The Law Garage

Marco Forte & Lana Walker: "Defence lawyers hold everyone else accountable and honest to play by the highest standard of rules that our law provides"

December 9th, 2021  |  Season 2  |  50 mins 38 secs

appeal, appeals, canada, canadian law, case, court, crime, criminal, criminal defence, crown, defence, evidence, jury, jury trial, law, law school, lawyer, murder, police, project, prosecutor, stand, supreme court, toronto, trial, true crime, witness

In this week's Law Garage Marco and Lana discuss making the decision to open their own practice, the lawyers that influenced them along the way, and how those experiences have shaped them in their criminal law journey.

Kelsey Sitar & Pawel Milczarek: "A Privilege and an Honour to Be Their Voice in the Courtroom"

November 25th, 2021  |  Season 2  |  48 mins 21 secs

appeal, appeals, canada, canadian law, case, court, crime, criminal, criminal defence, crown, defence, evidence, jury, jury trial, law, law school, lawyer, murder, police, project, prosecutor, stand, supreme court, toronto, trial, true crime, witness

This week in the Garage, Pawel and Kelsey tell us about their start in criminal law, some interesting defences, and the experience of acting in a trial with the legendary Hersh Wolch.

Harpreet Saini and Michelle Johal: As a Defence Lawyer, You Represent Freedom

November 11th, 2021  |  Season 2  |  52 mins 48 secs

appeal, appeals, canada, canadian law, case, court, crime, criminal, criminal defence, crown, defence, evidence, jury, jury trial, law, law school, lawyer, murder, police, project, prosecutor, stand, supreme court, toronto, trial, true crime, witness

In today's Law Garage, Michelle and Harpreet discuss the future of a centralized Toronto courthouse, the pivots in the practice of criminal law during the pandemic, and offer some advice about raising children in criminal defence.

Neha Chugh and Paolo Giancaterino: I Live, Breathe and Walk the Walk of a Defence Lawyer

October 27th, 2021  |  Season 2  |  47 mins 47 secs

appeal, appeals, canada, canadian law, case, court, crime, criminal, criminal defence, crown, defence, evidence, jury, jury trial, law, law school, lawyer, murder, police, project, prosecutor, stand, supreme court, toronto, trial, true crime, witness

In todays garage, Paolo and Neha tell us about some colourful defences, the importance of remand court and the collegiality of the criminal bar in Eastern Ontario.

Jennifer Trehearne and Craig Bottomley: The Criminal Law is Like a Mistress, She'll Eat You Alive

October 14th, 2021  |  Season 2  |  50 mins 26 secs

appeal, appeals, canada, canadian law, case, court, crime, criminal, criminal defence, crown, defence, evidence, jury, jury trial, law, law school, lawyer, murder, police, project, prosecutor, stand, supreme court, toronto, trial, true crime, witness

In today's Law Garage, Jennifer and Craig discuss their unique experiences that brought them to Criminal Law, the differences between Crown and Defence work, and the excitement of Charter litigation.

Andrew Furgiuele and Megan Savard: Motivation Cannot Come from Looking Back and Nursing Losses

October 1st, 2021  |  Season 2  |  42 mins 36 secs

appeal, appeals, canada, canadian law, case, court, crime, criminal, criminal defence, crown, defence, evidence, jury, jury trial, law, law school, lawyer, murder, police, project, prosecutor, stand, supreme court, toronto, trial, true crime, witness

In today's Law Garage, Megan and Andrew tell us about their early experiences at the Bar, their motivations as lawyers, and the methods they use to cope with the tough losses.

Season 2 Trailer

September 24th, 2021  |  Season 2  |  2 mins 48 secs

appeal, appeals, canada, canadian law, case, court, crime, criminal, criminal defence, crown, defence, evidence, jury, jury trial, law, law school, lawyer, murder, police, project, prosecutor, stand, supreme court, toronto, trial, true crime, witness

Building a Practice and Dealing with the Media with Daniel Brown

March 3rd, 2021  |  Season 1  |  41 mins 22 secs

appeal, appeals, canada, canadian law, case, court, crime, criminal, criminal defence, crown, defence, evidence, jury, jury trial, law, law school, lawyer, murder, police, project, prosecutor, stand, supreme court, toronto, trial, true crime, witness

Daniel highlights, “…one of the things you have to realize is you don’t get to control the media and that no matter how much or how thoughtful you are in saying the things that you’re saying, the journalist may choose to use all, some, none or take something potentially out of context. That’s the risk that you take when you’re speaking to the media.”

Daniel Brown is among an elite group of defence lawyers certified as a criminal law specialist by the Law Society of Ontario, the governing body of Ontario lawyers. This certification guarantees that the recipient is, “recognized and experienced in his or her field of law and who has met high standards”. Much of Daniel’s legal practice is focused on representing people who are strangers to the justice system. He quite often represents successful professionals who have found themselves in unfortunate and unfamiliar circumstances. Listen in to learn more on how to build a practice and deal with the media.

