Straight answers to the questions clients ask most.

No. Kim is based in Hamilton but practises across Ontario — including the Greater Toronto Area, Niagara Region, Halton, and Brant. Travel to other Ontario jurisdictions is part of the practice.

Kim handles all criminal matters in Ontario — including murder/manslaughter, drug offences, weapons offences, sexual assault, robbery, fraud and theft, domestic and other assault matters, youth court matters, and criminal appeals. The one exception: Kim does not represent impaired drivers.

Whether you are a newcomer or an "oldhand", Kim will educate you, guide you, counsel you, and stand beside you. Your questions will always be answered with complete honesty — good news or bad. The first step is a series of appointments at the office, courthouse, by phone, or by Zoom — usually 30 to 60 minutes each.

Kim's published rates are $400 per hour for preparation (out-of-court work) and $4,000 per day for court time. Disbursements and HST are extra. Every file is governed by a formal Retainer Agreement that itemises how accounts are billed.

Yes. Kim accepts Legal Aid Ontario certificates for qualifying clients. If you don't currently have a certificate, the firm can help you understand how to apply.

Yes. Payment Agreements and Plans are available and should be discussed at the earliest opportunity. The Retainer Agreement will clearly set out the timing of payments — typically prorated and paid monthly, with the balance paid in full 60 days before a hearing.

After you're charged, released, or detained, your next appearances are typically before a Justice of the Peace, where a date is set for the next step. The Crown is then obliged to provide Disclosure — the material accumulated throughout the investigation that outlines the evidence against you. You're able to review it (your lawyer cannot provide you a copy). Next, the Crown provides a Screening Form with their position on the case. If the matter requires more than a day, a judicial pre-trial will be required, after which a Trial or Preliminary Hearing date is set.

Most matters take at least five months from the setting of a date to the actual hearing. Clients who remain in custody are given priority dates by the Court — and may have a trial within three months.

Not necessarily. Some appearances — such as the judicial pre-trial with the Judge and the Crown — can be conducted without you present. Kim will tell you in advance which dates require your attendance and which do not.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects you from unreasonable searches (s. 8), arbitrary detention (s. 9), and ensures your right to counsel (s. 10), among others. If police breach those rights, the resulting evidence can sometimes be excluded under s. 24(2). Charter litigation is the part of a criminal defence that argues those breaches and seeks those exclusions — and it can be the difference between conviction and acquittal.

Kim is in court most days from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can leave a message during the day and she will return calls in the evening or as soon as she's able. The office is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Yes — but share it only with your lawyer. Memory fades and details get lost. Kim recommends that clients write out a complete version of events, from beginning to end, and provide it to her as early as possible. It is one of the most effective tools for an honest defence.

Please provide contact information for any necessary witnesses. Interviews will need to be arranged, and subpoenas may need to be served. Kim will tell you which witnesses are likely to help and which may not.