Having worked at student-run legal aid clinic while in law school and on
countless Legal Aid files, Nadia is aware that Legal Aid Ontario’s eligibility
requirements are vastly limiting to the general population of litigants who need
legal representation. Meanwhile, the majority of private legal fees remain
out-of-reach for hardworking Canadians.
As a free market advocate, Nadia values price transparency
in all the industries she participates in. Her clients
should always be offered a clear idea upfront regarding how
much it will cost to hire her.
Retain Nadia
There are three ways to retain Nadia:
Nadia accepts most Legal Aid Ontario certificates
in the GTA region. Legal aid-assisted clients can be rest assured
that they will receive the same high quality of legal representation as
all Nadia's other clients.
For those who are not eligible for assistance from Legal Aid Ontario and
wish to retain Nadia privately, depending on the nature of your
retainer, you can pay hourly fees or block fees.
Hourly rates are the only payment option available if you are looking to
retain me for unconventional advocacy, where it will be difficult to
predict from the outset the type of representation that will be required
to achieve your legal objectives, the length of time it will take
conduct the work, and the individualized legal strategies that will be
needed to achieve the results you seek. Nadia offers accessible hourly
rates for her new clients beginning at the rate of
$200 per hour (plus HST).
Block fees are the available option for
most retainers for representation in court on criminal charges. The
amounts will be highly dependent on the type of retainer and what type
of services are covered under each retainer agreement will need to be
determined on a case-by-case basis.
As a passionate advocate who is determined to use the privilege of her
law degree for advancing justice in society, Nadia will accept cases on
a
pro bono basis to indigent accused if she determines there is a
public interest rationale for donating her time and expertise to the
case. Examples of this can include:
Cases that could contribute to progressive legal reform, such as
those concerning important constitutional issues;
Cases involving egregious state challenges to civil liberties
(excessive use of force by police, free speech incursions, or other
clear breaches of Charter rights);
Cases involving vulnerable classes of accused such as those with
disabilities or youth offenders in precarious living situations;
Clients requiring assistance with their Rowbotham applications, or
s. 684(1) applications for appeals at the Court of Appeal for cases
with merit.
Unpacking the costs of your criminal proceedings
Every criminal case is unique because they are all made up of different facts
and circumstances. The criminal process is comprised of a series of crucial
stages that require clients to make informed decisions on how they would like to
proceed at each stage, such as whether to resolve the case early or whether to
proceed to trial. These decisions will depend highly on factors such as whether
you have been released on bail, the quality of the evidence the Crown has
obtained, the strength of your defences, what the Crown is offering you in
exchange for an early plea, and the consequences of a conviction.
Examples of legal work that will increase the cost of your
defence include the need for bail reviews, the factual and
legal complexity involved in your case, the preparation,
filing, and arguing of pretrial applications, such as
Charter motions, the number of charges you are
facing, the number of witnesses involved in your case, the
volume and type of evidence involved in your case, the need
for hiring experts, the preference for a jury trial, and the
total number of court days required for your hearings and
trial.
Nadia firmly believes that each client should be closely
involved in his or her defence, and kept apprised of all
case developments. She will make sure to work with you to
quickly identify the legal issues that will impact your
defence. Some cases may take years to complete. In order to
keep costs low for her clients, Nadia will provide informed
legal opinions early on to all her clients outlining their
options and likelihood of success at trial.
Block Fees
Below are estimates of my block fees for proceedings in the Toronto region for a
single, minor offence. If you are charged with multiple offences on multiple
incidents, the costs of your defence will increase. Additionally, the more
serious the offences you face, where the legal issues and potential penalties
are more complex, the more your legal fees will be. Keep in mind that the rates
listed below are only starting estimates in an effort to bring transparency to
legal costs in this profession, and to help clients understand the costs of
their legal representation. Each case will present unique considerations that
will be discussed with you individually.
Note: Click arrows to see description of typical case and tasks
required.
Description:
The Crown is consenting to your release on bail. If sureties are required, your proposed sureties are prepared to appear in court and sign your bail release order. Your bail is ready to be addressed and is completed in half a day or less.
Description:
The Crown has contested your release on bail and wants you to remain detained because it believes you are a flight risk, you are likely going to re-offend or put public safety at risk, and/or your release would cause the public to lose confidence in the administration of justice. If sureties are required, they will most likely need to be prepared beforehand to give evidence either by testifying or via sworn affidavit, and be prepared to be cross-examined by the Crown. Their direct examinations and cross-examinations of Crown witnesses (if any) will need to be prepared. Reviewing your criminal record (if any), your version of the case, evidence to support your release on bail, and any available disclosure will be necessary, along with conducting the legal research necessary to advocate for your release and the conditions of your release. Legal submissions will then be drafted accordingly and argued before the bail justice, and any supporting exhibits will be presented. Your bail proceedings take one day or less.
