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Fix the deadline
We confirm the court, the date and manner of service, and the exact day your defence is due.
Statements of defence · Scarborough
Statement of Defence Lawyer in Scarborough
Served with a claim in Scarborough? We work out your deadline, draft the defence, and serve and file it in the Toronto court that issued the claim, from our office at 1585 Markham Road.
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Your counsel
Caleesis TeleshFounder & Principal Lawyer
Shaneisha MattisForeign Trained Lawyer
Diego HerreraInternationally Trained Lawyer
Daniel OseiStudent Legal Assistant
The person reviewing your matter is the person who answers your call. Meet the team →
Paid 30-minute 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 30-minute 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 statements of defence 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
- Statements of Defence clients come to Telesh Law Firm from Scarborough and across the Greater Toronto Area, including Scarborough, Mississauga, Toronto, Brampton, Milton, Newmarket, Oshawa, Barrie, Guelph, Hamilton, and Bracebridge.
- Facts reviewed
- October 2026. Fees, hours, and availability change; call to confirm before relying on them.
The deadline that matters
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20 days in Ontario, and the clock starts at service.
In the Superior Court of Justice, the defence is due 20 days after service if you were served in Ontario, 40 days if you were served elsewhere in Canada or in the United States, and 60 days if served anywhere else. A notice of intent to defend, delivered within that time, adds 10 days.
In Small Claims Court, the defence is due 20 days after you are served. The Small Claims rules set no longer period for service outside Ontario and have no notice of intent to defend.
Miss the date and the plaintiff can have you noted in default. You are then taken to admit the facts in the claim and cannot take any step except a motion to set the default aside. On a claim for a fixed sum, judgment can follow without a hearing. Until you are noted in default, a Superior Court defence can still be delivered.
Source: Rules of Civil Procedure, rr. 18.01, 18.02, 19.01, 19.02 and 19.04; Rules of the Small Claims Court, rr. 9.01, 11.01, 11.02 and 11.05.
In Scarborough
Statements of Defence in Scarborough.
The first page of the claim tells you which court you are in. A plaintiff's claim from the Toronto Small Claims Court, at 47 Sheppard Avenue East, needs a defence within 20 days of service. A statement of claim from the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto needs a statement of defence within 20 days if you were served in Ontario, or you can deliver a notice of intent to defend for 10 more. Many people in the east end are served at home by a process server, sometimes through an adult in the household rather than in person. That can change the date service counts from, so bring the papers and tell us exactly who received them and when. One Toronto detail matters on a tight deadline: the online portal Toronto uses for Small Claims filings will not take a document due in three business days or less, so a late defence has to go to the counter at 47 Sheppard, by mail, or by email.
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What we do
From your documents to a statement of defence that is ready.
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Protect the file
We report the claim to any insurer that may owe you a defence and preserve the records it turns on.
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Draft
We admit, deny, or plead no knowledge of each allegation, and add every defence and counterclaim you have.
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Serve and file
We serve the plaintiff and file with the court on time, or get a written extension before the date passes.
What to bring
Bring these to the consultation.
Gather what you have. A missing document is no reason to wait, least of all with a deadline running.
- 01The claim, with the date and the way you were served written on the front
- 02Every page that came with it, including any schedules or attached documents
- 03Your contracts, invoices, receipts and proof of payment
- 04Messages and emails with the plaintiff, in date order
- 05Insurance policies that might cover the claim: home, tenant, auto or business
- 06Any demand letter you received before the claim
Last reviewed: October 2026This page provides general legal information, not advice for a specific matter. Legal rights and deadlines depend on the facts.
What we do
Claims we defend in Scarborough
Small Claims defencesForm 9A, Toronto Small Claims Court
Superior Court defencesForm 18A, Superior Court in Toronto
Notice of intent to defendTen more days in the Superior Court
Defendant's claimsYour own claim against the plaintiff
In their words
Represented, and heard.
“Telesh Law Firm provides outstanding legal services. The team is highly knowledgeable — I would highly recommend.”
“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.”
Common questions
Answers, in plain language.
In the court office that issued the claim, which is printed on the first page. For most Scarborough defendants that is the Toronto Small Claims Court at 47 Sheppard Avenue East or the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto. Where you live does not move the case.
It depends on how they were served. Leaving papers with an adult at your home is an alternative to personal service, and it usually has to be followed by mailing a copy before service counts as complete. The date can be later than the day the papers arrived. Do not rely on that: bring the papers in early and we will work out the date.
From the blog
Statements of Defence explained, in plain language.
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