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5.0 ★
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Daniel Brown Law LLP is a Toronto criminal defence boutique founded in 2008 by Daniel Brown, who is certified as a specialist in criminal law by the Law Society of Ontario, a designation held by fewer than two percent of criminal lawyers in the province. The partnership runs a team of roughly 11 to 50 people out of Toronto, and concentrates on criminal charges, impaired and over-80 driving charges, assault charges, bail hearings and criminal appeals. It has repeatedly been named among Canada's leading criminal law boutiques by Canadian Lawyer Magazine and the Globe and Mail. As a Featured Partner on LawDB, Daniel Brown Law LLP is highlighted for anyone browsing Toronto-area law firms.
From the Firm
Charged With Impaired Driving in Ontario: What Happens Next
An impaired driving charge starts affecting your life long before your trial date — your licence, your insurance, and your record are all in play from day one. Here is how these cases actually unfold in Ontario.
The roadside stop and the licence suspension
In Ontario, a driver who registers a blood alcohol concentration over the legal limit, or who fails a
standardized field sobriety test or drug recognition evaluation, faces an immediate administrative licence
suspension. That suspension is imposed by the province and takes effect right away — it does not wait
for a court to decide anything, and it is separate from any penalty a judge might later impose.
Two cases running at once
Impaired driving matters run on two tracks. The criminal charge proceeds through the Ontario Court of
Justice, while the provincial licence and vehicle consequences are handled administratively by the Ministry
of Transportation. Winning one does not automatically resolve the other, which is why the two need to be
managed together rather than in sequence.
Where these cases are actually fought
Much of the defence work happens in the disclosure — the officer's notes, the calibration and
maintenance records for the breath instrument, the timing of the demand, video from the cruiser or the
station. Whether the officer had the grounds to make the demand in the first place, and whether the testing
was carried out within the windows the Criminal Code requires, are frequently the questions that decide the
outcome. Charter issues around the right to counsel and the length of detention also come up regularly.
What is at stake beyond the courtroom
A conviction carries a mandatory minimum fine for a first offence, a driving prohibition, and a criminal
record that shows up on background checks and can complicate travel to the United States. Insurance
consequences typically last years and often cost more than the fine itself. Ontario also requires the
ignition interlock program for reinstatement in most cases.
What to do first
Write down everything you remember while it is fresh — times, what was said, how long each stage took.
Keep every document you were handed at the roadside and at the station. Do not assume the case is hopeless
because a machine produced a number; the reliability of that number depends on procedure that can be examined.
This article is general information about impaired driving charges in Ontario,
not legal advice, and it is not a summary of the firm's own writing. Every case turns on its own facts —
speak to a lawyer about yours.
General guidance for this kind of matter, not advice about your situation and not specific to this firm.
Questions worth asking
Have you handled this specific charge before, and how did those matters end?
What are the realistic outcomes here, including the ones I will not like?
Who will actually appear in court, you or someone else at the firm?
What happens to my case if it goes past the stage your quote covers?
How this work is usually billed
Criminal defence is usually billed as a block fee tied to a stage of the case, bail hearing, resolution discussions, trial, rather than one price for everything. Get in writing which stage your fee covers.
What to have ready
Your release documents or promise to appear, the disclosure package if the Crown has provided it, and the date of your next court appearance.
Where this rating comes from. LawDB does not collect its own reviews —
the rating and review count above are pulled from this firm’s public Google Business profile and reflect a snapshot
at the time this page was generated. Open Google to read the reviews themselves.
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