Who can I trust is a legitimate DUI lawyer?

Just look their name up on lso.ca to verify if they are a real lawyer in Ontario, Canada or not.

An immigration consultant or member of my community said they were a lawyer or paralegal in Ontario. Should I rely on them for legal advice?

Absolutely not. In a DUI case the person you speak to should only be retained if they are confirmed to be a lawyer by the LSO. They are otherwise practicing law illegally and should be reported.

The reason the LSO lawyer directory exists is so that members of the public can verify the credentials of anyone to proclaims to be a lawyer or paralegal.

Anyone who claims to be a lawyer should be looked up on the lawyer directory of https://www.lso.ca. If they are not listed there at all or they are listed as a Licensed Paralegal they are not legally allowed to represent you for an impaired driving related charge and should not be relied on for drunk driving legal advice. Even Licensed Paralegals are not allowed to take DUI/impaired driving cases in Ontario, Canada..

Sometimes non LSO licenced people will make untrue claims about guaranteeing outcomes, avoiding fingerprints, etc.

These people are illegally trying to extract money from the accused. They are not only lying and making false claims in trying to get money from the accused, they are also operating illegally and should be reported to the police and the LSO for prosecution.

These fake legal experts who pretend to be lawyers often think they can get away with it because they are well known in their community, the home country of the accused, speak the same language of the accused, or are perhaps one of their few/only contacts in Canada and have built a relationship of trust with them prior to them being charged. If they are not a member of the LSO they should not be trusted, are acting criminally, and should be reported.

It is very upsetting when people who are not lawyers try to exploit people by pretending that they are and unfortunately it happens a lot and in particular in immigrant communities of people originally from India, China, and Iran/Persia. Canada has immigrants from every country in the world so this is not an exclusive list.

The only people who are qualified and legally allowed to represent someone charged with impaired driving are lawyers certified by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO).

Unfortunately there are some people who pretend to be lawyers who are not. The LSO provides a directory of all lawyers in Ontario that is searchable through their website for this reason. As mentioned, even a paralegal is not legally allowed to represent someone accused of impaired driving. Only lawyers are able to take on DUI cases because they are extremely serious.

It is always very annoying when we receive calls from immigrants who have been made false promises by people who are not lawyers and portray themselves to be licensed. They illegally present themselves as lawyers or people qualified to give legal advice and make false, untrue promises about the case to try to get money out of the accused based on communal trust. They are almost never held accountable for their claims because they are not lawyers who are regulated. The person who is duped by them should report them to the police, the LSO, and sue them civilly.

Non-lawyers/fakers can promise anything or make false claims such as that everything will just disappear.

In reality they have no ability or need to live up to their false claims, cannot attend court and are breaking the law themselves even to be giving legal advice as non-lawyers. These so called consultants and trusted community members should be reported for breaking the law if they are not listed on lso.ca.

Eventually the accused will realize they were tricked into believing the scammer they trusted because “they knew them” or they were “part of the community” or spoke “their language” or “was one of the only people they knew” in Canada is not a lawyer at all and lied to them to try to take advantage of their trust and unfamiliarity with the criminal justice system. If they are not listed as a lawyer on the LSO directory they are not a lawyer in Ontario and are not legally allowed to provide legal advice in impaired driving cases.

Paralegals are also licenced by the LSO but they are not lawyers nor are they legally allowed to represent people charged with impaired driving / DUI related charges.

The reason the LSO directory exists is so that members of the public can verify who is really a lawyer and not be taken advantage of by people illegally providing false legal advice and making untrue claims in an attempt to extract money from unsuspecting immigrants (or anyone else) who trust them. This problem is annoying for real lawyers because these fake liars who are pretending to be lawyers can say anything they want and never have to be held accountable for it if they are not reported.

The accused may later talk to a real licenced lawyer, who is bound by law to be realistic, know the law and is required to tell them the truth about their case. When they compare the truth to the false promises and lies of the fake "lawyer", consultant or trusted community or family member who is acting illegally it may be tempting to listen to, believe or even pay these criminals money for nothing in return.

If you get charged with a DUI in Ontario pick any lawyer you want but always verify they are a real, legitimate, licensed lawyer by searching their name at: https://www.lso.ca.

The phone number listed on the LSO website should match a number you are able to contact them at even if through a secretary or a general office line. Some lawyers will put their direct contact number and others an in-direct one but either way you should be able to contact them eventually through the phone number listed on the LSO.ca lawyer directory.


Call us today.
You don't have to jeopardize your future or waste thousands of dollars on excessive legal fees. We provide effective and affordable lawyer representation for those charged with impaired driving offences throughout Ontario.

Have a skilled criminal lawyer who focuses on impaired driving related charges protect you and your future from the stigma and consequences of a criminal record.





Are you a lawyer? If you are defending an impaired driving related case and are looking for expert advice regarding possible defences, case strategies, and information release management call us at: 647-228-5969.

Please note: We do not accept legal aid certificate cases. All clients are handled on a private retainer only.

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