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Frank Addario leads a group of smart, hard-working advocates committed to finding innovative ways to help clients solve their criminal, regulatory and constitutional law problems. From investigation to charging decision to trial, we work hard to protect clients from disruption to their life, business and reputation.
Services
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PRE-CHARGE ADVOCACY & CRIMINAL TRIALS
We specialize in pre-charge advocacy for individuals and organizations to prevent enforcement action, penalties or charges. This work requires energy, judgment and an excellent working relationship with enforcement and prosecution agencies. Our most successful advocacy is known only to those most affected: if you have never heard of our work in this area, we succeeded.
If the authorities lay charges, our lawyers defend a wide variety of criminal and regulatory matters, from administrative decisions to the most serious offences. Our signature is creativity, preparation and nimble responses to evolving problems. We bring our reputation with adversaries and judges to each client’s case. -
POLICE & REGULATORY INVESTIGATIONS
General counsel seek our assistance in separating regulatory and prosecutorial threats from acceptable business risks. We provide strategic advice and direction in responding to investigations to achieve optimum results from containing the problem to defending our client in court. Our legal services include witness interviews, document review, legal and reputational analysis and negotiations with regulators and law enforcement. We help clients who choose to cooperate with external investigations protect their own interests.
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CRISIS MANAGEMENT
We provide crisis management advice to law firms and corporate boards, senior management and audit committees. We work with general counsel and outside corporate counsel to contain and solve our clients’ legal problems. We make sure internal challenges don't attract external scrutiny.
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APPEALS
We regularly prepare and argue appeals in criminal and constitutional cases at the Superior Court, the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Effective appellate advocacy requires a combination of intellectual rigour, practical advocacy skills and an ability to view legal problems creatively. We bring these skills to every appeal we argue and have successfully advanced appeals in many factually and legally complex cases.
Our team of lawyers includes former clerks from every level of appeal court in Canada. -
CIVIL AND CONSTITUTIONAL
We represent individuals and organizations in cases arising from non-criminal legal disputes. We assist our clients with constitutional questions, applications for judicial review, and claims related to criminal complaints. We bring our experience as criminal lawyers and crisis managers to our civil files. We take on a limited number of these cases and only where the issues are complex.
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LEGAL OPINIONS & ADVICE
We provide advice and legal opinions to individuals, corporations and organizations about their legal rights and responsibilities. Our goal is to quickly and efficiently answer legal questions efficiently and in plain language. We regularly provide advice to major online businesses about compliance with criminal and quasi-criminal reporting obligations and responding to police investigations.