Brauti Thorning LLP
21 lawyers · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 455 handling Criminal Defence.
About Brauti Thorning LLP
Brauti Thorning LLP, which does business as BT Legal, is a smaller litigation and corporate law firm in downtown Toronto. Peter Brauti and Peter Thorning, both former federal Crown prosecutors, founded the firm in 2004 as a criminal defence practice, representing professionals facing criminal charges and providing counsel to Ontario police associations. It's grown since then into a full service litigation and corporate firm with more than 40 legal professionals, and Brauti and Thorning still serve as co-managing partners today.
The firm's lawyers work across more than two dozen practice areas, from criminal and civil appeals to family law, personal injury, construction litigation, and police law, where the firm defends officers facing investigations, disciplinary proceedings, or criminal charges tied to their conduct on the job. BT Legal says its lawyers have handled over 10,000 trials, hearings, and arbitrations, and more than 1,000 appeals. In the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers in Canada, four of the firm's lawyers were recognized, including both co-managing partners.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Founded in 2004 by Peter Brauti and Peter Thorning, both former federal Crown prosecutors, initially as a criminal defence practice serving professionals and Ontario police associations.
- Best Lawyers recognized four of the firm's lawyers, including co-managing partners Peter Brauti and Peter Thorning, in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers in Canada.
- In May 2026, a stay of proceedings the firm secured for a client over concerns about Crown conduct was covered by the Toronto Star and CTV News.
- In 2026, lawyers from the firm spoke at Osgoode Hall Law School on how bias skews analysis in tax litigation and controversy, and at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers' Engage and Exchange conference on media training for criminal defense attorneys.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessible
Parking availableLawyers 21
Alex Faircloth
Associate
Family Law
Alexa Banister-Thompson
Partner
Criminal DefenceAdministrative & Regulatory Law
Brendan Coffey
Associate
Criminal DefenceAdministrative & Regulatory Law
Ciarán McGrath
Partner, Civil Litigation Group
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionConstruction Law
Dana Kalisky
Associate
Family Law
Daniel Fenwick
Partner
Personal Injury
David Rudolf
Counsel
Criminal DefenceCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
John Jeyaratnam
Associate
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionAdministrative & Regulatory Law
Leslie Dizgun
Chair, Business Litigation Group
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionEmployment & Labour Law
Liza Bakhshi
Associate
Family Law
Mark MacNeill
Counsel
Personal InjuryInsurance Law
Maureen Salama
Partner
Criminal DefenceAdministrative & Regulatory Law
Michael Cochrane
Partner and Counsel
Family LawWills, Estates & Trusts
Mikaela Kucharczuk
Associate Lawyer
Criminal DefenceAdministrative & Regulatory Law
Myles Anevich
Partner
Criminal DefenceAdministrative & Regulatory Law
Payam Ezzatian
Partner, Civil Litigation Group
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionInsurance Law
Peter Brauti
Co-Managing Partner
Criminal DefenceAdministrative & Regulatory Law
Peter Ketcheson
Partner
Criminal DefenceAdministrative & Regulatory Law
Peter Thorning
Co-Managing Partner
Criminal DefenceCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Sarah Harland
Associate
Family Law
Sonya Pfeiffer
Counsel
Criminal DefenceCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 1980–2025 · median 7 years in practice 20 of 21 lawyers
- Law schools
- Queen's University (4), Osgoode Hall Law School (3), University of Windsor (2), Western University (2), Bond University, Dalhousie University and 5 more 18 of 21 lawyers
- Languages on the roster
- English, French
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
BT Legal's only office is in Wellington Square, an office tower at 26 Wellington Street East, Suite 400, in downtown Toronto. It's a fully urban downtown address, the kind of setting where a litigation firm's clients, other lawyers, and the courts they all rely on are within the same compact core of the city.
Frequently asked questions
- What areas of law does BT Legal handle?
- BT Legal is a litigation and corporate law firm. Its lawyers work across more than two dozen practice areas, including criminal defence, criminal and civil appeals, family law, personal injury, commercial and construction litigation, professional discipline, and police law.
- I've been charged with a criminal offence. Can BT Legal represent me?
- Yes. The firm was founded in 2004 as a criminal defence practice, and it continues to represent clients facing criminal charges.
- Does BT Legal represent police officers facing an investigation or discipline?
- Yes. The firm's police law team represents officers in investigations, disciplinary or civil proceedings, or criminal charges connected to their own conduct or their service's conduct.
- Can BT Legal help with a separation or divorce?
- Yes. The firm's family law lawyers handle separation, divorce, decision making about children, parenting time, child and spousal support, and property division, and they use mediation, arbitration, and collaborative law to try to settle cases where possible.
- Does BT Legal take personal injury cases on contingency?
- Yes. The firm's personal injury lawyers take cases on contingency, meaning they aren't paid until a case settles or is won at trial, and initial consultations are free.
- Where is BT Legal located and how big is the firm?
- BT Legal's office is in Wellington Square at 26 Wellington Street East, Suite 400, in downtown Toronto. The firm has more than 40 legal professionals.
Where to find them
Wellington Square, 26 Wellington Street East, Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M5E 1S2 · 416-362-4567
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Business & Corporate LawListing compiled from the firm’s public website in August 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