Aaron B. Harnett, Barrister & Solicitor
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.1 lawyer · City of Toronto
One of 2,276 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 307 handling Criminal Defence.
About Aaron B. Harnett, Barrister & Solicitor
Aaron B. Harnett, Barrister & Solicitor is a Toronto practice devoted to criminal law. Aaron Harnett has practised criminal law in Toronto for more than 30 years, with particular attention to domestic violence, allegations of sexual impropriety and financial crime. Clients also include companies under criminal or quasi-criminal investigation.
Aaron Harnett studied at the University of Toronto for a Bachelor of Arts, then earned an LL.B at Queen's University Law School in 1990. After articling at Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt, Harnett was called to the bar in 1992 and has done nothing but criminal work since. Harnett belongs to the Criminal Lawyers Association.
Constitutional challenges are part of the work, too. Two federal statutes have been struck down as unconstitutional in Harnett's cases: the marijuana prohibition in R. v. Parker, the Ontario Court of Appeal decision that legalized medical marijuana, and the law office search provisions in s. 488.1 of the Criminal Code, in the Supreme Court of Canada's R. v. Fink. Harnett also acted in the murder trial over the death of Toronto police officer William Hancox, and has often been a guest on TV and radio public affairs shows.
The office is at 2175 Danforth Avenue in the Danforth area of Toronto. In most cases the first meeting, normally about half an hour and booked between 4 and 6 p.m., is free, and clients hear in advance if it won't be. For emergencies, there's a cell line at (416) 712-3676.
Practice areas
Domestic and sexual offence charges
Harnett defends the full range of sex-based charges, and discretion is a priority at the office. On domestic assault files, a delicate part of the work is giving a complainant a proper chance to take back, change or correct an allegation.
Fraud, seized property and corporate investigations
Fraud files have included bookkeepers and accountants accused of writing themselves cheques and salespeople accused of side deals on commissions. Forensic investigators test the police evidence, and civil litigators help with liability and asset protection. The practice also takes on CRIA matters and applications to get seized money back.
Drug and grow-op cases
Search and seizure arguments sit at the centre of most drug defences here. The practice also handles grow-house litigation, including municipal prosecutions for Fire Code violations.
Bail hearings and bail reviews
For a bail hearing, the firm builds a release plan aimed at satisfying the court. When bail has already been denied, it can bring a Bail Review, an appeal-like hearing in the Superior Court, to try to overturn the detention order. Getting one prepared, filed and argued takes about a week.
Shoplifting, bar fights and assault
Harnett has handled close to a thousand shoplifting cases and finds the cause is often psychological; the office treats these matters privately, without judgment. On bar fight charges, the count is over 100 cases, with use of force specialists available to take apart false claims of excessive force.
Child abuse allegations
In child abuse cases, the defence may bring in former Children's Aid Society investigators to interview the children. Harnett has also placed accused parents in programs meant to help satisfy the court that they've recognised a problem and learned better ways to cope with parenting stress.
Drinking and driving
Harnett has used the defence's own toxicologist to cast doubt on whether a breath machine was working properly. For drivers who are convicted, there are ways to get back on the road before the one-year minimum runs out.
Good to know
Accessible parking
By appointmentFees & payment
Flat fee
Hourly
Payment plansHow Aaron B. Harnett, Barrister & Solicitor works
Harnett's view of criminal defence starts with holding the government to account whenever it brings prosecutorial power to bear on a person, and with the belief that a strong defence bar guards against totalitarianism. It's also personal: helping people is one of the reasons the work matters.
Harnett brings in outside specialists to prepare cases. Depending on the file, that can mean scientific and forensic specialists, from toxicologists to accident reconstruction engineers, along with private investigators at various stages. Harnett tries to return phone calls the same day.
Reported cases
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R. v. Parker, Ontario Court of Appeal, Docket C28732
In a Crown appeal about the medical use of marihuana, the court upheld the stay of the charges against Parker and declared the marihuana possession prohibition in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act of no force and effect. It suspended that declaration for a year, leaving the law in full force in the meantime, and gave Parker a personal exemption from the possession offence for possessing marihuana for medical needs. Richard P. Macklin and Aaron B. Harnett were counsel for Parker, the respondent.
Decisions where the firm's lawyers appeared as counsel, from public court records. Past cases don't predict future results.
In the community
- By 2016 Aaron Harnett had been a member of the Toronto East Rotary Club since 2009 and had served as the club's president. At the time, all of the money the club raised went to the causes it supported, and it backed scholarships for students going on to post-secondary studies.
Affiliations & connections
- Criminal Lawyers' Association: Aaron B. Harnett is a member of the Criminal Lawyers Association.
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
The office sits on Danforth Avenue, in the part of Toronto known as the Danforth. The avenue dates to 1851, when the Don and Danforth Plank Road Company built it to link Toronto with Danforth Road. Line 2 of the subway runs just north of the avenue, from the Don River out to Main Street station.
Frequently asked questions
- Someone I love was just arrested in Toronto at 2 a.m. Can Aaron Harnett take the call?
- Aaron Harnett takes arrest calls on a cell line, (416) 712-3676, even in the middle of a Friday night. When a bail hearing is needed, the firm treats it as an emergency and can be reached day or night.
- How does Aaron Harnett's block fee work, and what does a typical case cost?
- Aaron Harnett prefers a block fee, so the bill doesn't keep climbing on a case that could run a year; an hourly rate can suit some matters whose scope is uncertain. Past fees run anywhere from the low thousands into the hundreds of thousands, though most matters are resolved for around $5,000. Payment plans and credit cards are accepted, and disbursements, including fees for experts, are paid by the client. (Fees as of October 2026.)
- Can Aaron Harnett help a patient apply to possess or grow medical marijuana?
- Aaron Harnett assists patients applying for permission to possess or produce medical marijuana, and also defends medical users who've been charged.
- Store security wrongly accused me of shoplifting. Can Aaron Harnett go after the store?
- Aaron Harnett has seen store security falsely arrest customers who did nothing wrong. Along with defending the criminal charge, the office can sue the store and its staff for false arrest in Small Claims Court.
- Do I have to show up for every court date on a sexual offence charge with Aaron Harnett?
- Aaron Harnett can attend most court dates for the client in most sexual offence cases, so the client doesn't have to be there in person. More generally, the office may be able to appear in a client's place on routine dates.
- Can Aaron Harnett advise a firearms owner on the regulations?
- Aaron Harnett has advised firearms owners for many years and helps clients work through the firearms regulations and related offences.
Where to find them
2175 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4C 1K4 · 416-960-3676
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Business & Corporate LawThis listing was generated by AI from public sources in October 2026. It may contain errors, and we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or complete. Before you rely on anything here, verify it on the firm’s own website. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗
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