Cooper, Sandler, Shime & Schwartzentruber LLP has been practising criminal law in the trial and appellate courts since 1953. The firm was founded by the late Austin M. Cooper, Q.C., recipient of the Douglas K. Laidlaw Medal for Excellence in Advocacy (1992) and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Mark J. Sandler, the senior partner of the firm, is a former Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario and also a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Mr. Sandler is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in Criminal Law. Today it is a dynamic, seven-member firm based in downtown Toronto, Ontario.

The firm has extensive experience defending allegations of white-collar crime. It also has wide experience in the defence of homicide, drug, and sexual assault cases. Its aim is to provide expert legal advice and skilful representation of its clients’ interests in the criminal courts. All of the lawyers at Cooper, Sandler, Shime & Schwartzentruber LLP have assisted clients before every level of court in Ontario, including the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Professional integrity underlies every decision the firm makes on a client’s behalf.

Cooper, Sandler, Shime & Schwartzentruber LLP can help you with:

• Trials of criminal offences in the Ontario Court and the Superior Court of Justice
• Appeals to the Superior Court of Justice, the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada
• Defence of Income Tax Act investigations and prosecutions – tax evasion, false statements in returns, etc.
• Defence of Securities Act investigations and prosecutions – insider trading, etc.
• Defence of Competition Act investigations and prosecutions
• Defence of computer- and high technology-related investigations and prosecutions
• Search Warrants – applications to quash, etc.
• Coroner’s Inquests
• Legal opinions regarding issues in criminal law
• Post-sentence remedies – applications for parole and record suspensions (formerly pardons)
• Defence of professional discipline complaints

Members of the firm often caucus when a particularly challenging legal or tactical problem confronts the defence of a client. In this way, the firm’s collective experience and judgement is brought to bear on the solution to the problem.

The lawyers in the firm believe that the criminal justice system should be readily accessible to every member of society.  As such, it is proud of its longstanding commitment to, and continued acceptance of, cases funded by Legal Aid Ontario.