Description:
You will be required to make regular court appearances as your case progresses through the court system until the completion of your case. Retaining me as your defence lawyer means I will attend all court appearances on your behalf while protecting your constitutional right to a speedy trial without unreasonable delay. This requires making it clear on the record what the reason is for each adjournment made in your case. Having a lawyer attend your court appearances will also save you a great deal of time, as attending court can often be an all-day endeavour due to the busy dockets of Ontario's courtrooms. In addition to attending your court appearances, I will obtain and review any disclosure (the evidence against you gathered by the police) you are entitled to, as well as any evidence you have to provide to me. I will then conduct pretrial negotiations with the Crown. In cases where the allegations are minor, you are youthful, and/or you are a first-time offender, skillful negotiation may result in the Crown agreeing to resolve your charges early by way of a withdrawal or stay of your charges. This means you will not receive a criminal record. You will usually be required to accept some responsibility for the allegations, and complete other upfront work beforehand, such as counselling, restitution, or participation in a diversion program aimed at mending the harm the offence has caused. You may also be required to enter into a peace bond before the charges are withdrawn or stayed, especially if charged with domestic-related offences. If the Crown has not agreed to withdraw or stay your charges within six months after you retained me, you will be required to pay additional retainer funds should you wish me to continue to act for you and attend your court appearances. In certain, but uncommon, cases, the Crown may be willing to withdraw or stay your charges where it becomes apparent that there is no reasonable prospect of conviction -- usually meaning that the Crown has realized it no longer has the evidence to convict you beyond a reasonable doubt. If this is an avenue that is viable for your case from a legal standpoint, I will pursue it as part of this block fee.
Description:
After I have reviewed your disclosure, completed pretrial discussions with the Crown, and have discussed your case with you, you have agreed to enter a plea of guilt to some or all of the charges against you. You understand that by doing this you are giving up your right to a trial and requiring the Crown to prove each charge against you beyond a reasonable doubt. You may have done some upfront work in the community, engaged in charitable endeavours, provided restitution, completed counselling, and received referral letters or character references to mitigate against any sentence you might receive. The Crown might have agreed to withdraw some counts against you in exchange for pleas to other counts, or agreed to have you plea to lesser, included offences. The Crown and you may have come to an agreement on a sentencing position to present to the sentencing judge, or you may want to advocate for a less punitive sentence than the one being proposed by the Crown. The sentencing judge will ultimately decide what he or she feels is an appropriate sentence based on the law. Preparation for your sentencing hearing will include ensuring you understand all the implications and consequences of your guilty plea, conducting thorough legal research on analogous case law, drafting and commissioning any affidavits we may want to submit into evidence, and a review of all the mitigating factors in your case, including preparing any material or evidence relevant to your sentencing. Thoughtful argumentation and submissions on an appropriate sentence for you, including relevant exhibits, will then be presented to the judge.
Description:
The starting end of the range of these rates reflect the cost of a one-day trial for a minor summary offence in the Ontario Court of Justice involving a single transaction. If you are charged with multiple offences, the cost may increase. This amount includes all court appearances required to move your case along, to obtain all relevant disclosure, and attendance at all necessary Crown pre-trials and judicial pre-trials before we are able to set a date for trial. I have reviewed all relevant disclosure in your case, and after discussing your case with you, you have declined any plea offers made by the Crown. I will develop a defence strategy for trial that includes any defence witness preparation, evidence gathering and investigation, cross-examination of Crown witnesses, and case law research and argumentation. I will also prepare minor Charter applications that can be addressed as a blended voir dire. Your trial is completed in a day or less. Additional days in court for either trial or other application hearings will be subject to additional costs. If the Crown is proceeding against you by indictment, it usually means the allegations are serious, the potential penalties are more severe, and except in some cases, you are entitled to elect either a trial by judge and jury in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, or a trial by judge alone either in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice or the Ontario Court of Justice. The higher end of these rates provides an estimate for the cost of a trial like this. Trials of this nature are often multi-day proceedings due to the complexity of the charges, and depending on how serious the charges you are facing, you may also be entitled to a preliminary inquiry hearing before your trial – a step in the proceedings which sometimes results in the discharge of your charges against you (meaning that the judge has determined the Crown lacks the evidence to proceed against you). The cost of the preliminary inquiry hearing is not reflected in these rates and will be calculated separately. The number of days set for trial, whether or not you will have a preliminary inquiry, the number of pretrial applications involved in your defence, the number and complexity of the charges you face, and other factors will all implicate the overall cost of your defence.
These cost estimates do not include expenses and disbursements like mileage,
travel time, photocopying fees, transcript fees, retainers for expert witnesses,
etc. For proceedings outside the Toronto region, additional charges for mileage,
travel time and accommodations may be applicable.