Greenspan Humphrey Makepeace LLP
8 lawyers · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 455 handling Criminal Defence.
About Greenspan Humphrey Makepeace LLP
Greenspan Humphrey Makepeace LLP is a Toronto law firm at 15 Bedford Road, in the city's Annex neighbourhood. The firm has operated for five decades, with a practice built around criminal law and related regulatory and administrative litigation. Its lawyers appear before all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, the Court of Appeal for Ontario, the Divisional Court, and Ontario's superior and provincial trial courts, and the firm conducts trials and appeals across the country. Beyond criminal trials and appeals, the practice covers professional discipline matters, regulatory investigations including Ontario Securities Commission and Competition Act matters, extradition and cross-border litigation, and criminal and civil asset forfeiture.
The firm takes its name from partners Brian Greenspan, David Humphrey, Jill Makepeace, and Naomi Lutes. David Humphrey has practiced with the firm for more than thirty years, and Jill Makepeace built close to two decades of trial and appellate experience in criminal law before becoming a partner. The team also includes the Honourable David Watt, K.C., a former justice of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, who serves as Jurist in Residence. Greenspan Humphrey Makepeace was named 2023 Best Lawyers Law Firm of the Year for Criminal Defence in Canada and holds a Tier 1 ranking in Criminal Defence for Toronto in the Best Lawyers Best Law Firms rankings.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Best Lawyers named Greenspan Humphrey Makepeace its 2023 Law Firm of the Year for Criminal Defence in Canada, and the firm holds a Tier 1 ranking in Criminal Defence for Toronto in the Best Lawyers Best Law Firms rankings.
- Partner Brian Greenspan was called to the Ontario bar in 1974 and has received the Douglas K. Laidlaw Medal (2002), the G. Arthur Martin Medal (2010), an honorary Doctor of Laws from the Law Society of Upper Canada (2012), and the Chambers Canada Lifetime Achievement Award (2020).
- Partner David Humphrey was called to the Ontario bar in 1985 and has been named in Best Lawyers in Canada for criminal defence every year since 2006.
- Partner Jill Makepeace, called to the Ontario bar in 2006, co-authored Modern Criminal Evidence, which won the 2024 Walter Owen Book Prize.
- The Honourable David Watt, K.C., who joined the firm as Jurist in Residence after retiring from the Court of Appeal for Ontario in 2021, wrote Watt's Manual of Criminal Jury Instructions and received the 2022 G. Arthur Martin Criminal Justice Medal.
In the community
- Partner Brian Greenspan serves on the Law Suits Committee, a fundraising event that supports the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.
- Partner Jill Makepeace teaches The Law of Homicide with the Honourable David Watt at Osgoode Hall Law School and Queen's Law, and taught criminal law at the University of Windsor for a decade.
- Partner David Humphrey has instructed for the Bar Admission Course and the Ontario Centre for Advocacy Training.
- Partner Brian Greenspan taught at Osgoode Hall Law School for seven years and at the University of Toronto for fourteen years.
- The firm describes pro bono work, mentorship, academic writing, and continuing legal education as an ongoing part of its involvement in the legal profession.
Lawyers 8
Anna Zhang
Associate
Criminal Defence
Brian H. Greenspan
Partner
Criminal Defence
Christopher Lutes
Associate
Criminal Defence
David M. Humphrey
Partner
Criminal Defence
Hon. David Watt
Jurist in Residence
Jill D. Makepeace
Partner
Criminal Defence
Michelle M. Biddulph
Associate
Criminal Defence
Naomi M. Lutes
Partner
Criminal Defence
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 2021 · median 5 years in practice 1 of 8 lawyers
- Law schools
- University of New Brunswick 1 of 8 lawyers
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Greenspan Humphrey Makepeace's office is at 15 Bedford Road, a detached house built in 1906 that carries heritage property status within Toronto's East Annex Heritage Conservation District. The district was enshrined in 1994, one of the first heritage conservation districts designated in the city, and runs from Bedford Road east to Avenue Road, and from Prince Arthur Street north to just below Dupont Street. The Annex is one of Toronto's older residential neighbourhoods, close to the University of Toronto, and many of its converted houses now serve as offices for professional practices, this one among them.
Frequently asked questions
- What areas of law does Greenspan Humphrey Makepeace handle?
- The firm focuses on criminal law and related regulatory and administrative litigation, including criminal trials and appeals, professional discipline matters, extradition and cross-border cases, and criminal and civil asset forfeiture.
- I've been charged with a criminal offence. Can Greenspan Humphrey Makepeace represent me at trial?
- Yes. The firm defends clients against criminal charges before every level of court across Canada, including cases involving white collar offences, homicide, sexual assault, drug offences, and impaired or dangerous driving.
- Does the firm handle criminal appeals, including at the Supreme Court of Canada?
- Yes. The firm's lawyers regularly appear before appellate courts across the country and have argued cases at the Supreme Court of Canada.
- I'm a lawyer, physician, or other regulated professional facing a discipline complaint. Can the firm help?
- Yes. Greenspan Humphrey Makepeace represents lawyers, physicians, and other regulated professionals facing disciplinary hearings and investigative complaints from their regulatory bodies.
- Does the firm handle extradition or cross-border criminal matters?
- Yes. The firm has experience responding to mutual legal assistance treaty requests and representing clients in extradition proceedings.
- Does Greenspan Humphrey Makepeace take articling students?
- Yes. The firm hires one or two articling students for each licensing cycle through the Law Society of Ontario's recruitment process. Interested candidates can contact partner Jill Makepeace.
Where to find them
15 Bedford Road, Toronto, ON M5R 2J7 · 416-868-1755
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