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263 Charlotte Street
Peterborough, Ontario
K9J 2V3

 705-742-0440

 705-742-0889

freeconsult@callalawyer.ca

Monday – Friday
8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

After Hours & Weekends By Appointment

Reach Us 24/7
at 1-800-668-1657

Google Rating
4.5
Based on 66 reviews
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BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION

We offer free 30-minute initial consultations to individuals in Ontario. Our criminal defence lawyers are available to review your case at one of our conveniently located offices or meeting places.

Schedule 30-Minute Consultation

PETERBOROUGH OFFICE

Aitken Robertson Criminal Law Office in Peterborough

Located east of the Otonabee River, the Peterborough location of Aitken Robertson is the home office of founding lawyer Richard Aitken and hosts a large number of Aitken Robertson employees.

Lawyer Dan Lemaire handles the majority of our clients in Peterborough. After graduating from Queen’s University with his J.D. and several awards, Dan returned to his hometown of Peterborough and articled under Richard Aitken. He continues to work with his mentor in his hometown as a fully licensed lawyer. Dan is directly assisted by paralegal and law clerk Carol Betz. Carol also handles some Highway Traffic Act charges and Provincial Offences for Peterborough clients.

Administrative, accounting assistant and receptionist Shan Burns is often the first point of contact for Peterborough clients. She handles incoming calls and takes care of the banking in addition to managing much of the day-to-day traffic of the office, Shan handles the firm’s bills, accounts, trial and reporting letters and also is the administrative assistant to lawyer Phil Stiles. Administrative assistant and content editor Kim Playford manages the firm’s data and records of written content. With nearly twenty years in the publishing industry, Kim is a valued editor with an eye for detail. Accounts receivable clerk Lorie Palombo has been a Peterborough local for over thirty years. She handles bookkeeping and many aspects of the firm’s finances.

While most of your experiences with Aitken Robertson may be with Dan or Carol, all Aitken Robertson clients can rest easy knowing there is a large team with a variety of skills working behind the scenes. On top of the Peterborough staff, our lawyers and paralegals have the support of many of our other legal professionals across the province.

We are proud to provide the good people of Peterborough with quality and affordable legal services. We feel strongly that no one should be barred from hiring experienced lawyers for financial reasons, and so we offer a flat fee billing system. We tell you from the very beginning what the cost will be, so you do not have to worry about “billable hours” adding up or unexpected expenses such as travel time being tacked on. If a lump sum payment would be difficult to make, we also offer customized interest-free payment plans, allowing you to fund your legal service with small payments over a period rather than all at once.

To begin working with our team you can meet with us at 263 Charlotte St for a free 30-minute consultation. Alternatively, we can meet by way of telephone or virtually by Zoom or Google Meet. We will listen to your side of the story and let you know, based on the facts of the case, what outcomes, and costs you can expect. If you are satisfied with what we tell you then you can retain us as your lawyers, and we can begin fighting the charges on your behalf as quickly as possible.

Our Team In Peterborough

Criminal Lawyer Richard Aitken

Richard Aitken

Managing Lawyer
With over 35 years practicing criminal law under his belt, Richard Aitken not only continues to handle his cases but assists the rest of his team with their cases daily. Richard has focused much of his practice on drinking and driving offences and is so passionate about this field of law he owns his own Initializer 8000TM, the instrument used by Ontario police for testing blood alcohol levels.
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Dan Lemaire - Criminal Lawyer Peterborough

Dan Lemaire

Lawyer
Dan Lemaire is a Peterborough local who returned to his home town to article and practice law at Aitken Robertson after earning his J.D. at Queen’s. Dan earned awards for being top of his class in several courses, including criminal law and advanced legal research. Dan is almost as passionate about cooking as he is about the law and spends his free time trying out new recipes.
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Jami Sanftleben - Paralegal

Jami Sanftleben

Paralegal
Hi there, my name is Jami. I am the main litigation paralegal at Aitken Robertson. I appear in Provincial Offences Act matters in all courts in all of Ontario. I also represent people before administrative bodies such as the Licence Appeal Tribunal in regards to various types of licence suspensions. I always fight for the best results for our firm’s valued clients. If you would like to get in touch with me, feel free to call us toll-free at 1-800-668-1657 today, or fill in a form on our firm’s website to book a free 30-minute consultation.
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Carol Betz

Carol Betz

Paralegal
Carol Betz aids both Dan Lemaire and Richard Aitken while handling some Highway Traffic Act charges and Provincial Offences as a paralegal herself. Her organization is invaluable to the team in organizing case files, scheduling meetings with the Crown, and ensuring clients receive information as a case progresses.
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Shan Burns

Shan Burns

Accounts / Administrative Assistant / Assistant to Phil Stiles
Shan Burns is a Peterborough local and has worked with Aitken Robertson since 1994, acting as an administrative assistant and a bookkeeper. Shan is the first point of contact for many of our clients and is a ensures all clients feel welcome and taken care of. She also oversees many of the firm’s accounts, including billing. Shan enjoys reading in her free time and frequents concerts with her daughter.
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Lorie Palombo

