Toronto criminal defence lawyers
Serious charges are won in the detail.
Between us we have taken more than 4,000 criminal matters through Ontario courts across 28 years. We’re in a courtroom most weeks of the year, and we still run our own trials rather than hand them on.
What has happened so far?
Pick whichever is closest. What follows is what we would tell you on the phone, and it’s worth doing even if you never call us.
Say the words, then stop talking.
“I want to speak to my lawyer. I have nothing to say to you.” Nothing you say after that helps you. The rules of evidence will not let your own statement be used in your favour at trial.
Use the duty counsel call.
It’s free, available at any hour, and confidential. Take it even if you intend to retain someone else in the morning.
Start finding a surety now.
Bail usually turns on who will supervise, where the person will live, and what that person can pledge. It takes hours to arrange and the hearing will not wait for you. If the hearing is tomorrow, here is what retaining us for a bail hearing involves.
Read the release order, then follow it exactly.
A breach is a fresh charge, and it’s far easier for the Crown to prove than the one you already have.
Ask for disclosure.
Nothing sensible can be decided about a case until somebody has read what the Crown actually has. It’s the first thing we do on any file.
Write down what happened, while you still remember it.
Times, officers, what was said, what was searched. Give it to your lawyer and to nobody else, family included: they can be compelled to testify about what you told them.
What happens next, stage by stageOr just call us on (416) 645-2888
Check what has been served, and what has not.
Late disclosure is common, and it’s a live argument rather than an inconvenience.
Settle the Charter issues now.
Applications carry notice periods, and an argument raised late is an argument lost, however good it was.
Decide whether you’re running the trial.
We make that call on the disclosure and on what the Crown can prove with it, never on how the case feels.
What this is likely to costOr just call us on (416) 645-2888
Criminal defence is the only work we do
Two of us, 28 years working together, and both of us still on our feet in court.
The two of us who would run your case
Whichever of us takes your file is the one who will stand up on it. You’ll know which, and you’ll have a number that reaches them.
Raymond Boggs
B.A., M.A. (Philosophy), LL.B. · Managing Partner
Ray took a master’s in philosophy before he read law, and you can hear it when he runs a trial. A criminal case is an argument about what follows from what, and a surprising number of them come apart somewhere in the middle. Call it 28 years and better than 3,000 matters, most of them won or lost in cross-examination.
“If the Crown’s own witness will say it for you, you have not argued anything. You have proved it.” He has tried cases in Kirkland Lake, Windsor, Parry Sound and Pembroke, and gone as far as Halifax and Montreal when a case warranted it.
- Usually handles
Homicide, drug prosecutions, firearms, fraud
- Known for
Cross-examination, and telling clients things they would rather not hear
Rita Levin
B.A. (Psychology), LL.B. · Partner
Rita read psychology before law, and both disciplines turn up in the work. You see them in how she prepares a witness, in how closely she reads a complainant’s account, and in the plain language she uses to tell a frightened person what is actually happening to them. That is 28 years, and past 1,000 matters.
“Nobody makes a good decision about their own case while they are terrified. So the first job is to explain it.” Her clients come back, and they tend to say the same two things: that she had read everything, and that she treats people as people rather than files.
- Usually handles
Sexual offences, domestic matters, drug charges, bail
- Known for
Preparation, and explaining a case so that it makes sense
Not sure which of us fits your matter? Call and describe the charge. Whoever picks up will tell you. More about us
Most cases are settled long before a jury hears anything
What decides them is how the stop was made, whether the warrant held up, what the officer swore to get it, and whether an account survives careful questioning.
The work itself is dull to describe. We read the disclosure properly, find the place where the chain of evidence gives way, and stay ready to run the trial if it never does.
You’ll see that disclosure too. We’ll tell you what the Crown can prove with it and what it can’t, and where your options honestly lie, including the cases where a resolution is simply the better outcome. Losing a retainer costs us less than selling you a trial you should never have run.
We meet every morning to go through our files. Whichever of us you retain, your case gets read by everyone in the room.
What happens when you call
- 01
You call. A person answers.
No call centre, no ticket queue. You get one of us, and we can tell you on the spot whether this is work we take.
- 02
We ask you about 10 questions.
The charge, the court and the date, whether you’re on release conditions, whether you gave a statement, and whether anything has been seized. It takes 5 to 10 minutes.
