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    Notable Cases & Publications

    A record of reported decisions, published work, teaching, and media coverage.

    Reported Decisions

    • R. v. Bigras, 2025 ONSC 6247 — sexual assault, assault, and other convictions overturned based on trial judge's error in refusing adjournment application.
    • R. v. Rousselle, 2025 SCC 35 — intervened on behalf of the Criminal Lawyers' Association regarding the admissibility of breath certificate for impaired driving cases where there is no evidence by certificate or otherwise from the analyst.
    • R. v. Zollerano, 2025 ONSC 5353 — flight and lies to police excluded for the juries consideration of first or second degree murder; bad character evidence excluded for first; defence medical records of hearsay statements from civilian witness admitted for their truth s. 30 of the Canada Evidence Act.
    • R. v. Nichols, 2024 ONSC 1602 — trial judge finds exceptional circumstances warrant a second fitness assessment in a homicide case.
    • R. v. Hills, 2023 SCC 2 — Supreme Court of Canada finds the mandatory minimum sentence for discharging a firearm unconstitutional.
    • R. v. D.D., 2022 ONCA 786 — Court of Appeal quashes sexual interference convictions based on the trial judge's error in assessing the witness's evidence about childhood events.
    • R. v. Theriault, 2020 ONSC 3317 — trial judge acquits the accused of aggravated assault and obstruct justice.
    • R. v. Brar, 2020 ONSC 4740 — convictions quashed and impaired charges stayed after the trial judge erred in the section 11(b) delay analysis.
    • R. v. Atkinson, 2019 ONSC 7132 — fraud charges stayed for a violation of the section 11(b) right to be tried within a reasonable time.
    • R. v. Doobay, 2019 ONSC 7272 — acquittals entered and convictions quashed in part after the trial judge erred in the section 10(b) right to counsel analysis.
    • R. v. Macgregor, 2019 ONCJ 80 — accused acquitted of impaired driving after police failed to make reasonable efforts to contact counsel of choice.
    • R. v. Voong, 2018 ONCJ 353 — accused acquitted of fraud, impaired, and obstruction charges due to flawed identification evidence.
    • R. v. Walia, 2018 ONCA 197 — appeal allowed and aggravated assault conviction quashed due to an inconsistent jury verdict.

    Publications

    • Co-author with Jonathan Rosenthal, "Highway Traffic Act Consequences in Criminal Driving Cases," For the Defence, Vol. 43, No. 4 (August 2023).
    • Co-author with Wes Dutcher-Walls, "Expanding the rationale of minimization to sexual, medical, and religious communications," For the Defence, Vol. 42, No. 3 (September 2022).
    • "The Privilege against Self-Incrimination," chapter in The Law of Objections in Canada (Toronto: LexisNexis Canada, 2019 and 2024). [Link]
    • Co-author with Alan D. Gold & Michael Lacy, A Practical Guide to the Charter: Section 10(b) (Toronto: LexisNexis Canada, 2020). [Link]
    • Co-author with Alan D. Gold & Michael Lacy, A Practical Guide to the Charter: Section 11(b) (Toronto: LexisNexis Canada, 2019). [Link]
    • Co-author with Alan D. Gold, "Using the spirit of Jordan to benefit your client at the sentencing stage," For the Defence, Vol. 39, No. 2.
    • "Reconsidering the constitutionality of mandatory minimum sentences under section 235(1)(e) post-Luxton," 6:2 Western Journal of Legal Studies (2016). [Link]

    Teaching & Speaking

    • Trial Advocacy Instructor, Osgoode Hall Law School (2023–present). [Link]
    • Presenter, LSO CPD session on defending impaired driving charges.
    • Presenter, 2023 CLA Fall Conference, on third-party record and JJ applications in sexual assault cases. [Link]
    • Presenter, 2023 DCAO/CCLA Annual Conference (Montebello, QC), on supporting appellate counsel from the trial level. [Link]
    • Presenter, 2022 CLA Recent Call Conference, on current issues in sexual assault law. [Link]

    Media

    • Podcast interview, The Law Garage, with Sherif and Laura Metcalfe on life and work in criminal defence. [Listen]
    • Toronto Star: coverage of a gun case dismissed over a no-knock warrant and Charter breaches. [Read]
    • Canadian Lawyer: Laura's former firm named among Canada's leading criminal law boutiques. [Read]
    • Toronto Star: coverage of legal fundraising in the Umar Zameer case. [Read]
    • YouTube: Women in Canadian Criminal Defence series, featuring Laura Metcalfe. [Watch]
    • Law360: commentary on a Toronto police gun case. [Read]