Criminal Defence Lawyers in Barrie

A Barrie Criminal Defence Firm, Steps from the Courthouse

Mor Fisher LLP is a criminal defence firm based at 31 Clapperton Street in downtown Barrie, a short walk from the courthouse at 75 Mulcaster Street. Barrie is our main office: every lawyer at the firm works out of it, and our lawyers are in the Barrie courthouse every week.

We defend people charged by the Barrie Police Service, the OPP in the surrounding townships, and South Simcoe Police. We practise criminal and regulatory defence only.

If you have been charged, the most useful thing you can do today is get advice before you make decisions about bail, police interviews or your first court date. The first consultation is free.

Criminal Charges We Defend in Barrie

• Impaired driving and over 80. Breath and blood cases, refusal charges, and the licence consequences that follow. Also drug-impaired driving and dangerous driving. Read your rights after a DUI stop in Barrie and our guide to impaired driving charges in Barrie.
• Domestic assault. Partner and family allegations, where bail conditions often stop you from going home. See domestic assault charges in Barrie and what happens after a domestic assault charge.
• Assault. From simple assault to assault causing bodily harm and aggravated assault, including self-defence cases.
• Sexual assault. Serious allegations that need careful handling from the first day, including the choice of court. See our Barrie sexual assault lawyer page.
• Drug trafficking and possession. Charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, including search and seizure challenges. See our Barrie drug lawyer page.
• Firearms and weapons. Unauthorized possession and storage charges, and firearms licence and prohibition applications.
• Theft and fraud. Shoplifting, theft over and under $5,000, and fraud and breach of trust.
• Uttering threats, criminal harassment and mischief.
• Breach of bail or probation. Often charged alongside something else, and often resolvable.
• Fail to remain. Leaving the scene of a collision.
• Youth charges. Cases under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, where the rules on records and sentencing are different.
• Murder and manslaughter and other serious charges in the Superior Court.
• Appeals. Appeals from convictions and sentences.

What Happens After a Charge in Barrie

1. Arrest and release. Police may release you with a court date and conditions. If they hold you, you must be brought before a justice for a bail hearing, usually within 24 hours. Our guide to bail hearings in Barrie walks through the day. Read about bail, what a surety takes on, and how bail variations work if your conditions don’t fit your life.

2. First appearance. Your release papers give the date and location: usually the Barrie courthouse or, for Innisfil and Bradford charges, the Bradford courthouse. Many first appearances happen by Zoom. Nothing is decided about guilt at this stage. See your first court appearance.

3. Disclosure. The Crown must give your lawyer its evidence: police notes, videos, statements and reports. We review it with you before any decision is made. See Crown disclosure in Ontario.

4. Resolution or trial. Some cases are withdrawn, some resolve through diversion or a plea on agreed terms, and some go to trial. For a first offence, outcomes like a conditional or absolute discharge may be available. We will tell you plainly which path we think is right and why.

The Barrie Courthouse

Most criminal cases from Barrie and the surrounding area are heard here, from first appearances and bail hearings to preliminary inquiries and trials. More serious cases, including jury trials, go to the Superior Court in the same building.

Parking: Metered street parking is available on Mulcaster Street and nearby blocks, and the downtown municipal lots on Collier Street and Dunlop Street are a short walk away. Parking fills up on busy court days, so arrive early.

Getting there: From Highway 400, take Bayfield Street into the downtown core. Barrie Transit routes stop within a block of the courthouse.

For directions, security screening and what to expect on the day, read our full Barrie courthouse guide.

Virtual Court Appearances (Zoom)

Many appearances at the Barrie courthouse happen by Zoom. The courtroom links are listed below, and our province-wide virtual court directory covers every Ontario courthouse.

Serving Barrie and Simcoe County

From Barrie, we represent clients across Simcoe County, including Innisfil, Angus, Essa, Oro-Medonte, Springwater and the surrounding townships. We also appear regularly at the satellite courthouses in Orillia, Collingwood, Midland and Bradford, and further north in Bracebridge and Huntsville.

We regularly represent serving Canadian Armed Forces members from CFB Borden. If you are a CAF member facing charges, read our guide to defending military members at the Barrie courthouse.

Talk to a Barrie Criminal Lawyer

Call 705-721-6642 or send us a message for a free, confidential consultation. If someone has been arrested and is in custody, call our toll-free line at 833-527-5369.