HAMILTON MANSLAUGHTER CASE TAKEN OVER BY BRAMPTON CROWN OFFICE

The Hamilton Crown attorney’s office has been removed from a manslaughter case for conflict of interest after the accused’s former lawyer joined the prosecution’s office without safeguards in place to prevent the sharing of information.

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DEFENCE LAWYERS IN THE TRENCHES GETTING COFFEE

I love Jerry Seinfeld´s show ´Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee´. Not only have I been a lifelong fan of stand-up comedy, but I think I have some insight into the concept behind the show – Jerry Seinfeld likes the interaction with his fellow comedians (and cars and coffee). Comedians tend to have a lot in common and get along and where they differ, it is interesting to sit down and talk about it. This is something I identify with and understand as a defence lawyer. I noticed how much I enjoyed the interaction with defence lawyers instantly when I became one and it is something that I have cherished ever since.

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SENTENCE IN MURDERS OF DEIDRA ANN SMITH AND GHISLAIN (JUSTIN) ROBICHAUD DISAPPOINTS FAMILY

After months of demanding justice for Deidra Ann Smith, her family and friends could only weep with disappointment and shake their heads in disbelief as Jesse Wallace, 39, was sentenced to six and a half years in jail Monday for his part in her death.

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MAN SENTENCED TO 13 YEARS FOR 2018 SHOOTING DEATH OF JEFFREY MAXNER

A man was sentenced to 13 years behind bars on Wednesday for the 2018 shooting death of Jeffrey Maxner.

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CHIEF JUSTICE WAGNER DENIES CROSSING A LINE BY SUGGESTING CRIMINAL CODE CHANGES

Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Richard Wagner insisted today that he did not place himself in a potential conflict of interest by suggesting amendments to the Criminal Code after senior criminal defence lawyers raised the alarm.

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COVID-19 ADDS INDEFINITE WAITING PERIOD TO DELAYS IN JUSTICE SYSTEM

Currently, those charged with a criminal offence are being forced to wait indefinitely to exercise their right to a trial. There is no constitutional right to a guilty plea and yet that is the only way to end a criminal charge at this time. The net result is coercion.

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COVID-19 BRINGS AMERICAN-STYLE INJUSTICE TO CANADA

The criminal justice system is an essential service and the trial is a constitutional right for every person charged with a criminal offence. The right to reasonable bail is the only other stage in criminal litigation that is protected by our Constitution. And yet the courts of Ontario, at every level, have closed their doors to all trials, despite the fact that the justice system and the courts were deemed an essential service that was not required by the Emergencies Act to close.

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WOMEN LEADING IN LAW: JORDANA GOLDLIST

I use my own struggles to try to set an example both for people trying to transition their lives and for people who so easily judge the mistakes of others. The premise is really simple: we as a society need to stop judging people for what may be the worst decision they made on the worst day of their life.

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HE WAS IN A U.S. JAIL 10 YEARS AGO. HE STARTS LAW SCHOOL IN TORONTO THIS FALL

Ten years ago Ish Aderonmu was in jail. This fall, the 35-year-old will be starting law school at Ryerson University. His experience within the criminal justice system, including the time he spent in jail in the United States, is the reason he wants to become a criminal defence lawyer.

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HEY BELL: LET’S TALK ABOUT ... HYPOCRISY

While the Let’s Talk campaign has worked to deliver services to people and communities who desperately need it, Bell Canada has been waging a predatory pricing war against inmates in provincial and federal jails across the country, often preventing them from talking to loved ones when they need it the most, often at a significant detriment to their mental health.

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FIRST-DEGREE MURDER CHARGE DROPPED IN STABBING DEATH OF HAMILTON TEEN DEVAN BRACCI-SELVEY

One of the two teenagers accused in the fatal stabbing of 14-year-old Devan Bracci-Selvey outside Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School on Oct. 7 has seen his first degree murder charge withdrawn by the Crown, according to the teen’s lawyer.

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MURDER CHARGE DROPPED AGAINST OLDER SUSPECT IN HAMILTON TEEN’S DEATH

A lawyer representing the 18-year-old man charged in the stabbing death of Devan Bracci-Selvey in October says her client now faces three new charges that include assault with a weapon.

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MURDER CHARGE WITHDRAWN AGAINST 18-YEAR-OLD IN STABBING DEATH OF STUDENT DEVAN SELVEY

A first-degree murder charge against the 18-year-old accused in the stabbing death of Hamilton high school student Devan Selvey has been withdrawn, and he's instead facing assault charges.

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FORD ANNOUNCES NEW LAUNDROMAT FOR CRIME PROCEEDS

In October, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that he would be diverting money seized from criminals and using it to fund police initiatives. Individuals arrested for certain offences related to drug trafficking, human trafficking, fraud and/or property offences often have their cash seized by the police.

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JUSTICE SYSTEM MUST ACCEPT REALITY OF OPIOID CRISIS

The opioid crisis gripping this continent stretches from the hands of dealers to the arms of addicts — and to the pockets of the manufacturers, Toronto criminal lawyer Jordana Goldlist writes in The Lawyer’s Daily.

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WORTH THE RISK: COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF OPIOID CRISIS | JORDANA GOLDLIST

In a 2017 decision, the Ontario Court of Appeal held that “offenders, even first offenders, who traffic significant amounts of fentanyl should expect to receive significant penitentiary sentences”. Fast forward two years and I now tell my clients charged with trafficking fentanyl that they, if found guilty, can expect to serve more time in jail than someone convicted of manslaughter.

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ALL LEGAL GUN OWNERS MUST LEARN TO DEAL WITH STEREOTYPES

Shooting can be an empowering sport for women, says Toronto criminal lawyer Jordana Goldlist, who is a licensed firearm owner, sport shooter and gun collector outside of her practice, a significant portion of which involves defending people charged with firearms offences.

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BROTHERS CHARGED WITH INTIMIDATING FEDERAL DRUG PROSECUTOR RELEASED ON BAIL

Omar and Hamza Badran walked out of a Brampton courthouse after the brothers turned themselves in on the weekend to face a rare charge of intimidating a justice official.

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DETAILED FACTUM LEADS TO DRUG CHARGES BEING WITHDRAWN

Toronto criminal lawyer Jordana Goldlist knows first-hand it pays to write a detailed factum for Charter applications — that's how she recently secured the withdrawal of charges against her client.

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JORDANA GOLDLIST WAS ONCE A HOMELESS TEENAGER. NOW SHE’S A TOP CRIMINAL-DEFENCE LAWYER

There’s a reason that Goldlist brings so much compassion to her work: two decades ago, she was the one in trouble with the law. PrecedentJD sat down with the 40-year-old to find out how she turned her life around and why the current system isn’t helping the people who need it.

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