AveryLaw
1 lawyer · City of Toronto, Niagara Region
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 455 handling Criminal Defence.
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Free consultationVirtual appointmentsAbout AveryLaw
AveryLaw operates as the Impaired Driving Defence Centre, a Toronto based criminal defence practice that handles nothing but DUI and impaired driving cases across Ontario. The firm is run by Christopher A. Avery, who is licensed to practice in both Ontario and Nova Scotia and belongs to the Law Society of Ontario, the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society, the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, the Criminal Lawyers' Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the National College for DUI Defense.
Avery's courtroom career started in 1997 as a student at Osgoode Hall Law School, where more than 200 trials were completed at CLASP, the school's legal aid criminal law clinic, before a call to the Ontario bar in 2002. Early practice covered organized crime, complex drug litigation, and homicide defence before the focus narrowed to impaired driving exclusively, and the practice has since defended thousands of DUI cases across Ontario.
The main office is on Lawrence Avenue East in Toronto, with a satellite office on Duke Street in St. Catharines that puts the firm minutes from the Niagara Region's own Ontario Court of Justice. Avery has also spoken with CTV News about impaired driving enforcement policy in Canada.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Started courtroom work in 1997 as a student at Osgoode Hall Law School, completing more than 200 trials at CLASP, the school's legal aid criminal law clinic, before a call to the Ontario bar in 2002.
- Licensed to practice law in both Ontario and Nova Scotia.
- Member of the Law Society of Ontario, the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society, the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, the Criminal Lawyers' Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the National College for DUI Defense.
- Narrowed the practice from organized crime, drug litigation, and homicide defence to focus exclusively on impaired driving cases.
- Spoke with CTV News as an Ontario based DUI lawyer about a new mandatory alcohol screening enforcement policy.
Good to know
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Free consultationWho handles what
Offices 2
The neighbourhood
The firm's main office sits on Lawrence Avenue East in Toronto. Criminal matters from the city are heard at the Ontario Court of Justice on Armoury Street, a newer courthouse that consolidated several of Toronto's older criminal courts into a single venue. The firm points to Toronto's enforcement patterns near the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway, and to RIDE programs that follow festivals and other entertainment events, as context that shapes how DUI cases from the city get defended.
A satellite office on Duke Street in St. Catharines puts the firm minutes from the Niagara Region's own Ontario Court of Justice on Church Street, and within reach of the Welland courthouse. Niagara's mix of tourism, wineries, and cross-border travel creates enforcement patterns the firm says differ from most Ontario cities: winery and marine patrols run May through September, RIDE programs intensify November through January, and OPP patrol the QEW year round. The office also handles cases involving American visitors charged after crossing at the Queenston-Lewiston, Peace, or Rainbow bridges, where a Canadian DUI conviction can affect future entry to Canada.
Frequently asked questions
- I've been charged with impaired driving in Ontario. Can AveryLaw help?
- Yes. The Impaired Driving Defence Centre, run by Christopher A. Avery, handles nothing but DUI and impaired driving cases, including over 80 charges, refusal to provide a breath sample, cannabis or prescription drug impaired driving, and care and control.
- Does AveryLaw only take cases in Toronto?
- No. The firm is based in Toronto with a satellite office in St. Catharines, and it represents clients charged at courthouses across Ontario, from Windsor and Sarnia to Thunder Bay and Ottawa.
- I'm an American who was charged with a DUI while visiting Niagara. Can you help?
- The St. Catharines office is minutes from the Niagara Region's Ontario Court of Justice and handles cases involving visitors charged after crossing at the Queenston-Lewiston, Peace, or Rainbow bridges, where a conviction can affect future entry to Canada.
- How much does an initial consultation cost?
- It's free. The initial consultation is with an impaired driving defence lawyer.
- I was charged with DUI involving cannabis or a prescription medication, not alcohol. Does that matter?
- AveryLaw handles impaired driving charges involving alcohol, cannabis, and prescription or other drugs, along with related charges like care and control and failure to provide a breath sample.
- Is Christopher Avery only licensed to practice in Ontario?
- No, Avery is licensed in both Ontario and Nova Scotia, and is also a member of American organizations focused on DUI defence, including the National College for DUI Defense.
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Criminal DefenceListing compiled from the firm’s public website in July 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