- 03
We give you an honest read on where you stand.
What the Crown is likely to push for, the range of outcomes worth expecting, and what has to happen in the next 2 weeks. It’s free, and it’s yours to use however you like.
- 04
If it fits, we send a retainer. If not, we say so.
Sometimes duty counsel, Legal Aid or another firm is the better answer, and we’ll tell you that. Losing a retainer costs us less than taking a file we’re wrong for.
What are you charged with?
Every page here sets out how that prosecution gets fought, what the outcomes tend to look like, and what ought to happen this week.
Drug Offences
Possession, trafficking, importation and production, including fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine.
- Possession
- Possession for the purpose
- Trafficking
Sexual Offences
Sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, sexual exploitation.
- Sexual assault
- Sexual interference
- Invitation to sexual touching
Homicide
Murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, criminal negligence causing death.
- First and second degree murder
- Manslaughter
- Attempted murder
Firearms, Guns & Gangs
Firearms offences, imitation firearms, improper storage, and criminal organization prosecutions.
- Possession of a firearm
- Use in the commission of an offence
- Improper storage
Fraud & Financial Crime
Fraud over and under $5,000, employee and corporate fraud, forensic accounting cases.
- Fraud over / under $5,000
- Employee and corporate fraud
- Forensic accounting evidence
Assault & Domestic
Assault, assault causing bodily harm, aggravated assault, and domestic matters.
- Assault
- Assault causing bodily harm
- Aggravated assault
Impaired Driving
Impaired operation, over 80, refusing the demand, and impaired causing bodily harm or death.
- Impaired operation
- Over 80
- Refusing the demand
Theft, Break & Enter, Robbery
Theft over and under $5,000, break and enter, robbery, and possession of stolen property.
- Theft over $5,000
- Theft under $5,000
- Break and enter
Internet Offences
Child sexual abuse material, luring, voyeurism, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
- Possession
- Accessing
- Making and distribution
We also act on Breaches and Failures to Comply, Weapons and Violent Offences, and Asset Recovery. See every charge we defend
Case results
These are 12 of our matters and the point each one turned on. The first 3 are below. Narrow the record by how the case was fought, or show the rest. Anything that could identify a client has been changed or left out.
Acquitted
Murder
Two neighbours who had feuded for years, a motorcycle pulling out of a driveway, and a man dead. The Crown called it murder. The jury did not.
Read the full account
Charges stayed
Drug Trafficking · Fentanyl
The drugs in the truck were real. So was the shoulder blade the police fractured getting him out through the window.
Read the full account
Charges withdrawn
Drug Offences · Grow Operations
Three warrants and an infrared overflight of the wrong house, every one of them tracing back to a door officers had already walked through without a warrant at all.
Read the full account
Acquitted
Sexual Assault
An audio recording in which he seemed to agree he had done it. We fought to keep it out. Then we cross-examined the complainant on everything else.
Read the full account
Acquitted
Murder
Several witnesses picked him out. Another man had carried out a near-identical ice-pick attack a few months before.
Read the full account
Acquitted · Property returned
Drug Trafficking · Fentanyl
The warrant allowed an arrest only if he came out of the house carrying drugs. He was arrested coming out of a pharmacy.
Read the full account
Acquitted
Robbery · Break and Enter
A car trunk holding phones, cash, tools and a handgun. The warrant police went back for did not survive the motion, and the eyewitnesses did not survive cross.
Read the full account
Acquitted
Fraud · Multi-Million Dollar
A private firm went through the company hard drives and reported finding remnants of deleted documents said to have facilitated the fraud. Read closely, it established no such thing.
Read the full account
Dismissed
Assault with a Weapon
The complainant had been harassing a young woman. Our client was the one trying to protect her, and the complainant attacked him first.
Read the full account
Acquitted on all counts
Robbery · Multiple Counts
Every complainant had seen the robber close up. Under cross, no two of them described the same man or the same gun. He was Black and he was white, blue-eyed and dark-eyed, holding a silver pistol and a black one.
Read the full account
Acquitted on all charges
Pornography · Possession, Making, Importing
Customs officers at Pearson searched his phone. Everything turned on one question. Did he know what was on it?
