The Criminal Law Team
2 lawyers · City of Toronto
One of 229 law firms listed in North York, and one of 58 handling Criminal Defence.
Accepts Legal Aid
Free consultation
Virtual appointments
Accepts Legal AidFree consultationVirtual appointmentsAbout The Criminal Law Team
The Criminal Law Team is a small criminal defence firm on Yonge Street in North York. Stephen Hebscher and Bruce Karten built the practice together, and the firm describes the pair as bringing more than 60 years of combined criminal law experience to their cases. Hebscher, the firm's lead counsel, was called to the bar of Ontario in 1985 after graduating from Osgoode Hall Law School and has practiced criminal law exclusively since. Karten, called to the bar in 1970, started out in the Trenton and Belleville area before relocating that practice to the Greater Toronto Area, and is now retired from the firm.
The practice also includes Mikaela Thompson, an associate who articled in Hebscher's office and holds a Master of Laws from the University of Ottawa. The firm takes on a wide range of criminal charges, including assault, sexual assault, drug and driving offences, and property and fraud cases, and it has built up particular experience representing clients whose matters involve mental health issues, addiction, or autism spectrum disorder. On that last point, the firm says it works with mental health professionals to review the evidence and, where it fits the case, put together a tailored plan for the court.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Stephen Hebscher graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1983 through its Criminal Law Intensive Program and was called to the bar of Ontario in 1985.
- Hebscher served a part time term as an Assistant Crown Attorney from 2005 to 2007.
- Hebscher was appointed a legal member of the Ontario Review Board in May 2015, the board that reviews cases involving findings of not criminally responsible or unfit to stand trial.
- Bruce Karten earned a BA from the University of Western Ontario in 1965 and an LLB from Western in 1968, then was called to the bar in 1970 and started out practicing in the Trenton and Belleville area before relocating that practice to the Greater Toronto Area.
- Karten served on the Legal Aid Area Committee for Hastings County from 1978 to 1980 and, in the same period, sat on the board of the Hastings and Prince Edward County Children's Aid Society.
In the community
- Hebscher volunteers as a guest speaker and Mock Trial Coach at Middlefield Collegiate Institute and judges the Ontario Bar Association's annual Mock Trial Competition.
- Karten has served as a trial judge at high school Moot Court competitions since 2001, including the 2010 Toronto final held at the Ontario Bar Association, and volunteered as a Big Brother in Toronto.
- An associate at the firm serves as a board member at CAYR Community Connections, an organization that supports people living with and at risk of HIV/AIDS.
Good to know
Virtual appointments
By appointment
In-person servicesFees & payment
Free consultation
Legal aidLawyers 2
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 1985 · median 41 years in practice 1 of 2 lawyers
- Law schools
- Osgoode Hall Law School, University of Leeds 2 of 2 lawyers
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
The firm's office is in Suite 2200 at 4950 Yonge Street, in the stretch of North York that the former City of North York built as its own downtown before the 1998 amalgamation with Toronto. Through the 1970s and 80s that city put up civic offices, a public square, a library, an arts centre and an aquatic centre a few blocks north of Sheppard Avenue on the west side of Yonge, and the surrounding blocks grew up around that decision into a corridor of condominium and office towers with shops at street level, now one of the larger business districts outside of downtown Toronto proper.
The Brampton, Oshawa and Toronto pages on the firm's site describe areas the firm serves rather than separate branches; each one points back to the same North York address as the only office.
Frequently asked questions
- Can The Criminal Law Team help with a case involving mental health or addiction issues?
- Yes. The firm describes representing clients whose charges involve mental health or addiction issues as a focus of the practice, working with mental health professionals to assess a client's history and, where it fits the case, put a support or treatment plan in front of the court.
- Does the firm handle cases involving clients on the autism spectrum?
- The firm says it offers a defence tailored to clients on the autism spectrum, reviewing the evidence and working with mental health professionals on a case by case basis.
- I've been charged with a sexual offence. Does the firm take those cases?
- Yes. Stephen Hebscher and Mikaela Thompson have both worked on sexual assault matters together, including pre-trial motions, and Bruce Karten, now retired from the firm, built experience in this area over a long career too.
- Can I still hire the firm if I've been denied Legal Aid?
- The firm says being denied Legal Aid doesn't rule out hiring them and that it's willing to discuss payment plans based on a client's financial circumstances. One of the firm's lawyers, Mikaela Thompson, also accepts Legal Aid clients directly.
- Where is The Criminal Law Team located, and does it serve Brampton or Oshawa?
- The office is at 4950 Yonge Street, Suite 2200, in North York. The firm also has pages describing service to Brampton, Oshawa and Toronto, though those aren't separate branches; clients from those areas are handled out of the North York location.
- Can I reach the firm outside of regular business hours?
- The office's regular hours are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but the firm says it offers 24/7 consultation availability for people who have just been arrested or charged.
Where to find them
4950 Yonge St., Suite 2200, North York, Ontario, M2N 6K1 · 416-550-6554
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