Berkes Law
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.1 lawyer · Established 1993 · City of Toronto
One of 2,273 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 307 handling Criminal Defence.
About Berkes Law
Berkes Law is a Toronto criminal defence firm that defends both individuals and corporations facing criminal and quasi-criminal charges. It's been in practice since 1993, and for more than twenty years its work has taken it into courtrooms right across Ontario.
Jody Berkes, the firm's namesake, is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a specialist in Criminal Law. Berkes earned a B.A. at Stanford University and B.C.L. and LL.B. degrees at McGill's Faculty of Law, and takes cases at every level of court in Ontario. The firm's lawyers run bail hearings in courthouses stretching from Orillia and Kitchener to Niagara Falls and Kingston, and before taking its current name the practice was known as Berkes Newton-Smith.
Criminal proceedings can feel overwhelming, even frightening, to most people. Berkes makes time to walk clients through the issues, and can be reached 24 hours a day when it's needed.
The office is at 144 King St. East in Toronto. Fees are set out in a retainer, and payment plans and other ways to pay are part of that conversation.
History
Jody Berkes began in Vancouver, articling and then practising with the criminal defence firm Smart and Williams before relocating to Toronto in 1999. That year Berkes joined Heller, Rubel Barristers as a partner, in a practice confined to criminal defence, and by 2011 the practice was running under the name Berkes Criminal Law.
In 2012 Berkes went into partnership with Apple Newton-Smith. Practising together as Berkes Newton-Smith, the two lawyers, each certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada as a specialist in criminal law, limited their work to criminal, quasi-criminal and regulatory matters. Newton-Smith was appointed a provincial judge effective March 13, 2019, and the firm carries on today as Berkes Law.
Practice areas
Bail hearings and changes to bail
Berkes Law handles bail conditions both through changes the prosecutor agrees to and through changes won after a hearing. When a bail was set at a hearing and the Crown won't consent to a variation, the remedy is a bail review application, heard in Superior Court. At a first meeting, the lawyer goes over the ways a client's conditions could be varied and how soon that might happen.
Domestic assault charges
The firm defends domestic assault charges under section 266 of the Criminal Code in Toronto, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, Newmarket and elsewhere in the province. Its lawyers dig into the Crown's disclosure to find what further evidence exists and how to request it, and they have extensive experience persuading the Crown to withdraw these charges.
Theft and fraud
Jody Berkes defends theft (section 322) and fraud (section 380) charges in Toronto, Brampton, Newmarket and across Ontario. In these prosecutions, the Crown's evidence is often gathered by executing search warrants, and the firm's lawyers are skilled at legal challenges to those warrants.
Professional discipline
Beyond criminal court, Jody Berkes acts for professionals in proceedings before discipline and competency panels.
Good to know
By appointmentHow Berkes Law works
Berkes Law starts every new matter by hearing the client's own account of what happened, then explains the retainer and the fee structure. Once the Crown's disclosure is in, there's a follow-up call or meeting to go through the evidence against the client, how strong it is, and which defences are open.
The firm commits to prompt, effective communication from the start of a case to its end, and to being available by phone or email whenever clients have questions.
Milestones & recognition
- Jody Berkes was chosen valedictorian by the graduating class at McGill University's Faculty of Law.
- Jody Berkes has had cases reported in two provinces, Ontario and British Columbia.
Affiliations & connections
- Ontario Bar Association: Jody Berkes has chaired the Ontario Bar Association's Criminal Law Executive Committee and has also served it as newsletter editor, CLE coordinator and public affairs liaison.
- Criminal Lawyers' Association: Jody Berkes has been a member of the Criminal Lawyers' Association.
Lawyers 1
Certified Specialists
A designation granted by the Law Society of Ontario, not a self-declared area of focus.
The neighbourhood
Berkes Law works out of the old Bank of Commerce building at 144 King Street East, a former bank completed in 1907 and linked to the local architects Darling & Pearson and to the Council of the Township of York. It stands at the corner of King and Jarvis, facing St. Lawrence Hall and sharing its block with St. James' Cathedral, on what was originally the Church Reserve of the Town of York. The building is designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act within the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Heritage Conservation District, and its intact Beaux-Arts design and detailing are part of what it adds to the district's character.
Frequently asked questions
- My release says I can't contact my partner. Can Berkes Law get those domestic assault conditions changed?
- Berkes Law works to have the release terms in a domestic assault case varied without delay. That can mean going to the prosecutor and securing consent to amend what the release requires.
- A bank's fraud team or the Ontario Securities Commission wants to question me. Should I talk to Berkes Law first?
- Berkes Law advises anyone who's being questioned in a fraud investigation to get advice from one of its lawyers about it. Many such investigations are run by bodies other than the police, including the Competition Bureau, the Ontario Securities Commission, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario and banks' in-house fraud prevention teams.
- I'm a victim preparing a victim impact statement. Will Berkes Law help me, or only the accused?
- Berkes Law assists on both sides of a victim impact statement: accused people facing one at sentencing, and victims who are drafting their own.
Where to find them
144 King St. E., Toronto, ON M5C 1G8 · 416-738-4639
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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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