Lorie Palombo

Accounts Receivable
Lorie Palombo has been a Peterborough resident for over three decades and has been in charge of accounts receivable for Aitken Robertson for over five years. After spending years working in a similar role with the automotive industry her experience in her field is a valued asset to the team. When Lorie is not in the office she enjoys knitting and attending concerts.
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Kim Playford

Kim Playford

Administrative Assistant / Editor
Kim Playford joined Aitken Robertson after almost two decades in the publishing industry. She brings with her an eye for detail that makes her the perfect editor for the firm’s publications. Kim maintains a detailed log of all of the content written by members of the firm. After work, Kim enjoys spending time with animals and spoils her cat as much as possible.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Technically yes. Anyone can also fix their car, but if you have a major problem with your car it is usually safer and more effective to hire a mechanic. Criminal defence lawyers have spent their careers learning the ins and outs of court proceedings, offences, available defences, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and advocacy. Our team has decades of collective experience defending clients against a full range of charges from driving under the influence of aggravated assault and beyond. If you want to know what we can do for you, come see us for a free 30-minute consultation and we can go over your case entirely free of charge.

It depends on what you are going to court for. Many of your court dates will be to handle more administrative tasks, like adjourning while we await disclosure from the Crown or requesting a modification to a bail condition, that sort of thing. For these things, you may not even need to be in court once you have retained a lawyer. We can go on your behalf and act as an agent, leaving you free from interruptions to your personal and professional lives. If you need to be in court we will let you know in advance. In that case a few things you should keep in mind:

  1. Turn your cellphone off before you go into the courtroom.
  2. Sit quietly in the provided seating, try not to stand unless you are leaving, or the court calls on you to speak.
  3. Try to stay quiet unless the court calls on you to speak.
  4. Let your lawyer do most of the talking. The court might ask you simple yes or no questions, or to state your name, but detailed answers should come from us.

Don’t be so fast to assume the police have an easy win in your case. Often they make mistakes following procedure when they gather evidence, and if we can show that those mistakes violated police guidelines or the Charter the evidence can be deemed inadmissible. This could completely ruin the Crown’s case and leave them little choice but to withdraw the charges. For example, if the police waited too long after arresting you to give you a chance to retain a lawyer, the evidence taken after the moment of arrest can be found inadmissible. You have a Charter protected right to retain a lawyer, and if the court finds they violated this right even a full signed confession could be deemed unusable as evidence. These are the sorts of things we look for so talk with us before you make a decision.

Aitken Robertson firmly believes that all those facing criminal charges deserve quality legal services and should not be impeded by finances. We offer three things designed to make our services easier to pay for:

Free 30-Minute Consultations: These consultations allow you to discuss the details of your case with a member of our team free of charge. We’ll let you know what kinds of outcomes you might expect if your goals in the case are realistic, and what the cost would be. We want you to know all the details before you make this major decision.

Block Rate Billing: Many law firms still rely on the “billable hour”. That means as lawyers, paralegals, clerks, and law students work on your case, they track their time spent in detail so that their client can be billed as much as possible. This means you wouldn’t know the cost of your defence until after the case had concluded and the hours and rates calculated. Aitken Robertson believes you should know from the beginning what the cost will be, so we hear the details of your case and provide you with a total. This typically only changes if you decide later on that you’d rather go to trial, and so the amount of work we need to put in increases. We can provide you with his figure shortly after our free consultation.

Custom Interest-Free Payment Plans: Most people do not pay for expensive services or products like cars or university tuition in a lump sum payment. Having that amount of money upfront in at once can be difficult. Instead, you make small payments over a period, paying off that item or service. We offer the same for our legal services and without interest. Our team will consider your financial situation and create a custom plan that works for you. If you would prefer to make bi-weekly payments over a few months to fit with your paycheque schedule then we will gladly set that up for you.

You can have the Interlock Ignition device installed at:

LifeSafer Ignition Interlock
675 The Queensway
Peterborough, ON
Telephone: 1-888-769-6080

Apple Auto Glass
494 The Parkway, Unit 1
Peterborough, ON
Telephone: 705-745-7772

There is some parking at 70 Simcoe St. It is metered parking and only accepts cash.

Peterborough Area Criminal Law Resources

Superior Court of Justice, Peterborough

470 Water St
Peterborough, ON
K9H 3M3
Telephone: 705-876-3815

Ontario Court of Justice, Peterborough

70 Simcoe St
Peterborough, ON
K9H 7G9
Telephone: 705-876-3846

Criminal Youth Court, Peterborough

70 Simcoe St
Peterborough, ON
K9H 7G9
Telephone: 705-876-3846

Traffic Court, Peterborough

99 Simcoe St
Peterborough, ON
K9H 2H3
Telephone: 705-742-7777

Crown Attorney’s Office, Peterborough

470 Water St
Peterborough, ON
K9H 3M3
Telephone: 705-755-5360

Accessibility Coordinator, Peterborough Courthouse

70 Simcoe St
Peterborough, ON
K9H 7G9
Telephone: 705-876-3846 Extension: 726

Legal Aid Ontario, Peterborough

364 Water St
Peterborough, ON
K9H 3L6
Telephone: 705-743-5430

Superior Court of Justice, Cobourg

For criminal offences
860 William St
Cobourg, ON
K9A 3A9
Telephone: 905-372-3751

Ontario Court of Justice, Cobourg

For criminal, provincial, and youth offences
860 William St
Cobourg, ON
K9A 3A9
Telephone: 905-372-3751

