About Michael
Michael Edelson graduated magna cum laude in 1975 from the University of Ottawa Law School and was called to the Ontario bar in 1977, since which time his practice has been largely restricted to defending criminal and regulatory offences. He is a past president of the Defence Counsel Association and a long-time member of the Criminal Lawyers Association, where he has lectured and written for its criminal conferences, and was selected to the Honour Society of the University of Ottawa's Common Law Faculty. He has repeatedly been named among the Best Lawyers in Canada for criminal law, including Ottawa's Criminal Defence Lawyer of the Year, and was for many years an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa Law School, where he created a course in criminal trial advocacy and also taught trial advocacy to lawyers in Mexico. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has tried more than 2,000 criminal cases, including homicides and complex frauds, notably advising and representing a key executive for over four years in the SNC-Lavalin prosecution, as well as impaired driving and drug cases, and has represented numerous police officers charged with serious offences. He co-authored the fourth edition of Cross Examination, The Art of the Advocate, and has worked with counsel and clients in other provinces and jurisdictions including Bermuda, Spain, Switzerland and London, England. In 2025 he was awarded the G. Arthur Martin Criminal Justice Medal for lifetime contributions to criminal justice.
Practice areas
Education & credentials
- Law school
- University of Ottawa
Listing compiled from public sources. Verify licence status on the Law Society of Ontario directory.