BACKGROUND

Paul Lewandowski has earned a reputation for being an able and thoroughly prepared lawyer. He is an assertive advocate in court, and respected by Judges and Crowns for his reasonable, practical approach to evidence and the process generally. He has developed status as an advocate unafraid to take difficult cases to trial if it means ensuring justice is done. In this respect, Mr. Lewandowski regularly appears in the Ottawa Sun, Ottawa Citizen and his cases have been followed nationally by CBC. He is currently an associate professor at Algonquin College in criminal law and routinely receives top ratings as a dynamic, engaging professor. These skills are equally applied in the courtroom. Clients who are new to the criminal justice system are often shocked to learn that most cases are based on nothing more than the testimony of one or two witnesses. In fact, it is rare for a prosecution to be based on videos, photos, fingerprints, DNA or CSI quality evidence. The average case comes down to whom the Judge believes. The only tool at your disposal to prove your innocence is cross-examination. That is a defence lawyers tool to discover the truth and unearth the lies. All things being equal, the success of your case will be a direct function of your lawyers level of preparation, knowledge of the law, and talent. In this vein Paul Lewandowski has earned a reputation for his deft touch on cross-examination. A recent case involved two separate alleged victims against one client who did not even need to testify: 9 charges, 9 acquittals. While every case is unique on its facts, what is certain is that no avenue of defence will be left unexamined before his clients are called upon to make their decisions. Mr. Lewandowski realizes that it is your life in his hands. He and his team will provide you with legal advice that is second to none.

EDUCATION

Paul Lewandowski graduated from the University of Ottawa Bachelor of Laws program in 2002, and was called to the bar in 2003. Since that time, Mr. Lewandowski has practiced exclusively in the area of criminal defence law.

Previously, Mr. Lewandowski attended Dalhousie University, the University of Wales, Swansea, as well as summer sessions at McGill and Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Over the course of Mr. Lewandowski's academic career, Mr. Lewandowski received a first place factum aware at the National Securities Moot competition, with superior written material to all fourteen other schools competing in the tournament. Mr. Lewandowski is also assisted in an editorial capacity and reference checker for the 2002 edition of Professor Michael Geist's book Internet Law in Canada. Mr. Lewandowski also worked as a research assistant to the indefatigable Professor Joseph Magnet - who piqued Mr. Lewandowski's interest in public interest and complex litigation.

Upon graduation, Mr. Lewandowski completed his articles at the prestigious Ottawa law firm, Perley-Robertson Hill and Mcdougall, where he learned from some of the highest calibre litigators in Canada. Both of his references from the era are now judges.

EXPERIENCE

Since 2003 Mr. Lewandowski has practiced law exclusively as a criminal lawyer. As of the writing of this content, Mr. Lewandowski has over eleven years of experience, and has appeared at all levels of Court in Ontario. He appears in the Ontario Court of Justice on an almost-daily basis - including most weekends where he is prepared at a moment's notice to assist a client with their emergency bail needs.

Mr. Lewandowski has handled well over two thousand cases including pleas, trials in the Ontario Court of Justice, jury trials and summary conviction appeals in the Superior Court of Justice, appeals at the Ontario Court of Appeal, as well as occasional appearances at divisional court on quasi-criminal matters.

A TALENT FOR CROSS-EXAMINATION

The fate of any given accused often rests in the ability of the defence lawyer to ferret out lies from their accuser. In this respect, there is only one vital tool in a criminal lawyer's arsenal: cross-examination.

Cross-examination has been called the greatest engine for the discovery of truth. Unfortunately, it is not a skill that everyone can master. The ability of a lawyer to effectively cross-examine a witness will come from experience, from years of trial and error, but also from one basic quality that can neither be learned nor acquired: talent. Great defence lawyers are born, not developed.

Mr. Lewandowski prides himself as having garnered a reputation as a lawyer that one judge indicated "left no stone unturned" and was able to conduct a cross-examination of a witness that is "textbook perfect." All comments aside, the only accolades that matter are the results and acquittals. Mr. Lewandowski encourages any potential client to view his results and media clippings pages.

RESULTS ORIENTED

Ultimately, when a client hires a lawyer, their goal is to obtain the optimal result for the facts of their case. Mr. Lewandowski has built an arsenal of results over the course of his career that speak for themselves. He has garnered a reputation in the legal community as a hardworking, dedicated lawyer, who advocates from reasonable positions, but pushes fearlessly towards the client's goal. It is the reputation that he has built that allows him to obtain excellent results for his clients.

TRIALS

Over the course of Mr. Lewandowski's career, he has successfully defended thousands of clients. He has conducted trials before the Ontario and Superior Court of Justice for judge alone trials, or trials by judge and jury. He has assisted clients charged with hundreds of difference offences under the Criminal Code, from simple theft, to murder and dangerous offender proceedings. There is no criminal matter that is too small or too complex, and any matter wherein the state is attempting to take away a client's liberty, or brand them with a criminal record, is of interest to Mr. Lewandowski. All prospective clients are encouraged to review Mr. Lewandowski's results and press-clippings pages for a sampling of some of his remarkable results.

PLEAS

Not ever set of criminal charges is suitable for a trial. In some cases, the more advisable course of action is to pursue a guilty plea with a view to "mitigating" the damage. This is true in cases where a criminal record can be avoided through a carefully crafted plea bargain. In this situation, the question of whether a client should receive a "conditional discharge" and be spared a criminal record, or alternatively, given a "suspended sentence" where a record is imposed, is one of the most complicated topics in criminal law. Similarly, where an offender is on the cusp of receiving their first jail sentence, or alternatively, given a conditional jail sentence - house arrest - an early guilty plea with proper collateral support is the most advisable course of action.

Mr. Lewandowski has assisted thousands of clients in these and analogous situations. With careful preparation and client care, the desired result can usually be achieved. He is fully aware of the stakes in these situations, and prides himself on being a well-prepared lawyer who advocates forcefully - and above all reasonably - on behalf of his clients.

While the decision of whether to pursue a trial or a guilty plea is highly fact specific, any client who is contemplating a plea should take some time and review Mr. Lewandowski's results and media clippings page to see some of his remarkable results.

DIVERSION

In certain cases, a criminal charge is on the border of being eligible for "diversion." This is the process by which a criminal charge is taken from the court system, and diverted by way of "extra-judicial" measures. This result is only available for low end offences - those with minimal sentence possibilities or minimal impact. Often the first steps taken in a criminal matter are the most important. With a proper package of information prepared about the client, and a good presentation to the Crown, the gap between a finding of guilt or a diverted matter can be closed.

In this respect, Mr. Lewandowski has helped many clients in these situations. Preparing a regimen of rehabilitative and reparative measures for the client to follow will often assist the Crown in making their discretionary decision. In these cases, the first steps taken immediately upon being charged become the most vital, and not a moment can be wasted. If you have been charged or contacted by the police, contact Mr. Lewandowski immediately.

CONTACT

Mr. Lewandowski can be contacted at any time by cellular phone at 613-866-4155, or by email.

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