Criminal Law Lawyers Toronto

Donich Law is a criminal trial firm located in downtown Toronto. Our team has a decade of experience defending criminal charges throughout the Greater Toronto Area and province of Ontario. We have experience successfully defending a wide array of criminal offences from minor thefts to complex child pornography and other sexual and violent offences.

We work closely with our clients to develop the appropriate defence strategy for each unique case and employ risk managements techniques once retained to limit any further criminal or civil liability. If you have been charged with a criminal offence in Toronto it is important to retain a lawyer you trust and can work well with. Donich Law has a proven track record of success with accused individuals from all walks of life and pride ourselves in delivering peace of mind to our clients.

The New Toronto Courthouse

As of 2023, almost all criminal matters in Toronto will be prosecuted out of the New Toronto Courthouse located in downtown Toronto at 10 Armoury Street.  The New Toronto Courthouse is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Courthouse can be reached by phone at (416) 212-2701.

Virtual Appearances

As of summer 2024, the majority of first appearance and set date court appearances at the New Toronto Courthouse are conducted via Zoom. Each courtroom has its own Zoom coordinates.

For access to case management Zoom links for the New Toronto Courthouse, please click here.

An accused attending a first appearance court date can find their courtroom number on their release documents. These are the documents provided to the accused by police when they were released from police custody. Additionally, an accused can look up the courtroom number of their matter by visiting ontariocourtdates.ca. Please note ontariocourtdates.ca will only display courtroom number information for the current calendar day and the following calendar day.

Tips for Attending Virtual Court Appearances

As noted above, the majority of first appearance and set date appearances are now conducted virtually via Zoom. This spares accused individuals from having to physically attend the courthouse. While Zoom court can be beneficial in many respects, those attending Zoom court should remember that while physically outside of the courtroom, they are nonetheless before the court and should conduct themselves in the same manner they would if physically present in the courthouse. Below are a few tips to prepare for attending Zoom court for the first time.

Zoom Court is Real Court

It is important to remember that Zoom court is real court. An accused or anyone else attending Zoom court should behave as they would if they were physically present in the courtroom. This means refraining from eating, drinking, smoking, or any inappropriate behaviours. Additionally, accused individuals should dress appropriately and as they would if they were physically present in court. Finally, the accused should always address the court and the Crown with respect.

Keep yourself Muted while Waiting

An accused who is waiting on a Zoom call for their matter to be called may keep their video off and mute themselves until their name is called. Anyone attending Zoom court should be aware that there are sometimes upwards of 50 people in a Zoom courtroom at any given time and unless you are muted and your video is off, they can all see and hear you, including the court. Keeping yourself muted and your video off ensures your privacy and avoids distracting the courtroom.

Avoid Interruptions

The New Toronto Courthouse is among the busiest in Ontario. As a result, the number of accused individuals on the docket for any given case management courtroom can be extremely lengthy. There can be hundreds of people on the docket on any given day. To get through that many people in one day, the court must run efficiently. Avoid interrupting the court unless absolutely necessary to avoid slowing down the court process.

Be Prepared to Wait

As mentioned above, the New Toronto Courthouse can be extremely busy, with hundreds of individuals on the docket in any given case management courtroom of any given day. Those attending court for the first time should be aware that wait times can be long. The court orders all accused individuals to appear at the same time of day. So, if for example, there are 300 names on the 9am docket for the day, that means that 300 accused individuals have all been told to appear that day at 9 a.m. Since the court must address each individual one-by-one, some individuals end up waiting all day for their matter to be called.

Ensure you are in the Right Place

As mentioned above, wait times in set date court can be long. This is especially true where the accused is self-represented. Nothing is more frustrating than waiting hours in one courtroom for your name to be called, only to be told you are in the wrong courtroom. To confirm which courtroom your matter is in, check ontariocourtdates.ca.

Counsel Matters are Called First

As a general rule, counsel, agent, paralegal, and student matters will be called first in court. Most courtrooms in the New Toronto Courthouse have a sign-up sheet for counsel. The Crown in court will use this list to call matters. Once all counsel, agent, paralegal, and student matters have been called, the Crown will move on to calling self-represented individuals. In some courtrooms, the court may tell self-represented individuals they are free to leave and come back later in the day, rather than sitting through all the counsel matters.