Rosen & Company Barristers
1 lawyer · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 455 handling Criminal Defence.
About Rosen & Company Barristers
Rosen & Company Barristers is a small Toronto criminal defence and regulatory law firm led by John Rosen, who earned an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1970. The practice covers criminal investigations and trials ranging from murder to fraud, criminal appeals up to the Supreme Court of Canada, and regulatory and professional discipline matters before bodies including the Law Society of Ontario, the Ontario Securities Commission, and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. It also conducts internal investigations for corporations and regulatory agencies and helps companies manage the response to a critical incident such as a workplace injury or a fraud discovery.
Rosen has practiced criminal law since 1970. A Law Times profile reports that Rosen has represented an individual charged with murder more than 300 times over that career. Court appearances have taken the practice beyond Ontario too, including the British Columbia Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, United States federal courts in New York City, Buffalo, and Harrisburg, and the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. In 2018 the Criminal Lawyers' Association awarded Rosen its G. Arthur Martin Criminal Justice Medal, a lifetime achievement honour that also recognized years of continuing legal education work and free cross-examination seminars Rosen has run for newly called defence lawyers in the Toronto area.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- John Rosen earned an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1970.
- Rosen received the Law Society Medal in 2010 and the Osgoode Hall Alumni Gold Key Award for Achievement in 2017.
- In 2018 the Criminal Lawyers' Association gave Rosen its G. Arthur Martin Criminal Justice Medal, a lifetime achievement award, citing decades of continuing legal education work and mentoring of young lawyers.
- Rosen is a Retired Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and belongs to the Criminal Lawyers' Association, the National Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers, the Advocates' Society, and the Canadian and American Bar Associations.
- Rosen has appeared as counsel in the British Columbia Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, United States federal courts in New York City, Buffalo, and Harrisburg, and the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, in addition to all levels of Ontario court and the Supreme Court of Canada.
In the community
- Rosen has run free private seminars on cross-examination for young lawyers practicing in the Greater Toronto Area.
- Rosen has appeared as a guest lecturer, presenter, speaker, and panelist for legal and non-legal organizations, associations, and law schools in Canada and the United States.
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Rosen & Company's office is in the Thomson Building at 65 Queen Street West, Suite 600, a high-rise office tower completed in 1972 in the Yonge-Bay Corridor at the corner of Queen and Bay Streets in Toronto. Old City Hall sits at the same intersection, at 60 Queen Street West, and served as one of Toronto's main criminal courthouses for decades before the province moved its downtown Ontario Court of Justice criminal operations to a new courthouse at 10 Armoury Street in 2023, a short walk from the firm's Queen Street office.
Frequently asked questions
- I'm under investigation but haven't been charged with anything yet. Can Rosen & Company help before charges are laid?
- Yes. The firm lists work for people under investigation as one of its practice areas, providing guidance in the period before charges are laid.
- Does Rosen & Company handle serious charges like murder or fraud?
- Yes. Criminal trials are a core part of the practice, covering cases from murder to fraud, and John Rosen has represented an individual charged with murder more than 300 times over a career now in its sixth decade.
- Can the firm argue an appeal, including to the Supreme Court of Canada?
- Yes. Criminal appeals are a listed practice area, and Rosen has appeared as counsel before the Supreme Court of Canada as well as courts of appeal in other provinces.
- My professional licence is at risk because of a regulatory investigation. Does Rosen & Company handle that?
- Yes. The firm defends individuals and corporations in regulatory and professional disciplinary proceedings before bodies such as the Law Society of Ontario, the Ontario Securities Commission, and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada.
- My company just discovered a fraud or had a serious workplace incident. Can Rosen & Company help manage the response?
- Yes. Critical incident management is a listed service, helping corporations coordinate a response with in-house counsel, management, and regulators when something like a workplace injury or a fraud discovery comes to light.
- How long has John Rosen been practicing criminal law, and where is the office?
- Rosen was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1970 and practices from the firm's Toronto office at 65 Queen Street West.
Where to find them
65 Queen Street East, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario M5H 2M5 · 416-507-2440
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Legal AidListing compiled from the firm’s public website in August 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