Milton Criminal Defence Lawyers

A Team of Experienced Criminal Defence Lawyers Serving Milton and The Surrounding Area

Milton Criminal Defence LawyersHave you been charged with a criminal offence and are required to attend Court in Milton? We can help! Our full-service criminal law firm handles all types of criminal and regulatory charges from Mischief to Murder, with a particularly strong focus on Impaired Driving, Assault, and Domestic Violence charges.

  • Assault
  • Threats; Confinement; Kidnapping
  • Sexual Assault; Child Sexual Assault; Child Pornography; Voyeurism; Trespass
  • Theft and Fraud; False Pretences; Forged Documents
  • Property Crimes, Break and Enter; Robbery; Possession of Stolen Property
  • Impaired Driving; Over 80/.08; Refusal; DUI; Care or Control
  • Dangerous Driving; Disqualified Driving; Prohibited Driving; Flight from Police
  • Improper Storage of Firearms; Concealed Weapon; Discharge Firearms
  • Drug Offences, Drug Possession; Drug Trafficking; Drug Import/Export; Drug Grow/Production
  • Youth Offences
  • Traffic Offences; Careless Driving; Hit and Run; Speeding; No Insurance
  • Breach or Probation/CSO/Release/EPO; Fail to Appear for Court

With centralized offices in Toronto, we frequently travel to Milton to represent our clients. The Milton court house is located at 491 Steeles Ave E Milton. Milton has a population of 101,715 (as of the 2016 census), and processes fewer criminal cases than a large metropolitan centre like Toronto. Not surprisingly, many criminal defence lawyers who service Milton are based in Toronto.

Although virtually all substantive law is the same across Ontario, whether charges occur in a major city like Toronto or a suburban centre like Milton, there are some key differences that you should be aware of. Below are some of the main distinctions, but for specifics about your case, it’s important that you contact one of our criminal defence lawyers directly so you get the right advice.

The Investigation

Milton is policed by the Halton Regional Police Service. For all intents and purposes, their powers of investigation, detention, and arrest are the same as other police departments across Ontario. However, their training policies, techniques, and oversight is quite different. 12 Division of the Halton Regional Police Service covers Milton, the 12 Division detachment is located at 490 Childs Dr Milton, and the phone number for the main line is 905-878-5511. This is where you will be housed until your bail hearing, and this is where you will have to attend to give your fingerprints (if they are not taken at the time of your initial release).

The Bail/Release Process

Often times, the Halton Regional Police Service will release individuals on an “undertaking” (a type of promise) with conditions which may include: refraining from communicating with certain people, refraining from attending certain addresses, refraining from possessing and consuming alcohol and drugs, refraining from possessing weapons, etc.

If your charges are determined to be more serious by the police, the Halton Regional Police Service may require that a bail hearing be held either with a Judge or a Justice of the Peace before an individual is released. Unfortunately, this process can take upto 24 hours, so you or your loved one could be sitting in a jail cell for a very long time just because of the police policy.

If you are reading this before you are charged, it is very important that you ask for the first available court date. The reason for this is that the Halton Regional Police Service might put fairly restrictive conditions on you, such as not to communicate with the complainant or go back to the residence. For spouses with children, this creates a logistical nightmare! The situation can be fixed, but often not until the matter goes back to court.

The Charges

As mentioned earlier, although the substantive criminal law is the same across all geographic regions, there are some unique aspects to defending specific charges in rural areas that you should be aware of. Some of the post common features are discussed below.

DUI/Over .08/Impaired Driving/Refusal

If you have been charged with an alcohol driving related offence in Milton it probably has a much more debilitating impact on you than for someone charged in Toronto because it’s often harder to get around without a car in suburban or rural areas. As you probably already found out, your licence has been suspended for 90 days, and you will face the difficult choice of pleading guilty to be eligible for the “Stream A” licence suspension, or going to trial and risk being ineligible for the reduced licence suspension.

