Ritter Harvey Law
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.2 lawyers · Waterloo Region
One of 102 law firms listed in Kitchener, and one of 23 handling Criminal Defence.
About Ritter Harvey Law
Ritter Harvey Law is a Kitchener criminal defence firm, and criminal law, regulatory offences and Highway Traffic Act charges are the only work it takes on. Its office at 17 Irvin Street is a short distance from the Waterloo Region Courthouse in downtown Kitchener, and its lawyers represent clients in courtrooms throughout southern Ontario.
Bruce Ritter and Sarah Harvey are both senior criminal defence lawyers. Ritter has practised criminal law for over 40 years and has run a great many trials in the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice, with juries and without.
Harvey has worked in criminal defence for over 15 years. After an LL.B. from the University of Manitoba in 2010, Harvey was called to the bar in Manitoba in 2011 and in Ontario in 2014, and prosecuted a wide range of criminal cases as a Crown Attorney before moving into private practice. Harvey's courtroom work also includes jury and non-jury trials in both the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice.
A law clerk, Amanda Boughner, and a summer law student, Taylor Levert, round out the team. Legal Aid clients are welcome here: the firm regularly represents people funded by Legal Aid Ontario, in the belief that a strong defence shouldn't depend on being able to pay privately. If you'd like help with a legal aid application, you can call the firm directly.
Practice areas
Violent offences and homicide
Violent-offence defence here reaches as far as homicide: first-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter. It also covers domestic violence and intimate partner assault charges.
Drug charges
Drug files range from street-level enforcement to large investigations built on surveillance or wiretaps, and in either kind the firm is prepared to challenge the evidence. For first offenders, possession cases in particular, it explores every route to diversion, a discharge or another non-criminal outcome so the client can move forward without a lasting record.
Sexual offences
Its sexual-offence work includes charges of luring a child by telecommunications. Cases like these often turn on technical material, whether that's digital messages, forensic reports or witness accounts that don't line up.
Criminal driving charges
On criminal driving charges, the firm looks at roadside testing, breath readings from devices such as the Intoxilyzer, and whether the stop or arrest itself was lawful. It also defends street racing and careless driving when either is prosecuted as a criminal offence.
Bail, breaches and youth matters
The firm appears at bail hearings and show-cause proceedings and defends breaches of probation, recognizance or an undertaking. It also handles youth charges under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Property and theft offences
On the property side, it defends charges from identity theft and impersonation through to arson. Where an offence is a first or lower-level one, the firm considers diversion programs, a withdrawal or a conditional discharge, any of which may keep the client clear of a criminal record.
Good to know
Accessible parking
By appointmentMilestones & recognition
- Bruce Ritter has appeared before the Ontario Court of Appeal.
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 2011 · median 15 years in practice 1 of 2 lawyers
The neighbourhood
Irvin Street sits in Central Frederick, a neighbourhood in the heart of downtown Kitchener with plenty of history, tall mature trees and small pocket parks, and one of its Little Free Libraries stands at 27 Irvin St. Most of Central Frederick is made up of low-density homes from the late nineteenth century, consistent in their scale and materials.
Several addresses on the street, among them 11, 14 and 18 Irvin, are on the City of Kitchener's Municipal Heritage Register. Number 14 has a curved corner and a curved glass window, unusual features for that architectural style that add to the house's design value.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Ritter Harvey Law take a charge designated as an Extremely Serious Matter?
- Yes. Bruce Ritter and Sarah Harvey both meet the requirements and are authorized to take ESM cases. The designation covers offences such as culpable homicide, terrorism charges, extradition hearings and applications to have someone declared a dangerous offender.
- My Legal Aid application was refused. Is there anything Ritter Harvey Law can do?
- Ritter Harvey Law will talk with you about whether the refusal can be appealed. For people who don't qualify for legal aid but still need a lawyer, the firm offers payment plans.
Where to find them
Downtown Kitchener, ON (near Waterloo Region Courthouse)
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Immigration LawThis listing was generated by AI from public sources in October 2026. It may contain errors, and we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or complete. Before you rely on anything here, verify it on the firm’s own website. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗
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