Pyzer Criminal Lawyers Toronto

Yes. However, every accused must first ask themselves what is a win in their court case? A withdrawal of all criminal charges? An acquittal? Avoiding jail time? It is possible to win your case by having the criminal charges against you withdrawn when you connect with a criminal law practice that can provide you with the right advice. We have experienced counsel who have helped clients with all types of charges win their case.

Having your charges withdrawn is usually the best result one can achieve in a criminal case as there are no admissions of guilt made by the accused and there is no risk of being found guilty at trial. Even if an accused has a 99% chance of winning their case, which is quite rare in our experience, there is still a 1% chance of losing as well as the added cost of time and legal fees.

A criminal case can be resolved in a single day or could take many years to come to a conclusion. The length of time a case will take depends on many factors including the seriousness of the charge(s), number of charges, whether you are charged alone or with co-accused, the number of legal issues in issue as well as the number of witnesses that will be required to testify at a trial.

In 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada held in R. v. Jordan that, “there is a ceiling beyond which delay in a case becomes unreasonable. The presumptive ceiling is 18 months for criminal cases tried in provincial court and 30 months for cases in the superior court (or cases tried in the provincial court after a preliminary inquiry).”

Our team of Toronto criminal lawyers understand how important an expeditious resolution of criminal charges can be. That’s why your lawyer will take every opportunity to move your file along to ensure the presumptive ceilings are met.

Some Toronto criminal lawyers charge by the hour while other criminal lawyers charge a block fee for their services. Lawyers that charge by the hour docket every minute that is spent on a case including travel time, phone conversations, interviews, court appearances etc.. The client is then billed for each minute of time that the lawyer has devoted to the matter. The preparation needed for a criminal law file in Canada can be quite a significant amount of time as the lawyers review all available evidence and conduct legal research.

A criminal lawyer that charges by way of a block fee, advises their clients in advance what the total costs of their case will be. All services performed by the lawyer are included in the block fee. Usually disbursements such as photocopies, mileage, process servers etc. are charged in addition to the lawyers fee, whether charged hourly or on a block basis.

Depending on the case, block fees are generally most common in Toronto criminal cases. In our experience, our clients prefer this approach as we will devote all time necessary to a proper legal defence without having to worry about accounting for every minute spent working on the case

At Pyzer Criminal Lawyers (TorontoDefenceLawyers.com) our initial free consultation lasts approximately 30 minutes. This time is spent reviewing the charge(s) and allegation(s) against the accused with one of our lawyers, explaining how the criminal court process works and what to expect as your criminal case moves through the system. Criminal law matters can be quite complex, so our practice is devoted to explaining the steps in a clear and easy to understand way.

We can assist by identifying the potential legal issues in your case and finally, assist in assessing the strengths and weaknesses the the Crown’s case, suggest some ways in which the charge(s) against you may be successfully defended and finally, answer any questions that you may have about your case or the process as a whole. Our experience in the practice of criminal law means that after your consultation, you will have a solid understanding of what our lawyers can do for you.

Yes, a Toronto criminal lawyer can assist you in changing the conditions of your criminal law bail. This can be done in one of two ways: on consent of the crown or by way of a Superior Court Bail Review Application. A consent bail variation is done by having one of the lawyers in our practice file paperwork of the proposed changes with the Court, on the consent of the Crown.

A Superior Court Bail Review is a criminal law hearing and resembles a criminal trial in that the Crown and Defence are opposed on the conditions of bail and a Judge must decide after hearing the evidence and submissions of counsel as to whether the bail should be changed. The lawyers in our practice have experience representing clients at these hearings.

Factors that will will impact upon your request for a bail variation include: the seriousness of the charge/s and allegation/s that the accused is facing, whether the accused represents a danger to a specific complainant or to the community at large, whether the accused has a criminal record including breaches of previous orders, whether the complainant/’s wish to have contact with the accused, and whether the accused has a sufficient surety in place to ensure compliance with the varied terms of bail. Our lawyers will work with you to ensure your bail review case is properly presented. Individuals retaining our firm can rest assured that they are receiving advice from competent and experienced counsel.

In Ontario, your first Court appearance will be very brief, usually lasting less than one minute. The lawyers in our firm will be there with you if you retain us to help you during this appearance. There will be many individuals, possibly even hundreds, appearing in Court at the same time as you in regards to their criminal charges. Your first appearance is not a criminal trial. It is not before a Judge, you are not asked to plead guilty or not guilty and the alleged victim/s will not be in attendance.

The accused’s steps forward once the Crown calls their name from the docket. The Court then inquires whether the accused has a Toronto criminal lawyer, disclosure (the evidence the Crown intends to rely upon to prove your guilt) is provided and the case typically remanded three-to-four weeks so that they accused may consult with an attorney, review disclosure and conduct a Crown Pre-Trial. The criminal justice system can be very confusing for people, so our lawyers are there to be a skilled advocate in your case.

While it is not necessary to have a criminal attorney at your first appearance, or even at any point in the proceedings, it is highly encouraged that counsel be retained well in advance of the first appearance to ensure disclosure requests are made and the matter handled properly right from the beginning. Our lawyers will ensure all the appropriate steps are taken so our clients receive the best results in their case.

Just because you have been charged with a criminal offence it does not mean that you will automatically have a criminal record. It is still possible to avoid a criminal record and/or a finding of guilt by having one of our lawyers represent you in your case. Our clients receive the best possible legal representation so that your life may not be impacted by a criminal charge.

A withdrawal by the Crown Attorney’s office is not considered a criminal record and thus is one way to avoid a criminal record once you have been charged by the police. An acquittal after a trial is another way to avoid a criminal record once you have been charged. Finally, a stay of proceedings is not a criminal record and is tantamount to an acquittal twelve months following the date on which the charges were stayed. Our lawyers will work with clients to explore the various outcomes and results which may occur in your case.

Jail is a possibility when facing any criminal charge. However, jail is the sanction of last resort and judges are instructed to consider all other forms of punishment prior to sentencing an accused to a term of imprisonment. Our lawyers can provide you with advice about whether prison is a possibility in your case.

Factors that will determine the sentence that an accused will receive, including the potential for jail, include: the seriousness of the charge/s and allegations/ faced by the accused, whether the victim suffered any lasting physical, financial or emotional life impact as a result of the offence, whether the accused has a previous criminal record / police involvement and if so for similar offences, whether the accused has received jail sentences in the past, the need for general and specific deterrence, as well the accused’s prospects for rehabilitation and their support in the community.

Our lawyers understand the devastating impact that a prison sentence can have on your life. Our advocacy is focused on ensuring our clients receive the strongest legal defence, so that this outcome can be avoided at all costs. People trust Pyzer Criminal Lawyers with even the most complex criminal charges. We welcome you to contact us today to learn about how we can help.