Domestic Violence Charges

Domestic violence is not a charge in itself, but rather refers to a broad list of violence charges, including assault, assault with a weapon/bodily harm, threats, confinement, harassment, etc, that occurs in a domestic context. As mentioned earlier, if you have been charged with a domestic violence charge, you have probably been placed on some conditions, the most debilitating of which are obligations not to have any contact or communication with the complainant and other family members. Indeed, it is the standard policy of the Halton Regional Police Service to put these conditions on you, even if the complainant (likely your spouse) doesn’t want those conditions.

It’s worth reiterating that if you are reading this before you are arrested and charged for domestic violence, be sure to ask for the very first court date possible. Moreover, the Halton Regional Police Service typically offer a first appearance date 2-4 weeks down the road which in our view is completely unacceptable due to the sensitive nature of these types of charges. Without going into the nuances, it is also much harder to get the matter into court earlier than the date the Halton Regional Police Service provides. There are mechanisms available to us that should be assessed on a case by case basis, but it is quite challenging to do this, so it’s that much more important to get it right at the beginning.

Domestic violence charges (particularly first time charges) can often be resolved without a criminal record with significant counselling in areas of domestic violence, anger management, and substance abuse. Indeed, we resolve the vast majority of domestic violence charges for our clients without a criminal record. Some of the centres available in Milton include services provided by the Canadian Mental Health Association, but you should consult with our of our lawyers to determine if the centre you choose is adequate.

Why Hire Us

We understand that it might be difficult for some people to travel from Milton for legal appointments. Rest assured we can handle most (and sometimes all) aspects of the case without you having to attend Toronto. For those clients who can’t meet us in person, we offer a free initial consultation by telephone or video link. We can review the circumstances of your case, the process, the fee structure and what we can do to help remotely.

We pride ourselves on providing not only the best result possible, but exceptional customer service along the way. Contact one of our experienced Toronto-based criminal defence lawyers today and judge for yourself.

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Our team of experienced criminal defence lawyers has defended clients in over 10,000 cases across Canada.

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Client Reviews

I would like to start by saying thank you to Dylan Finlay for all the great work he has done for me, I thought I was going to be dealing with a criminal record for the rest of my life and he managed to get me a criminal discharge on my case! He is on point and very professional, I would highly recommend Dylan Finlay to anybody who needs help with their criminal charges! Thank you once again Dylan!

K.S.

Dylan Finley handled my case. Right from the start he was polite, professional, attentive and he delivered on all of his promises. I had a case where it was looking really bad for me. I did everything Dylan told me to do and he took care of the rest. My life was filled with stress and worry about the case. Dylan handled my case like a pro and I received the outcome that I desired. I highly recommend Dylan to anyone seeking a criminal defense lawyer. He has changed my life and given me the opportunity to have a bright future.

R.M.

Dylan Finlay is a professional and effective criminal defence lawyer. Dylan was my lawyer for an assault charge and was excellent throughout the entire process. He advised me how to turn myself in and what to expect, and then helped me build a case while I waited for trial. He was responsive to my emails and his confidence and knowledge relieved my stress. Furthermore, he was reasonable priced for the quality of defence he provides. I am very thankful for his services and got a favourable result on my case. I highly recommend his services.

M.A.

Dylan Finlay is an amazing legal representative and person.I was facing a challenging trial. After getting to speak with Dylan he alleviated all of my stress and concern that burdened me. He provided valuable knowledge and was very intelligent and that eased my stress of the approaching Trial Court Dates . He provided an abundance of research and paperwork, he just had that intelligent edge and legal insight that was commendable. He was very kind and a pleasure too speak with and very personable. Look no further! The legal services provided to me by Dylan was an absolute success. Dylan returned my life back to me. He got me out of a very challenging situation. No matter how much I would thank you Dylan, you are the best :)

O.K.

Dylan was such a great lawyer to work with. I had consulted with other lawyers prior, but decided to hire him after our first meeting as he was extremely professional and provided better advice and information than the others had. He was able to have my case resolved so quickly, much faster than what I had expected and achieved the result we wanted. I truly feel that he went above and beyond for my case, which shows me how much he cares about his clients. Would definitely recommend if you are looking for a lawyer.

L.W.
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