Ontario directory

Criminal Defence Law Firms in Durham Region, Ontario

27 law firms.

What does a criminal defence lawyer in Durham Region do?

A criminal defence lawyer in Durham Region defends people who have been charged with a criminal offence, from the first police contact through bail, disclosure, negotiation, and trial. If your case goes to court, it's heard at the Oshawa Courthouse, the region's own court at 150 Bond Street East, which serves Oshawa, Whitby, Pickering, Ajax, and Clarington. The lawyer reviews the evidence the Crown discloses, explains your options in plain terms, and speaks for you in court.

Common files include impaired driving, assault, theft, drug possession, and domestic charges. Getting advice early matters, because choices made in the first days, at the police station and at the bail stage, can shape everything that follows.

How do criminal charges move through the courts?

The Criminal Code is federal law, so the offences and the defences are the same across Canada. What changes is where your case is heard, and that depends on how serious the charge is. In Ontario most charges start in the Ontario Court of Justice, and the most serious ones, such as murder or other indictable offences where you elect a jury, proceed to the Superior Court of Justice. Both courts sit at the Oshawa Courthouse, so a Durham charge usually stays in the region.

Early court dates are mostly administrative: you or your lawyer collect disclosure, review it, and decide whether to resolve the matter or set it for trial. A lawyer can often attend those routine dates for you.

What if you're arrested or can't afford a lawyer?

If you're held after an arrest, you have the right to a bail hearing, and it happens quickly, usually within a day. A defence lawyer can arrange a surety, propose a release plan, and argue for your release, so it helps to call one right away. You also have the right to remain silent and the right to speak to counsel, so use both.

Legal Aid Ontario provides duty counsel at the courthouse for people who don't yet have a lawyer, and it issues certificates that cover a private lawyer for those who qualify financially. If you don't qualify, ask firms about payment options when you call.

How do you choose a criminal defence firm in Durham Region?

Start with a firm that regularly handles your kind of charge, whether that's a first impaired driving case, a domestic matter, or a serious indictable offence. Ask who will actually appear with you, how the firm approaches bail and disclosure, and whether it's ready to run a trial rather than only resolve. Fees vary, so get the retainer and how it's billed in writing before you sign. Many Durham defence lawyers appear at the Oshawa court daily and know the local Crown and duty counsel.

You can confirm any lawyer's standing on the Law Society of Ontario directory. Browse the criminal defence firms in Durham Region below.

Amodeo Law

1 lawyer

Amodeo Law is a sole criminal defence practice based in Whitby, Ontario. Christian Amodeo handles bail hearings, trials, guilty pleas, and sentencing for clients across Oshawa, the GTA, and surrounding areas including…

Criminal DefenceCriminal DefenceLegal aidLegal Aid

Appadoo Law P.C.

1 lawyer

Appadoo Law P.C. is a small law firm serving Toronto, Scarborough, Ajax, Pickering, Oshawa, Whitby, and other communities across the Greater Toronto Area. It focuses on criminal defence, personal injury, and wills and…

Criminal DefenceCriminal DefencePersonal InjuryPersonal InjuryWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsNotary & Commissioner ServicesNotary & Commissioner Services

AR Law is a criminal defence firm led by Arvin Ross, with offices in Oshawa and Scarborough serving Toronto and the surrounding areas of Ontario. It handles matters including assault, domestic assault, drug possession…

Criminal DefenceCriminal Defence

Barrison & Manitius

3 lawyers · Est. 1992

Barrison & Manitius is a criminal defence firm in Oshawa, Ontario, serving Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area. The firm traces back to a 1992 partnership and has changed names several times as partners joined …

Criminal DefenceCriminal DefenceLegal aidLegal Aid

Claxton Law

1 lawyer

Claxton Law is a small practice focused on criminal law, mental health law, and civil litigation, serving Durham Region and surrounding areas including Toronto, Peel, and Peterborough. Charlena T. Claxton has practice…

Criminal DefenceCriminal DefenceHealth LawHealth LawLegal aidLegal Aid

Collett Read LLP

8 lawyers

Collett Read LLP is a criminal defence firm headquartered beside the John Sopinka courthouse in Hamilton, with offices in Burlington, Brampton, Mississauga, Waterloo, St. Catharines, and Oshawa. It practises exclusive…

Criminal DefenceCriminal DefenceFamily LawFamily LawLegal aidLegal Aid

Davoudi Criminal Law is a criminal defence practice led by Fariborz Davoudi, serving clients in Richmond Hill, Pickering, Toronto, and throughout Ontario. The firm handles matters including assault, drug offences, imp…

Criminal DefenceCriminal Defence

Devry Smith Frank LLP

51 lawyers · Est. 1964

Devry Smith Frank LLP (DSF) is a full-service law firm established in Toronto in 1964, with over 155 lawyers and support staff. It has offices in Toronto, Barrie, Whitby, Midland, Collingwood, and Haliburton, and prac…

Personal InjuryPersonal InjuryFamily LawFamily LawCriminal DefenceCriminal DefenceWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & Trusts

