Bariteau Dulysh
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.10 lawyers · City of Toronto
One of 2,276 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 307 handling Criminal Defence.
About Bariteau Dulysh
Bariteau Dulysh is a Toronto criminal defence firm that does nothing but criminal and constitutional law, and it handles both trials and appeals. It's a full-service criminal practice based downtown, working with clients across Ontario, from Halton and Brampton to Oshawa and Peterborough.
Partners Tania Bariteau and Kristen Dulysh lead the firm. Tania Bariteau, a senior partner, works at both trial and appellate level on serious indictable charges, among them homicide, manslaughter, firearms, drug and human trafficking, and sexual assault. Tania Bariteau serves clients in English and French, regularly visits those in custody, and is available for calls or meetings unless in court. Kristen Dulysh first worked in the justice system as an intern at the Ontario Correctional Institute while studying criminology, then earned a JD at Osgoode Hall Law School and articled at Alan D. Gold Professional Corporation.
Behind them is a team of lawyers, articling students and other legal staff, so the firm can put full resources behind each file. The firm has acted for many people charged with murder, including in the Tori Stafford homicide and the Eaton Centre shooting.
The first consultation is always free, and if you or someone close to you is in custody, a lawyer will come to the jail. Phones are answered around the clock, collect calls are accepted, and the office at 559 College Street, Suite 302, is open weekdays from 9 am to 6 pm.
History
The firm's roots run back to Derstine, Penman Criminal Lawyers. In 2002 that practice had Dirk Derstine and Jennifer K. Penman as its partners, worked from 33 Prince Arthur Avenue in Toronto, and answered the phone at 416-304-1414, still the main number for Bariteau Dulysh today.
It later practised as Derstine Bariteau. Tania Bariteau and Kristen Dulysh were associates under partners Dirk Derstine and Jennifer Penman, and they now lead the firm as partners. Associate Tiffany Phan came up through the firm, first arriving at Derstine Bariteau as a student in the Criminal Law Intensive Program, then returning for a summer and for articles before joining as an associate.
Practice areas
Gang and organized crime prosecutions
The firm has the resources and the people to work through very large volumes of complex disclosure, and its lawyers handle search and tracking warrants, cell tower evidence, and the law of conspiracy and criminal organizations, and they'll visit someone facing these charges at no cost, whether or not that person is in custody.
Sexual and domestic assault
Sexual assault charges are a regular part of the firm's caseload, and Jacqueline Boutros takes a particular interest in written advocacy and pre-trial Charter applications, including those on private records in sexual assault cases. On domestic assault, the firm works to secure workable bail terms or change ones already imposed, and sometimes a client can come out of it without a criminal record.
Drug offences and search warrant challenges
Drug defence at the firm often turns on challenging the search warrant, because a warrant is frequently what the Crown's whole case rests on.
Impaired driving
The firm has impaired driving lawyers who'll meet anyone facing an impaired driving charge for a free consultation, and these defences often draw on the Charter of Rights.
Extradition and human trafficking
In extradition matters the firm acts at every step, from the bail hearing through the extradition hearing to an appeal from a bail denial. Its lawyers have also defended many human trafficking cases.
Criminal appeals
Bariteau Dulysh acts on appeals in the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada, and appeal enquiries have their own address, appeals@bariteaudulysh.com. Laura Remigio has written arguments for both the Court of Appeal and the Superior Court of Justice.
Constitutional challenges
The practice also covers constitutional law. In R v Hussain (2015 ONSC 7115), the firm argued that a mandatory minimum sentence for firearms trafficking breached section 12 of the Charter, and the provision was struck down.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessible
By appointmentHow Bariteau Dulysh works
The firm's aim is a vigorous, professional defence for every client, and its commitment is to stand beside the client through the process with an acquittal as the goal. Trial work is the firm's specialty. Once it has worked through the legal questions in a case, it recommends either a trial or a guilty plea. Its size leaves room for research, preparation and investigation as well as court time, and it regularly brings in outside forensic, private investigation, toxicology and behavioural professionals.
Fees are usually flat. You'll typically learn the fee for your case at the free first meeting, each file opens with a signed retainer agreement that sets out costs from the start, and an hourly rate applies only in some cases. Payment plans are available if the full retainer can't be paid at once, and the firm takes cash, e-transfer, cheques, money orders, Visa and Mastercard. Anyone facing a serious charge who can't afford a lawyer can be represented on legal aid, and it's the firm's policy to leave no accused person unrepresented.