Produced by: Zenia Sethna and Jason Cooper

Ethics and LSO’s Practice Management Helpline with Phil Brown

February 24th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  34 mins 47 secs

appeal, appeals, canada, canadian law, case, court, crime, criminal, criminal defence, crown, defence, evidence, jury, jury trial, law, law school, lawyer, murder, police, project, prosecutor, stand, supreme court, toronto, trial, true crime, witness

Phil gives us advice on solicitor-client confidentiality when using the different types of client-management software available: “You need to look at their terms of service and their privacy policy because it is important to know where your information is stored. It is something you might consider adding to your retainer agreement. I know if you’re doing a security certificate case for instance, quite likely your client isn’t going to want their information stored in a server in the US.…The important part is know what the tool is that you are using, know where the information is.”

Phil Brown attended Dalhousie University and practiced criminal law as a sole practitioner. He has been counsel with the Practice Management Helpline for 12 years and has developed a series of technology podcasts with David Whelan. Phil has been a frequent speaker on ethics and professionalism topics and has a particular interest in the intersection of technology and its impact on the future practice of law. Listen in to learn about Ethics and LSO’s Practice Management Helpline.

Produced by: Zenia Sethna and Jason Cooper

Ethical Lawyering and Dealing with the Law Society with Nadia Liva

February 24th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  37 mins 52 secs

appeal, appeals, canada, canadian law, case, court, crime, criminal, criminal defence, crown, defence, evidence, jury, jury trial, law, law school, lawyer, murder, police, project, prosecutor, stand, supreme court, toronto, trial, true crime, witness

“I think if you practice with [this] at heart: The desire to not be so reckless, the desire to be careful, to reach out and to not be afraid of not knowing the answer to something, not being so prideful that you don’t want to ask. I think you end up getting a much better practice, you give better service, and I think your reputation only improves because of it.”

Nadia Liva is committed to providing her clients with trusted counsel and skilled representation. A lawyer with over 25 years of experience in criminal, regulatory and administrative law, Nadia’s practice is quality driven and is focused on achieving the best results for her clients. Nadia’s negotiation skills and creativity result in resolutions which maximize benefits and minimize damage to her clients, not only personally and professionally, but financially as well, avoiding the high costs associated with costly drawn out litigation. Nadia provides experienced legal advice, sound judgment, superior strategic representation and skilled advocacy with the highest level of commitment to her clients. Listen in to learn more about Ethical Lawyering and Dealing with the Law Society.

Produced by: Zenia Sethna and Jason Cooper

Building a Reputation and Relationship with Your Client with Elham Jamshidi

February 17th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  28 mins 54 secs

appeal, appeals, canada, canadian law, case, court, crime, criminal, criminal defence, crown, defence, evidence, jury, jury trial, law, law school, lawyer, murder, police, project, prosecutor, stand, supreme court, toronto, trial, true crime, witness

“The best way that I view myself is I’m the shield for my client. I’m their shield of protection, I’m their shield of armour. I want to protect them and defend them to the best of my ability…. If your lawyer doesn’t like you, how are you going to have your lawyer convince the judge to like you or the jury to like you? That’s why it is very important that you get along with your client, build that relationship with your client and like your client.”

Elham Jamshidi is an experienced litigation attorney with an expertise in criminal law. She has appeared in hundreds of criminal matters as an advocate, including several reported cases. Her cases have included clients accused of murder, sexual assault, robbery, guns and gangs, fraud, and drug offences. In every case, Elham believes in a well-prepared and aggressive defence of the rights of the accused person. Listen in to learn about Elham’s practice when working to build a relationship with her client and her journey in building her reputation.

Produced by: Zenia Sethna and Jason Cooper

Bail Hearings with Cat Mercer

February 10th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  40 mins 2 secs

appeal, appeals, canada, canadian law, case, court, crime, criminal, criminal defence, crown, defence, evidence, jury, jury trial, law, law school, lawyer, murder, police, project, prosecutor, stand, supreme court, toronto, trial, true crime, witness

“My main advice to sureties is to always be honest because things that they think make them sound less credible make them sound more credible….The JP will know if you’re trying to make yourself sound like…you’ve never done anything wrong in the entire history of your life. But if you say, “20 years ago I had a bunch of criminal record stuff but I cleaned up my act” – that is really good for their credibility.”

Cat Mercer is a sole practitioner, practicing in the Greater Toronto Area. Her firm is called Mercury defence law. You can reach her at 647-812-7218. Listen to Cat speak about bail hearings and her experience carrying out bail hearings of her own as a new lawyer.

Produced by: Zenia Sethna and Jason Cooper