenged	On the evidence: the grounds for the demand, the timing of the tests, and how the samples were taken.	Narrowly — the grounds for review are limited, and the criminal defence does not lift it.
What we do	Review the disclosure for the procedural issues these cases turn on and set out the realistic routes before the first appearance.	Explain the suspension timeline and reinstatement steps at the first meeting, so the driving consequences are not a surprise.

When clients call

The legal question usually arrives inside a business problem.

Hypothetical situation

Released on conditions that do not work

A curfew conflicts with shift work, or a residence condition means being unable to go home, and breaching the term would itself be a new charge.

Our focus: We identify which conditions are genuinely unworkable, approach the Crown on consent where possible, and bring a variation application where it is not.

Hypothetical situation

A first charge, and a career at stake

No prior record, but the client holds a licence, a security clearance, or a job with a vulnerable-sector check, and a conviction would end it.

Our focus: We assess the strength of the Crown's case and the resolutions that avoid a conviction — a withdrawal, a peace bond, or a discharge — and put the personal circumstances forward properly.

Hypothetical situation

Charged while not a Canadian citizen

A permanent resident or foreign national is charged, and the immigration consequences of a conviction may be more serious than the sentence itself.

Our focus: We factor inadmissibility into the defence from the outset, because the difference between two apparently similar outcomes can decide whether someone can remain in Canada.

Prepare the file

Bring the record, not just the problem.

A complete first review makes the consultation more useful. Organize what you have; do not delay getting advice because one document is missing.

01The charge documents, release order, and any conditions
02Every court date you have been given
03Your account of the incident, written down while it is fresh
04Names and contact details for any witnesses
05Messages, photographs, or recordings from the relevant period
06Any prior record, probation order, or peace bond
07Immigration status, licences, and clearances that a conviction would affect

Risks to identify early

Talking to police

There is a right to remain silent and a right to counsel. An explanation given to sound cooperative becomes evidence, and it is rarely possible to undo it later. Get advice before any statement or interview.

Breaching a condition is a new charge

Failing to comply with a release condition can be prosecuted separately from the original allegation, and it makes release harder the next time. A condition that has become impossible should be varied, not quietly ignored.

The consequences are wider than the sentence

A criminal record can affect employment, professional licensing, volunteering, travel to the United States, and — for anyone who is not a Canadian citizen — immigration status. These should shape the strategy from the start, not be discovered at sentencing.

Missing a court date

Failing to attend can result in a warrant and an additional charge. If a date cannot be met, it has to be dealt with in advance through counsel rather than after the fact.

Last reviewed: September 2026This page provides general legal information, not advice for a specific matter. Legal rights and deadlines depend on the facts.

In their words

Defended, and heard.

“The team here is so nice! They understood my needs and made me feel heard. I will definitely come back if I am in need of legal help again.”

Jeslyn T. · Google review

“Had a great experience with Telesh Law Firm. Really knowledgeable — would totally recommend.”

Sarina · Google review

Common questions

Answers, in plain language.

Say as little as possible to police and call counsel before making any statement. The earlier we are involved, the more we can do to protect your position.

Many matters resolve through negotiation with the Crown. We prepare each case as if it will be tried, which strengthens your position whether it settles or proceeds.

We set out rates up front, in plain language, so you know what to expect before any work begins.

Free tool

Courthouse directory

Addresses and virtual-courtroom coordinates for the GTA courthouses where criminal matters are heard, with the date each set of coordinates was last checked.

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Criminal Law by location

From the blog

Criminal Law explained, in plain language.

All articles

A handcuffed person seated across a table from a lawyer in a dim interview room

Criminal Law

The criminal justice process in Ontario, from arrest to trial

From arrest through bail, disclosure, and trial, Ontario's criminal process has stages worth understanding before you are standing in one.

March 3, 20254 min read

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Book a consultation→416 · 639 · 0887

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