As many of you know, on May 10 I got quadruple bypass surgery.
On May 15, I was discharged from Toronto General.
Under doctors’ orders, I am taking it easy. But to my clients, I reassure you that I am still around to talk. My friends and colleagues have stepped up and will be assisting you with upcoming court proceedings. And I promise you that the only lawyers who ever help me are those who are smarter than I. You are in good hands.
{ 0 comments }
Legal Aid Ontario has put up a new web site called “LawFacts”. I won’t put a link here because doing so would be a disservice to people looking for legal information. The site contains lots of information about pleading guilty and getting sentenced. It contains almost nothing about asserting your innocence or defending yourself at trial. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that it’s way cheaper for them if you plead guilty with duty counsel rather than get a legal aid certificate to get a proper trial lawyer.
{ 0 comments }
C’mon, guys, the comment sections at the bottoms of pages on this site are public. Please don’t leave private messages for me in them.
{ 0 comments }
Crown apologizes for rhyming submissions. I wonder if non-lawyers would find this article interesting.
{ 0 comments }
His letter to Canadians.
{ 0 comments }
Well, it’s not really much of a secret. Everyone working in the criminal courts knows it. But it’s nice to see a court acknowledge this reality.
If you are faced with the decision to plead guilty or go to trial, think long and hard about it. It’s not just about getting out of jail that day. The decision will affect the rest of your life.
{ 2 comments }
The Court of Appeal has released a ruling where the trial judge acquitted, but did not explain why for two years. They sent the matter back to trial!
I have an acquittal that’s now seven years old and counting. Hmm.
{ 0 comments }
What gets reported in the media is essentially that a judge goes crazy and dismisses charges against all accused in his courtroom after the prosecutor is a minute and a half late.
The general public should know that dismissing charges for want of prosecution is a perfectly legal act and and an important part of the court’s power to control its own process. Accused persons are presumed innocent but compelled nonetheless to appear in court. Therefore, it’s essential that they be treated fairly and with minimal invasiveness. Where a Crown Attorney, through act or omission, gives any indication that he is not proceeding with a prosecution, it’s not for the judge, the public, the media, lawyers or anyone else to assume that it’s proper to continue to impose on an accused person’s liberties.
Having said that, as a criminal lawyer with a decade of experience in the courtrooms of Toronto, I assure you that dismissal of charges for want of prosecution is very very rare.
My conclusion? I bet there’s a lot more to the story. Was the dismissal part of an ongoing story that started days or even weeks earlier? I’m sure of it.
{ 0 comments }
Statistics Canada announces that the crime rate in Canada is the lowest it has been since 1973. I don’t actually remember the crime-free utopia that was 1973, as I was a zygote at the time. In seemingly unrelated news, StatsCan will stop tracking marriage and divorce numbers due to the cost.
Meanwhile, the Tory government continues to use scare tactics to push “tough on crime” legislation.
See where I’m going? The next step is for the Tories to stop collecting crime statistics. Brilliant! The only question is what excuse they will use. Some possibilities:
1) No more money after G20 spending.
2) We’re going to ignore the stats anyway, so why bother?
3) September 11.
What do you think?
{ 0 comments }
An eloquent commentary on the “Nancy Grace virus.” Don’t get cocky, Canadians; we share more than 98% of our DNA with Americans!
{ 0 comments }
Happy Dominion Day! I’m rebuilding my web site with WordPress, Thesis and WPtouch Pro. Twenty-first century, here I come!
{ 0 comments }
Lying cops get caught making up evidence to incriminate someone. Kudos to Jennifer Penman, who exposed it. The public needs to know how often this kind of thing happens.
{ 0 comments }
This week, the Court of Appeal for Ontario is hearing argument in R. v. Bedford, the constitutional challenge to prostitution laws. Interesting stuff.
{ 0 comments }
I go all-out for my clients. But not quite as much as this guy.
Update: Or this gal. File under “things I don’t do on Legal Aid.”
{ 0 comments }