Reported cases
-
R. v. Aragon, 2022 ONCA 244
Dirk Derstine and Jennifer Penman acted for the appellant. The court allowed the sentence appeal, set aside the dangerous offender designation and indeterminate sentence, and ordered a new sentencing hearing.
-
R. v. Vickerson, 2020 ONCA 434
Dirk Derstine and Geoff Haskell acted for the appellant, who had been self-represented and in custody throughout the trial. The court allowed the conviction appeal and ordered a new trial on all counts.
Decisions where the firm's lawyers appeared as counsel, from public court records. Past cases don't predict future results.
Milestones & recognition
- R v Lloyd (2016 SCC 13): Dirk Derstine intervened at the Supreme Court of Canada for the Criminal Lawyers' Association in the case that found the mandatory minimum for possession for the purpose of trafficking unconstitutional.
- R v Salmon (2011 ONSC 3654): all 17 charges against the firm's client, including human trafficking, were stayed after the defence showed police had fabricated evidence and testified falsely, a result the Court of Appeal upheld.
- Tania Bariteau led the criminal division of the University of Ottawa Community Legal Clinic as a student and received the George-Brown Award.
- Kristen Dulysh was a case worker with the Innocence Project in law school, helping on an application to the Criminal Conviction Review Group for ministerial review.
- Jocelyn Heaton was part of Osgoode's team that placed second at the 2022 Gale Cup Criminal Law Moot.
- Musab Abu-Ali won the Staffieri Scholarship in all three years of law school.
Lawyers 10
Anita Nathan
Associate
Jacqueline Boutros
Associate
Criminal Defence
Jocelyn Heaton
Associate
Criminal Defence
Kristen Dulysh
Partner
Laura Remigio
Associate
Musab Abu-Ali
Associate
Nicole DeBellefeuille
Associate
Stefan Peters
Associate
Tania Bariteau
Partner
Criminal Defence
Tiffany Phan
Associate
Criminal Defence
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 2017 · median 9 years in practice 1 of 10 lawyers
- Law schools
- Osgoode Hall Law School (2), Université de Montréal, University of Ottawa 4 of 10 lawyers
- Languages on the roster
- Arabic, English, French
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Bariteau Dulysh's office sits on College Street just west of Bathurst, and the 506 streetcar stops nearby at Euclid Street in both directions. This is Little Italy, the district that runs along College between Bathurst and Ossington and is known for Italian Canadian restaurants and businesses.
By the 1920s most of Toronto's Italian community had settled west of Bathurst, and the College and Clinton area had become the city's main Little Italy. College Street there is lined with two and three storey buildings, with shops on the ground floor and homes or storage above.
Frequently asked questions
- If I'm arrested at 3 am, can I reach a Bariteau Dulysh lawyer, even on a collect call from the station?
- Bariteau Dulysh answers its main line, 416-304-1414, 24 hours a day, and someone under arrest can be connected to a criminal lawyer at any hour. The firm accepts collect calls, and depending on the charge and the person's background, it can sometimes negotiate a release over the phone.
- Can I meet a Bariteau Dulysh lawyer in French or Arabic?
- Bariteau Dulysh partner Tania Bariteau works in English and French, and associate Stefan Peters regularly represents clients in court in both official languages. Associate Musab Abu-Ali is fluent in English and Arabic.
- Does Bariteau Dulysh go after the search warrant in a child pornography or internet luring case?
- Bariteau Dulysh often begins the defence of these charges by attacking the search warrants that gave police access to a person's records and computer. On a typical day, a couple of the firm's lawyers are working on search warrant cases.
- My child is already serving a youth sentence and has a new charge. Has Bariteau Dulysh dealt with the YCJA's sentence merger rules?
- Bariteau Dulysh partner Kristen Dulysh recently handled a matter in which Sentence Administration advised that sections 43 and 44 of the YCJA pushed the client's release well past the date the defence had anticipated, even though the added custodial sentence looked short. Associate Stefan Peters has represented young people as well as adults.
Where to find them
559 College Street, Suite 302, Toronto, Ontario M6G 1A9
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Criminal DefenceThis 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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