Crown Attorney’s Office, Cobourg

860 William St
Cobourg, ON
K9A 3A9
Telephone: 905-372-8784

Accessibility Coordinator, Cobourg Courthouse

860 William St
Cobourg, ON
K9A 3A9
Telephone: 905-372-3751

Legal Aid Ontario, Cobourg

860 William St
Cobourg, ON
K9A 3A9
Telephone: 905-377-9159

Superior Court of Justice, Lindsay

For criminal offences
440 Kent St West
Lindsay, ON
K9V 6KV
Telephone: 705-324-1400

Ontario Court of Justice, Lindsay

For criminal, provincial and youth offences
440 Kent St West
Lindsay, ON
K9V 6KV
Telephone: 705-324-1400

Crown Attorney’s Office, Lindsay

440 Kent St West
Lindsay, ON
K9V 6KV
Telephone: 705-324-1420

Accessibility Coordinator, Lindsay Courthouse

440 Kent St West
Lindsay, ON
K9V 6KV
Telephone: 705-324-1400 Extension: 207

Ontario Victim Services

Telephone: 705-755-5150

Recent Peterborough Cases & Success Stories

CASE STUDY: Uttering Forged Documents, Fraud under $5,000, and Breach of Trust

The client indicated his intention not to proceed to a trial at the initial consultation, which left Mr. Aitken with relatively less maneuverability. Therefore, our goal was to resolve the case early and get the best resolution offer for Mr. B.

CASE STUDY: Withdrawn for Peace Bond – Mischief Under $5,000

Mr. H had no criminal record at the time the incident occurred. We did not want to see Mr. H end up with a criminal record when he was acting out of confusion and intoxication, and so we would seek to have the Crown withdraw the charges in favour of non-criminal diversions.

CASE STUDY: Absolute Discharge – Public Mischief

Ms. W was charged with public mischief for falsely phoning the police. She contacted Aitken Robertson, and Philip Stiles set her at ease and began building her defence.

CASE STUDY: Charges Withdrawn for Peace Bond – Uttering Threats

When two people in a long-term relationship have a heated fight, emotions often run high and both sides can feel that the other side wronged them in some way. In 2018 Mr. C and his partner got into one such argument.

CASE STUDY: Plead Down to Non-Criminal Charge – Impaired Driving, Over 80, & Failure to Report

Ms. D made it clear to us during our initial meetings that her greatest concern was avoiding the loss of her licence. While our greater goal was to help Ms. D avoid criminal sanctions at all, we aligned our focus on obtaining an outcome that did not result in the loss of Ms. D’s licence.

CASE STUDY: Charges Withdrawn for Peace Bond – Assault

Phil’s strategy was to propose this agreement to the Crown. Mr. F participating in some form of counselling or education in exchange for a withdrawal and peace bond.

CASE STUDY: Withdrawal for Peace Bond – Domestic Assault and Failure to Comply with Conditions

We began supporting Mr. M not after his initial charge of assault, but after his failure to comply charge. He had been charged with assault in the domestic context after a small argument with his girlfriend, during which she alleged he shoved her. He was released on a promise to appear before the court, and one of the conditions of the release was to avoid contact with the complainant.

CASE STUDY: Plead Down to Non-Criminal Charge in Peterborough – Over 80

If Ms. C plead guilty to Careless Driving, a Highway Traffic Act offence that did not included a criminal record, and agreed to pay a reduced fine and adhere to certain driving conditions, they would drop the Over 80 charge.

CASE STUDY: Drug-Related Offences, Proceeds of Crime, & Breach of Probation

Mid-afternoon in the summer, a police officer stopped a suspicious vehicle with two passengers and a dog inside. The passengers were identified as Ms. S and Ms. G and the vehicle was registered as stolen. Mr. G was driving at the time and Ms. S was in the passenger seat. The dog and two bags were in the back seat.

CASE STUDY: Conviction appeal – Failing to comply with the regulations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act

We successfully appealed our client's conviction. This was a novel issue that had not previously been decided and was reported in a reputable law journal.

CASE STUDY: Resolved with a plea – Over 80; Open Alcohol; No Life Jacket

In this case, the Crown agreed that our client's rights had been breached by police, and the file was resolved with a creative plea.

CASE STUDY: Over 80 – Charge Withdrawn and No Criminal Record

Our client, a young first time offender with hopes of attending university and starting a career, was able to avoid a criminal record as well as implications for his driver's license.

FREE CONSULTATION

We're here for all criminal offences including sexual offences, driving offences, violent offences, white collar crime and drug offences.