Read the full account
Original charge withdrawn
Historical Sexual Offence (1994)
The allegation dated from 1994. The conduct it described was not an offence in Canada in 1994.
Read the full account
Every one of these turned on its own particular facts. None of them guarantees or predicts how your case will end, and nobody can tell you what yours is worth before reading the disclosure.
What clients say afterwards
Mr. Boggs and his team were very kind and accommodating. Before my first meeting with him I was scared and didn’t know what would happen to me regarding my case. But his confidence and kind demeanor made me feel that everything was gonna be alright. I would definitely recommend him to anyone and everyone.
If you are looking for a law firm that will give you honest, up-front and straight answers when you are in trouble, look no further. Raymond Boggs told me at the initial consultation what I could be facing and how much it was going to cost me. … During the entire process I was kept informed. Best of all, their phone calls are not billed at exorbitant amounts.
Ray Boggs served as co-counsel and worked with our defence team to vigorously defend our interests. Raymond at all times was easy to reach, professional and a very thorough advocate regarding a nuanced fraud case of which we were absolutely not guilty of. With the verdict coming back as anticipated we are beyond grateful to have Ray and his staff in our corner.
Know this before you say anything
The decision that matters most in a criminal case usually gets made inside the first hour, by somebody who has had no legal advice at all.
What to say
“I want to speak to my lawyer. I have nothing to say to you.”
Say it, then stop. Nobody can make you explain yourself, and an explanation can’t help you: the rules of evidence will not let your own statement be used in your favour at trial. It can only be used against you.
Free guides · nothing gated
Where we appear
Our office sits in Vaughan, a few minutes off Highway 400. We’re in Greater Toronto courts daily, and we travel the province when a case calls for it.
- TorontoOntario Court of Justice
10 Armoury Street, Toronto
- TorontoAdult bail centre
2201 Finch Avenue West, Toronto
- TorontoSuperior Court of Justice
361 University Avenue, Toronto
- NewmarketOntario Court of Justice & Superior Court
50 Eagle Street West, Newmarket
- BramptonA. Grenville & William Davis Courthouse
7755 Hurontario Street, Brampton
Questions people ask on the first call
What does a first conversation cost?
Nothing at all. Call (416) 645-2888 and we’ll tell you where you stand, what the Crown is likely to push for, and what has to happen in the next fortnight. You’re under no obligation to retain us afterwards, and plenty of people who call us don’t.
The police want a statement. Should I give one?
No. Say “I want to speak to my lawyer, and I have nothing to say to you,” and then stop talking. Nobody can make you explain yourself, and the rules of evidence don’t let your own statement be read in at trial to help you. It can only be used against you.
Do I really need a lawyer for a first charge?
Almost always, yes. First charges get resolved quickly because that feels like the easy way out, and in our experience they are the ones people regret years later. A criminal record follows you through hiring checks, border crossings, immigration files and family court for decades.
Which courts do you appear in?
Toronto (10 Armoury Street and 361 University Avenue), Newmarket, Brampton, Oshawa, Milton and Hamilton routinely, and London, Kingston, Windsor, Kitchener-Waterloo, Barrie, Collingwood and Parry Sound when a case requires it.
Can you still fight it if I already gave a statement?
Yes. We challenge statements all the time: on whether they were truly voluntary, on whether the right to counsel was honoured, and on whether the detention was lawful in the first place. We have won acquittals for people who had already said damaging things on the record.
What is the whole case going to cost me?
It depends almost entirely on where the case ends. A matter resolved after a Crown pre-trial costs a fraction of one that runs a 3-week jury trial. We quote a block fee for a defined stage wherever we can, so you know the number rather than watch a meter, and we put it in writing before you commit to anything.
How long before this is over?
A summary matter can be done in a few months. A contested indictable charge with a Charter application usually runs a year or more, and a homicide 2 years or more. Delay is not automatically bad news for you: the right to be tried within a reasonable time is itself enforceable, and we watch that clock on every file.
Talk it through with a lawyer
The first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing. We will give you an honest read on where you stand, whether you retain us or not.
We are a private practice and our fees reflect the work involved. A serious matter is prepared over months, and we keep our numbers low so each file gets the hours it needs. We will tell you what your case is likely to cost on the first call, before you commit to anything. And if the honest answer is that duty counsel, Legal Aid or another firm would serve you better, we will tell you that instead.