A criminal defence firm, and only that
We have defended serious charges in Ontario since 1998, and we have worked together for all 28 years of it.
How the firm works
We’re small on purpose, and arranged so that no file is ever read by only one of us.
We’re not a general practice that takes criminal work on the side, and we don’t pass serious files to a lawyer you have never met. We handle drug prosecutions, homicide, sexual offences, firearms and criminal organization matters, fraud, and assault charges of every description. We also take the family law that arrives alongside a criminal charge, because in real life the two are seldom separable.
We meet every morning to go through our files. No case here is read by one lawyer alone. Whichever of us you retain, you get the judgment of the whole room.
Here’s what you should expect from us:
- An honest read on the first call. It’s free, and it’s yours whether you retain us or not.
- Your calls returned. Clients thank us for this often enough that it says something fairly bleak about the rest of the profession.
- Our fees explained and put in writing before you commit to anything at all.
- To be told plainly when a resolution beats a trial, and when it doesn’t.
Counsel
The people who will run your case.
Raymond Boggs
B.A., M.A. (Philosophy), LL.B. · Managing Partner
Ray was called to the Ontario bar in 1998 and has taken on better than 3,000 matters since. His half of the practice is built on trial work and, inside that, on cross-examination: taking the Crown’s own witnesses and building the defence theory out of what they say.
He has tried cases in Kirkland Lake, Windsor, Parry Sound and Pembroke, and appeared as far away as Halifax and Montreal. He read philosophy to master’s level before law, which turns out to matter more than it sounds. A criminal trial is an argument about what follows from what.
- Called to the bar
24 April 1998, Ontario
- Law Society of Ontario
Licence no. 41125U · Check this record
- Legal Aid Ontario
Rostered for criminal, extremely serious matters and Gladue · Listing
- Degrees
B.A. and M.A. in Philosophy, LL.B.
- Usually handles
Homicide, drug prosecutions, firearms, fraud
- Matters
3,000+ since 1998
Rita Levin
B.A. (Psychology), LL.B. · Partner
Rita was called to the Ontario bar in 1998 and co-founded this firm with Ray the same year. She has taken more than 1,000 matters through the courts since. She holds degrees in psychology and in law, and both 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 client what is happening.
She read psychology at York University and law at Windsor, where she trained at Community Legal Aid and Legal Assistance of Windsor. Born in Riga, she speaks Russian fluently, and takes Russian-speaking clients in their own language rather than through an interpreter.
Her clients come back, and they say more or less the same two things every time: that she had read everything, and that she treats them as people rather than files. She has defended matters in Barrie, Windsor, Newmarket and right across the Greater Toronto Area.
- Called to the bar
29 May 1998, Ontario
- Law Society of Ontario
Licence no. 41157R · Check this record
- Legal Aid Ontario
Rostered for criminal, Gladue and Ontario Review Board matters · Listing
- Education
York University (B.A.) · University of Windsor, Faculty of Law
- Languages
English, Russian, Hebrew
- Usually handles
Sexual offences, domestic matters, drug charges, bail
- Matters
1,000+ since 1998
Mansi Parmar
Paralegal & Office Manager
The law is intimidating and the court system is worse. Mansi is the person you’ll speak to most. She runs the file, the dates and the disclosure, and she answers the questions that arrive at 11 at night. If you want to know what happens next week, ask her.
- Role
Client care, file management, court scheduling
- Contact
Why Charter arguments decide most serious cases
Canadian criminal law starts from an unusual premise. The state is powerful, that power has to be supervised, and evidence gathered in breach of the Charter can be thrown out even when it’s perfectly reliable.
None of that happens by itself. The protection only exists where somebody brings the application, argues it properly, and is ready to run the trial if it fails. No Crown volunteers that a warrant was defective, and no judge raises the point unprompted.
An unlawful search, a misleading information to obtain, an arbitrary detention: those arguments sit buried in thousands of pages of disclosure, and somebody has to find them and then stand up and make them. That’s most of what we do.
What clients say
I am beyond grateful for the outstanding work Rita did on my behalf. From the very beginning, she demonstrated not only her professionalism and extensive knowledge but also her genuine warmth and care. Rita was always available whenever I needed her, offering support, answering my questions, and providing valuable guidance during stressful times.
Upon our first meeting, I steadily unclenched as it became abundantly clear that Raymond Boggs measured himself on an axis of reason, and conducted such measurements to a standard of excellence. … Not once did he attempt to patronize nor anesthetize me by jangling keys of hollow optimism in front of my face. … There are two things one can be certain of: that he can think on his feet, and that one can stand on his thinking.
Hired Boggs & Levin to represent me in a fairly public case. Raymond Boggs uncovered evidence clearing my name and the charges were withdrawn. This case is still ongoing for the other defendants however my matter is resolved to my complete satisfaction.
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.