Bains Partners LLP
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.4 lawyers · City of Toronto
One of 2,272 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 307 handling Criminal Defence.
Accepts Legal Aid
Accepts Legal AidAbout Bains Partners LLP
Bains Partners LLP is a Toronto litigation firm whose work centres on criminal defence and on civil and administrative litigation, with mediation also on offer. Clients come from every walk of life, professionals and corporations among them, and the firm acts for people throughout Ontario, in other Canadian provinces and in the United States.
Before going into private practice, founding partner Devin Bains was a downtown Toronto Assistant Crown Attorney, assigned Toronto's controversial cases, among them the prosecution of police officers and public officials. The firm's civil litigation department took shape under the management of Hedy Epstein, the managing partner, who's litigated civil and commercial matters in downtown Toronto since being called to the Ontario bar in 1988.
Cliff Lewis, a licensed paralegal who coordinates investigations and paralegal services, joined in 2001 after retiring from a career as a Toronto Police Services detective. Jennifer Earle has been part of the firm since 2005; after articling at Bains Partners, Jennifer Earle was called in 2023 and now practises there as an associate. Associate Natalie Simpson also articled at the firm before being called in 2018.
The office is in downtown Toronto, right at Yonge and King. Besides its main number, Bains Partners keeps a 24-hour line and a toll-free number, and each year its committee takes on a limited number of pro bono and Legal Aid files.
Practice areas
Criminal defence, from homicide to theft
Criminal files at Bains Partners include drug trafficking, multi-million dollar fraud and homicide allegations, as well as charges under statutes such as the Securities, Environmental, Income Tax and Competition Acts. The firm also defends charges ranging from drinking and driving offences to theft. Associates Natalie Simpson and Jennifer Earle focus on criminal and quasi-criminal matters, and Jennifer Earle also handles appeals.
Claims against the state, and commercial disputes
Bains Partners is often retained by people suing government and policing authorities over torts and wrongful conduct by the state, most commonly negligent investigation and malicious prosecution. Its civil department, built under Hedy Epstein's management, acts for both plaintiffs and defendants in commercial and civil cases, including employment, shareholder, defamation and real estate disputes.
Our guide: Litigation and Dispute Resolution in Toronto
Mediation
Hedy Epstein is a mediator who facilitates alternative dispute resolution matters, and is a certified Workplace Fairness Analyst.
Inquiries and coroners' inquests
Bains Partners takes on counsel roles at inquiries, coroners' inquests among them.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessible
By appointmentFees & payment
Legal aidHow Bains Partners LLP works
Bains Partners works from the conviction that no case is unbeatable, and it puts spirited, effective advocacy at the centre of its practice without giving up responsibility or credibility. It's also committed to efficiency, bringing common sense and business judgment to each case with cost-effective solutions as the aim. Self-discipline, perseverance and diligence are its governing principles.
Milestones & recognition
- Founding partner Devin Bains earned an LL.B. at the University of Western Ontario and also holds a master's degree from the University of Toronto.
- Hedy Epstein has run jury and non-jury trials across Ontario, appeared before many tribunals and argued at the Court of Appeal for Ontario.
- While studying law at the University of Edinburgh, Natalie Simpson won the Hastie Stable Best Orator Shield, the mooting society's award for advocacy skills.
In the community
- Bains Partners runs a pro bono program in which an in-house committee reviews, case by case, applications from people who couldn't otherwise afford its services.
- Hedy Epstein volunteers as a coach with the Coach and Advisor Network run by the Law Society of Ontario, and has served as a mentor and assessor in Toronto Metropolitan University's Law Practice Program.
- Cliff Lewis has taught police officers at the Ontario Police College, the Canadian Police College in Ottawa and C.O. Bick Police College, among others.
Affiliations & connections
- Criminal Lawyers' Association: Natalie Simpson and Jennifer Earle of Bains Partners are members of the Criminal Lawyers' Association.
- Toronto Lawyers Association: Hedy Epstein of Bains Partners is a member of the Toronto Lawyers Association.
- ADR Institute of Ontario: Hedy Epstein holds associate membership in the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario.
- Canadian Bar Association: Natalie Simpson of Bains Partners is a member of the Canadian Bar Association.
Lawyers 4
The neighbourhood
Bains Partners works from Suite 700 at 8 King Street East, the Royal Bank building at the northeast corner of Yonge and King. Architects Ross & McDonald completed it in 1915, and in 1976 the City of Toronto gave it heritage designation under the Ontario Heritage Act. After the Great Fire of 1904, this intersection became home to a modern skyscraper ensemble.
At street level, limestone Corinthian columns separate two-storey arcaded bays, while an ornate projecting copper cornice, originally planned as an observation promenade reached from the penthouse, crowns the building. RJC Engineers and ERA Architects led a conservation project that restored the building's appearance and improved its performance, work recognised with a 2022 Peter Stokes Restoration Award.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Bains Partners represent police officers whose rights have been violated?
- At Bains Partners, Hedy Epstein acts for police officers whose rights have been violated.
- How does Bains Partners' pro bono committee decide which applicants to take on?
- Bains Partners weighs an applicant's financial means, how much the case affects their life and, above all, whether there's a danger of a miscarriage of justice. The committee also considers whether the person belongs to a vulnerable group, such as visible minorities or people who may face discrimination over ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. The same test applies whether or not Legal Aid Ontario has approved funding, and the number of pro bono and Legal Aid files accepted each year is limited.
- I'm in custody and phone is my one way to talk. Can I still apply to the firm's pro bono program?
- Bains Partners normally takes pro bono applications in writing, by fax or email. Where the phone is the one practical option, as when an applicant is in custody, the firm's Pro Bono Application Form is still used to guide the conversation.
- Should I email the details of my criminal case before I meet Bains Partners?
- Bains Partners asks that confidential information and case details not be sent by email. Nobody becomes a client until they've met the firm in person and it has agreed to act for them under its policies for accepting clients.
Where to find them
8 King Street East Suite 700 Toronto, Ontario M5C 1B5 · 416-369-0909
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