About Martin Barristers

Martin Barristers is a small Toronto criminal defence firm made up of two lawyers, working out of an office at 55 University Avenue in the downtown core. Lead counsel Maija Martin practices solely in criminal defence, at the trial and appellate levels, and doesn't take on work outside that area. Martin was called to the Ontario bar in 2010 and to the Nunavut bar in 2017, and appears regularly before the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Nunavut Court of Appeal, as well as the Supreme Court of Canada, representing both individuals and interveners. Before starting the practice, Martin completed a clerkship at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

Martin currently serves as a Vice President of the Criminal Lawyers' Association and Vice Chair of the Ontario Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section, and previously served as Litigation Director for Women in Canadian Criminal Defence. Associate Stephanie Brown earned a J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School, where the Test Case Litigation Project and the Medico-Legal Society Award preceded a clerkship at the Superior Court of Justice in Oshawa, working across civil, criminal, and family matters. Before law school, Brown completed an Honours B.A. in political science and philosophy at the University of Toronto, including a joint term on comparative politics at Fudan University in Shanghai.

Practice areas

Milestones & recognition

  • Maija Martin was called to the bar in Ontario in 2010 and in Nunavut in 2017.
  • Maija Martin is a Vice President of the Criminal Lawyers' Association and Vice Chair of the Ontario Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section.
  • In September 2019, Maija Martin argued a precedent-setting case before the Nunavut Court of Appeal concerning mandatory minimum sentences for first-time Inuit firearms offenders.
  • Maija Martin has provided legal commentary to CBC News on cases including the 2016 appeal of a Toronto police officer's attempted murder conviction in the shooting death of Sammy Yatim.

Good to know

A person using a wheelchairWheelchair accessibleA calendar with a checkmark beside a clockBy appointment

This firm’s lawyers at a glance

Law schools
Osgoode Hall Law School 1 of 2 lawyers

The neighbourhood

The firm's office sits at 55 University Avenue, a high-rise building completed in 1977 on one of downtown Toronto's ceremonial boulevards. Further north on the same street is Osgoode Hall, seat of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, and a few blocks beyond that is the courthouse at 361 University Avenue, where the Superior Court of Justice hears the city's criminal and family trials. For a firm built entirely around criminal defence, at trial and on appeal, that's a fitting stretch of street to call home.

Frequently asked questions

What areas of law does Martin Barristers handle?
Martin Barristers practices solely in criminal defence, handling cases at both the trial and appellate levels.
Does Martin Barristers handle criminal appeals?
Yes. Lead counsel Maija Martin appears regularly before the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Nunavut Court of Appeal, and has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada for both individuals and interveners.
I've been charged with a criminal offence in Toronto. Can Martin Barristers represent me?
The firm's practice is limited to criminal defence at the trial and appellate levels, and it works out of an office at 55 University Avenue in downtown Toronto.
Does Martin Barristers accept Legal Aid certificates?
Maija Martin is listed with Legal Aid Ontario under criminal law and extremely serious matters, so the firm can take on qualifying Legal Aid cases.
Are services available in French?
Yes. Maija Martin is registered with the Law Society of Nunavut as able to assist clients in English and French, and Legal Aid Ontario also lists French among the languages offered.
How do I contact Martin Barristers?
The firm is located at 55 University Avenue, Suite 1100, Toronto, and can be reached by phone at (416) 883-2497 or toll free at 1-888-621-3924.

Where to find them

55 University Avenue, Suite 1100, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2H7 · 416-883-2497

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Listing compiled from the firm’s public website in August 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