Pellizzari Law
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.1 lawyer · Wellington County (Guelph)
One of 50 law firms listed in Guelph, and one of 12 handling Criminal Defence.
Free consultation
Virtual appointments
Free consultationVirtual appointmentsAbout Pellizzari Law
Pellizzari Law defends people charged with crimes in Guelph and Wellington County, and the lawyer doing that work once sat at the prosecution table. Joseph M. Pellizzari prosecuted criminal cases as a Crown Attorney before opening a defence practice. Criminal defence leads, with real estate and wills and estates rounding out a practice of three areas and one lawyer.
Called to the Ontario Bar in 1990, Pellizzari has served individuals and families for over 30 years from an office at 20 Douglas Street. Clients come from Guelph, Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and the wider county.
There's no handoff here. Pellizzari takes every file personally, from the first call to the final result, so the person you meet at the consultation is the person who sees your matter through.
Consultations are free and confidential for criminal, real estate and estate matters alike. Regular hours run Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and urgent criminal matters reach the office 24/7.
Practice areas
Criminal defence, from assault to break and enter
Joseph M. Pellizzari defends assault charges, including domestic, weapons, aggravated and sexual assault, along with break and enter and home invasion cases, where identification and intent are tested. On drug files, from possession to importation, the defence centres on how searches and seizures were carried out and whether Charter rights were breached. When a case goes the distance, Pellizzari takes it to trial before a judge or a jury.
Impaired and dangerous driving
On the driving side, the defence covers impaired driving, over 80, refusing a breath sample, drug-impaired driving and dangerous driving.
Property transactions
Pellizzari acts on both residential and commercial deals. On the residential side that means purchases, sales, refinancing, title transfers and closings for clients in Guelph, Cambridge and Wellington County.
Property disputes and litigation
When a property deal goes wrong, Pellizzari acts in disputes over ownership, contracts and damages, and will take the matter to court if negotiation doesn't settle it.
Wills, estates and probate
The estates practice covers wills, estate planning and powers of attorney for both property and personal care. Pellizzari also helps executors and families apply for probate, deal with creditors, distribute assets and administer an estate from start to finish anywhere in Ontario.
Good to know
Accessible parking
Virtual appointments
By appointmentFees & payment
Free consultationHow Pellizzari Law works
Pellizzari keeps a deliberately focused client roster, so each person who hires the firm gets full attention, careful preparation and a strategy shaped to their own situation. Legal trouble doesn't keep office hours, and the practice is committed to being reachable when a client needs urgent advice.
On estate work, the commitment is to translate complicated law into plain language, so clients understand their choices and obligations before they sign. Real estate clients are kept up to date at each step, with risks flagged and obligations explained before anything is final.
Milestones & recognition
- 1990: Joseph M. Pellizzari was called to the Ontario Bar.
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Pellizzari Law practises from Douglas Street, which takes its name from Hugh Douglass, a lawyer who served as County Crown attorney. The first county registry office went up on Douglas Street in 1847, and a 1962 report in the K.W. Record counted 20 of Guelph's 26 lawyers with offices on the street, along with the Wellington County Registry Office and the Crown Attorney's office.
At 15 Douglas Street stands the County Solicitor's Building, a two-storey local limestone building put up in 1865 to 1866 and little changed since. It's been a unique focus for Guelph's legal profession, and for many years its upper floor held the offices of the local Master of the Supreme Court and the Crown Attorney.
Frequently asked questions
- How does Joseph Pellizzari's time as a Crown Attorney shape a defence at Pellizzari Law?
- Pellizzari Law's defence work rests on Joseph M. Pellizzari's years as a Crown Attorney prosecuting criminal cases. Having done that job, Pellizzari knows how prosecutors assess evidence, decide which charges to push and put a case together, and uses that knowledge to look for weak points in the prosecution.
- What does Pellizzari Law check in a Guelph breath-test case?
- Pellizzari Law examines the screening device demand, the calibration records for the Intoxilyzer, the operator's training certificate, and whether police strictly kept to the required 15-minute observation period before taking samples.
- Which Guelph courts does Joseph Pellizzari appear in?
- At Pellizzari Law, Joseph M. Pellizzari regularly appears in both the Ontario Court of Justice at 36 Wyndham Street South, where most Guelph criminal matters are heard, and the Superior Court of Justice, where more serious indictable cases can go. Pellizzari also appears in courts across Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo.
- Can Pellizzari Law act for a beneficiary or an executor in a contested estate?
- Pellizzari Law represents executors, beneficiaries and families when an estate conflict has to be litigated, drawing on Pellizzari's decades of courtroom work.
Where to find them
20 Douglas St, Guelph, ON N1H 2S9 · 519-837-1800
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