Criminal lawyers in Hamilton
Hamilton criminal matters are heard at the John Sopinka Courthouse.
Defending charges in Hamilton
The John Sopinka Courthouse at 45 Main Street East hears Hamilton’s criminal, civil and divisional matters. It is named for a Hamilton lawyer who went on to sit on the Supreme Court of Canada.
Hamilton Police Service covers the lower city, the mountain, and the rural areas out towards Flamborough and Binbrook. The criminal work spans the range, and the more serious end of it, including firearms and homicide prosecutions, is the part we are usually brought in on.
Hamilton is about an hour and a quarter from Vaughan. We take matters here where the charge is serious enough to justify counsel travelling, which in practice means trial work rather than a single guilty plea that local counsel could handle more cheaply. We will say so on the first call if that is the honest answer.
For anyone held in custody in this region, the calls that matter happen in the first 24 hours: getting a bail hearing prepared, getting a surety ready, and getting somebody in front of the court with a plan rather than a hope.
- Region
Hamilton
- Courthouse
Hamilton (John Sopinka) Courthouse
- Address
45 Main Street East, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 2B7
- Duty counsel
905-528-0387 ext. 12. Free to everyone, whatever you earn.
- Our office
4040 Steeles Avenue West, Suite 35, Vaughan
- Telephone
(416) 645-2888
Where the case is actually heard
The building, and what sits in it.
The Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court both sit at John Sopinka. Hamilton has a second Ontario Court of Justice location at 55 Main Street East, so check your paperwork for which one your date is at.
The courthouse is Hamilton (John Sopinka) Courthouse, at 45 Main Street East, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 2B7. If you have a date there and no lawyer yet, duty counsel are at the building and cost nothing, whatever you earn. They can speak for you on a remand or a bail hearing. They cannot run your trial, which is the part worth thinking about early. Hours, virtual appearance details and the Crown office contacts are published by the court itself: the Ontario Court of Justice listing for this location.
What we defend
The 7 areas most of our trial work sits in.
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
Questions
Do you travel to Hamilton for criminal matters?
Yes, for serious charges and trial work. For a straightforward matter that will resolve at an early appearance, local counsel may cost you less, and we will tell you that rather than take the file.
What is heard at the John Sopinka Courthouse?
Criminal, civil and divisional matters for Hamilton, at 45 Main Street East.
Official sources for Hamilton: Hamilton Police Service, Superior Court of Justice. If you cannot afford counsel, Legal Aid Ontario may be able to help, and the Law Society Referral Service can put you in touch with a lawyer for a free half-hour.
Written and reviewed by Rita Levin, criminal defence lawyer, called to the Ontario bar on 29 May 1998. Law Society of Ontario licence no. 41157R. Last reviewed .
Charged in Hamilton?
Tell us what happened and you will hear where you stand. It costs nothing and there is no obligation afterwards.
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.