Blog – Andreas Papadopoulos Criminal Defence Lawyer – Oakville, Milton, Burlington, Halton Hills, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, Toronto

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Criminal Justice System, Defence Lawyers, Drugs, Police

A Lawyer, Her Robes and an Outraged Criminal Defence Bar

For criminal defence lawyers in and around the Greater Toronto Area the Internet broke yesterday. As word spread that their colleague Laura Liscio had been arrested in court and led out of the Brampton courthouse handcuffed and in her barrister’s…

Criminal Justice System, Defence Lawyers, Sexual Assault, Trials

Eliminating the Presumption of Innocence one Reform at a Time

I just read this article which suggests ways courts could “better handle sexual assault cases,” and with apologies to Elliotte Friedman, here are my 17 thoughts. Criminal law deals with society’s denunciation of individual conduct. Crimes are against the State not just…

Andreas Papadopoulos
November 10, 2014

Bail, Criminal Justice System, Defence Lawyers

Bail and Radicals

Being a criminal defence lawyer is not for the faint of heart. If you can’t handle hearing about misery and the gritty details of broken lives, this job is not for you. Unlike television, client matters don’t neatly wrap up…

Andreas Papadopoulos
December 16, 2013

Criminal Justice System, Police, Torture, Uncategorized

Memo to Police: No Beatings Allowed

Canadian photographer Donald Weber took the photo above. He befriended Russian and Ukrainian police officers and in earning their trust they allowed him to photograph their interrogations. Detainees had guns pointed at their heads. Weber said, “[t]his is standard practice,…

Andreas Papadopoulos
December 13, 2013

Criminal Justice System, Sentencing, Uncategorized

The Victim Surcharge does not Rehabilitate

Does Canada’s Minister of Justice Peter MacKay know the difference between a restitution order and the victim surcharge? Peter MacKay was asked for his thoughts on an Ottawa judge who ruled that the new mandatory victim surcharge was unconstitutional. MacKay…

Andreas Papadopoulos
November 14, 2013

Criminal Justice System, Sentencing, Uncategorized

It’s the Punishment Stupid

Yesterday Justice Minister Peter MacKay and Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino admonished Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau for not supporting mandatory minimum sentences. “Shameful” MacKay thundered. A recipe for decreasing community safety chimed in Fantino. All in a day’s work for…

Andreas Papadopoulos
November 13, 2013

Criminal Justice System, Drugs

The Unbearable Lightness of Rob Ford

When fire breathing tough-on-crimers like Toronto’s Mayor Rob Ford start speaking the language of compassion, understanding and “the past is in the past” and hoping that “nobody has to go through what I have gone through” we continue to see…

Andreas Papadopoulos
November 6, 2013

Attorney General, Criminal Justice System, Prosecutors, Trials

Don’t Ever Think You’re Not Big Enough

Clients often ask me, “Why do they want to go after me?” They can’t understand why the spotlight is on them. Their charges are small potatoes compared to the real crimes that take place in the country. “Why don’t they…

Andreas Papadopoulos
October 10, 2013

Bail, Criminal Justice System, Jails, Police, Prosecutors

Ain’t Nothing like Bail

Much like bacon everything is better with bail. While out on bail, the food tastes better and the flowers smell sweeter. Bail is a game changer. It is the physical manifestation of the presumption of innocence. You get to work,…

Criminal Justice System, Police

Rights? We’re Talking about Drunk Driving Dammit!

An amazing thing occurred in the House of Commons during Question Period yesterday. Thomas Mulcair the NDP Leader of the Opposition asked the Prime Minister why hasn’t the government amended the Criminal Code to allow “random breath testing” of drivers. …

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