East Law

1 lawyer

East Law is a criminal defence practice based in Hamilton that litigates exclusively in criminal law. It defends charges ranging from murder and drug trafficking to domestic assault and impaired driving, at the Ontari…

Criminal DefenceCriminal Defence

Epstein & Associates

31 lawyers · Est. 2005

Epstein & Associates is a full-service law firm founded in 2005, with offices in Newmarket, Barrie, Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Oshawa, and Aurora. Its lawyers handle family law, real estate, wills and estates, corpor…

Family LawFamily LawReal Estate LawReal Estate LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsBusiness & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate Law

Gobin & Leyenson LLP is a law and paralegal firm based in Oshawa, Ontario that represents residential landlords, businesses, and individuals across Ontario. The team handles residential tenancy law, Small Claims Court…

Landlord & TenantLandlord & TenantCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCriminal DefenceCriminal Defence

Gopaul Law Practice is a solo practice run by Roshni Gopaul, a lawyer who serves Scarborough, Durham, and Newmarket. The practice focuses on criminal defence, family law, and child protection proceedings, and it also …

Criminal DefenceCriminal DefenceFamily LawFamily LawWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsLegal aidLegal Aid

Kelly Greenway Bruce LLP

10 lawyers · Est. 1956

Kelly Greenway Bruce LLP is a full-service law firm that has served the Region of Durham, the City of Kawartha Lakes and the wider Province of Ontario since 1956, with offices in Oshawa and Lindsay. It practises perso…

Personal InjuryPersonal InjuryFamily LawFamily LawCriminal DefenceCriminal DefenceWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & Trusts

Law Office of Snober Naz

1 lawyer · Est. 2019

The Law Office of Snober Naz is a small Ajax firm operating since 2019 that serves the Greater Toronto Area and Durham Region, including Whitby, Ajax and Pickering. It provides services in civil litigation, family law…

Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionFamily LawFamily LawCriminal DefenceCriminal DefenceImmigration LawImmigration Law

Metelsky Law

2 lawyers

Metelsky Law is a law office with locations in Ajax, Bowmanville, and Toronto, Ontario. It practises family law, criminal law, wills and estates, and corporate law, and describes itself as an accessible firm where cli…

Family LawFamily LawCriminal DefenceCriminal DefenceWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & TrustsBusiness & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate Law

Nadi Law

5 lawyers · Est. 2018

Nadi Law is a criminal and employment law firm founded by Adib Nadi in 2018, with offices in Whitby and Newmarket serving Durham Region, Toronto, and York Region. Its lawyers handle criminal defence matters such as im…

Criminal DefenceCriminal DefenceEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour Law

O'Brien, Balka, Khehra & Guile is a law firm in Oshawa, Ontario that has practiced for more than 40 years. The firm handles criminal defence, from impaired driving to murder charges, and civil litigation, including se…

Criminal DefenceCriminal DefencePersonal InjuryPersonal Injury

Pillarstone Law Practice is an Oshawa firm serving the Durham Region, Ontario, and clients internationally in family law, child protection, immigration, civil litigation, landlord and tenant matters, and criminal liti…

Family LawFamily LawImmigration LawImmigration LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionLandlord & TenantLandlord & TenantLegal aidLegal Aid

Richter Grewal LLP

4 lawyers

Richter Grewal LLP is a criminal and family law firm based in Durham Region, Ontario. It represents clients across Durham Region and Northumberland County, and its lawyers regularly appear at all levels of court, incl…

Criminal DefenceCriminal DefenceFamily LawFamily Law

Simeson Law LLP

2 lawyers

Simeson Law LLP is a law firm in Oshawa handling personal injury, criminal defence, and employment law matters. The firm has practised in the area for about 40 years and focuses on motor vehicle accidents, long-term d…

Personal InjuryPersonal InjuryCriminal DefenceCriminal DefenceEmployment & Labour LawEmployment & Labour Law

Simpore Law Office is a law firm in Ajax, Ontario, that practices family law, business law, civil litigation, criminal law, wills and estates, and immigration law. It offers a free initial consultation and publishes s…

Family LawFamily LawBusiness & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawCriminal DefenceCriminal DefenceWills, Estates & TrustsWills, Estates & Trusts

Smart Criminal Law, registered as Jeffrey Smart Legal Services Professional Corporation, is a criminal defence firm based in Oshawa serving Durham Region, including Whitby, Brooklin, Ajax, Pickering and Bowmanville. I…

Criminal DefenceCriminal Defence

Sola's Law Office is a general practice firm licensed to practice in Ontario and Nigeria. It handles business, litigation, immigration, criminal, and family law, along with real estate and notary public services, and …

Business & Corporate LawBusiness & Corporate LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionImmigration LawImmigration LawCriminal DefenceCriminal Defence

The Law Office of Stephen A. Cooper is a full-service family law firm in Ajax that also handles criminal law, wills and power of attorney, and notary services. Stephen A. Cooper has practiced in Ontario since 1989 and…

Family LawFamily LawCriminal DefenceCriminal DefenceNotary & Commissioner ServicesNotary & Commissioner ServicesLegal aidLegal Aid