Wilkinson Legal
2 lawyers · Established 2020 · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 455 handling Criminal Defence.
Accepts Legal Aid
Accepts Legal AidAbout Wilkinson Legal
Wilkinson Legal is a small criminal defence firm in Toronto, operating under the legal name JSW Law Professional Corporation. Founder Joe Wilkinson graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Ontario bar in 1999. After working as an associate and then a partner at other Toronto criminal law firms, Wilkinson left a partnership at a mid-sized, full-service Toronto firm in 2020 to start a practice that takes on nothing but criminal and quasi-criminal matters.
The firm defends complex charges across Ontario, including fraud, drug trafficking, homicide, wiretap authorizations, and extraditions, and its lawyers have appeared at every level of court in the province, up to the Supreme Court of Canada. Joe Wilkinson has also taught Trial Advocacy as a sessional instructor at Queen's University's law school and has served as duty counsel at the Court of Appeal for Ontario through the Pro Bono Inmate Appeal Program. The team has grown to include criminal defence lawyers Liam Thompson and Shanna Hunter along with an articling student, and the firm offers interpreter services for clients who don't speak English as a first language.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Wilkinson Legal was founded in 2020 under the legal name JSW Law Professional Corporation, after founder Joe Wilkinson left a partnership at a mid-sized, full-service Toronto firm to focus exclusively on criminal defence.
- Joe Wilkinson has appeared as counsel at the Supreme Court of Canada, including as intervenor counsel in R. v. Tse (2012 SCC 16), a case in which the emergency wiretap provision of the Criminal Code was struck down.
- Joe Wilkinson taught the Trial Advocacy course as a sessional instructor at Queen's University's law school.
- Joe Wilkinson has served as duty counsel at the Court of Appeal for Ontario through the Pro Bono Inmate Appeal Program, assisting unrepresented litigants with their appeals.
- While still in law school in 2020, lawyer Liam Thompson was a member of the winning team at the Julius Isaac Alexander moot competition.
Fees & payment
Legal aidLawyers 2
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 1999–2021 · median 16 years in practice 2 of 2 lawyers
- Law schools
- Osgoode Hall Law School, University of Toronto Faculty of Law 2 of 2 lawyers
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Wilkinson Legal's office is in the PwC Tower at 18 York Street, a 26-storey high rise completed in 2011 that sits within Toronto's Union Station Heritage Conservation District. The building is known as the Southcore Financial Centre, part of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Tower complex.
Frequently asked questions
- What kind of cases does Wilkinson Legal handle?
- The firm practices criminal and quasi-criminal defence exclusively, taking on charges ranging from impaired driving to homicide, drug trafficking, fraud, and Charter challenges, at every level of court in Ontario.
- I've been charged with a drug offence. Can Wilkinson Legal represent me?
- Yes. The firm regularly defends drug trafficking and possession charges, has argued cocaine related appeals at the Court of Appeal for Ontario, and has won a trial acquittal on a charge of possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking.
- Does Wilkinson Legal handle criminal appeals?
- Yes, appeals are a core part of the practice. Joe Wilkinson has argued appeals at the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada, and has served as duty counsel for unrepresented appellants through the Pro Bono Inmate Appeal Program.
- I don't speak English well. Can Wilkinson Legal still help me?
- The firm arranges interpreter services and has represented clients who speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Punjabi, Somali, Ilocano, Tagalog, Greek, Spanish, and Portuguese.
- Where is Wilkinson Legal's office located?
- The firm's office is in Suite 430 at 18 York Street in downtown Toronto.
- When was Wilkinson Legal founded?
- Joe Wilkinson started the firm, legally named JSW Law Professional Corporation, in 2020, after practicing criminal law at other Toronto firms since being called to the Ontario bar in 1999.
Where to find them
Suite 430, 18 York Street, Toronto, ON M5J 2T8 · 416-481-0039
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