Collingwood Criminal Lawyer: We defend all criminal charges in Collingwood.

Our lawyers know Collingwood court and who to deal with. If there are problems with your case, we will get the Crown to drop the charges or prove you should be found not guilty in court.

Our criminal lawyers defend charges for all Criminal Code offences in Collingwood. If you have been given an Undertaking, Appearance Notice or Release Order you have been criminally charged and should hire a lawyer now. Your own privately retained lawyer should be the first person to speak to the Crown Attorney about your case.

Charges laid in Collingwood are heard at the 49 Huron St courthouse in Collingwood. The accused may also have a fingerprinting date at the police station or courthouse prior to or on the court date. If we are able to get the charges dropped or you are later found not guilty, we may be able to get your fingerprints destroyed later.

Not everyone charged gets the same result.

Your case should be carefully managed from the start by your own lawyer. If someone else speaks to the Crown first, counterproductive notes may be placed in your file. Call us first if you have been charged (given a court date). We will do everything possible to get you off.

In every case, our goals are clear:

1. Negotiate a deal to have the charges dropped (withdrawn), discharged, or otherwise successfully resolved; or,


2. Defend the charges at trial to raise a reasonable doubt with the judge or jury and obtain a not guilty verdict.

Our lawyers can help you avoid jail and a criminal record. If you've just been charged (given a court date), you should retain us right away so that we can speak to the Crown first (not someone else).

Every possible step to avoid unnecessary losses to your freedoms and future opportunities (career, immigration, travel) must be taken right away. If you are a working professional or student, it is imperative that you act immediately to retain counsel and take all up front proactive steps possible to avoid permanent problems with background checks in the future.

We proactively work to avoid problems by dealing with the right people and using specialized individual case management from the start.

We defend all Criminal Code and CDSA charges including domestic/IPV allegations, sexual offences, DUI, theft/frauds, and drug charges in Collingwood.

We defend all types of Criminal Code and CDSA charges laid in Collingwood. We most frequently defend the following types of charges:

Domestic violence (DV): assault, uttering threats, mischief

Whether the charges are unwanted by the complainant or a false allegation to hurt and extract resources from the accused, all those charged with domestic violence in Ontario should hire their own private lawyer right away.

Unwanted domestic charges (complainant wants to get back together)

Domestic aka intimate partner violence (DV or IPV) charges are common in Collingwood. Usually the accused is charged with assault, uttering threats, or mischief. Collingwood OPP follow Ontario-wide domestic policies to not use discretion and always lay charges even if they are unwanted by the complainant. The accused and alleged victim often want to reconcile and have contact again right away.

Our lawyers work with the Crown Attorney to get the no-contact conditions lifted and allow the parties to communicate again. The #1 way we can help is to represent the accused, but we also provide affidavit services to complainants looking to help after charges have been laid.

If you are an alleged domestic violence victim who wants to help the accused, please see our domestic victim lawyer services page or our page on affidavits for more information.

It is very easy to be falsely accused of domestic violence in Ontario.

Not all domestic charges are unwanted by the complainant. Some accused are falsely accused and charged based on lies, exaggerations, or mistruths being reported to the police.

There are many reasons why complainants sometimes make false domestic allegations. The most common are seeking revenge, money, or an advantage in family court. We cross-examine lying complainants and prove in court that they are not telling the truth. If you are innocent don't accept responsibility for something you didn't do.

Sex offences: sexual assault, child pornography, sexual interference, luring, indecent acts, and voyeurism

It is also extremely easy to be falsely accused and charged with a sex crime in Canada. All it takes is one person to say that you sexually assaulted them and you can be charged, jailed, and labelled a sex offender for life based on their word alone being believed.

Offences like sexual assault and sexual interference are routinely laid throughout Ontario just based on a claim that "he did this". No DNA, video, third party witnesses, confession, or other evidence is required to jail you for years and label you a sex offender for life.

Innocent people can also easily be charged with child pornography or voyeurism. It is easy for a vengeful ex, child or other hostile third party to frame the accused by planting evidence against them. Often the police fail to investigate or take seriously plausible alternative explanations.

With all sexual offences, in addition to years in prison, the court can also impose mandatory sex offender registration and conditions/restrictions for life along with a permanent criminal record. If a false sexual offence allegation is made against you, you must take it seriously and hire counsel right away. Many of these cases will go to trial and require a careful cross examination of the complainant.

Impaired driving: DUI, over 80 mg/100 ml, failure or refusal to provide a breath sample

All forms of DUI / impaired driving will result in a conviction (ie. criminal record) in Canada if you are found guilty. Mandatory jail sentences are required for offenders with even one prior DUI, but this can sometimes be served via house arrest (conditional sentence). DUIs carry significant life changing consequences for some people upon conviction.

DUI cases are not open and shut in Ontario. There may be problems with your case. The Crown may not be able to prove you guilty at trial.

Some accused wrongly assume that DUI charges are indefensible when in fact they are some of the most litigated types of criminal charges in Ontario. There are many ways to defend DUI charges in court. Our lawyers use Charter and other evidence exclusion applications to weaken the Crown's case.

If there are problems with your case we will find them and use them to your advantage. Don't assume you will be found guilty. You may be able to be acquitted or have the charges withdrawn.

Our lawyers know exactly what to look for and are available to help you with all forms of impaired driving charges now.

Theft, fraud, possession of property obtained by crime

Whether you are charged with shoplifting, stealing from your employer, vehicle theft, insurance fraud, or any other stolen property related offence, we defend all forms of theft and fraud related charges. The Crown may agree to drop all charges in some cases if your defence presents strong enough mitigating factors for their consideration. It is not always in the public interest to prosecute and jail the accused.

We also work to have our client's fingerprints, mugshots, and other charge information removed from CPIC and other police databases that can cause problems with immigration applications, career background checks, and travelling to the USA. We take upfront steps to avoid problems to begin with.

CDSA drug charges for possession, trafficking, and production of controlled substances

We defend all criminal CDSA drug offences including possession, trafficking, and production of heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, psilocybin, benzodiazepines, and methamphetamine.

Our lawyers get drug charges dropped or acquitted at trial by exposing corrupt police officers and lying Crown witnesses. We also use Charter violation applications to get drug search warrants struck down and their evidence excluded.

Our criminal defence lawyers proactively work to find weaknesses in the Crown’s case that can help get the charges dropped, reduced down, or acquitted.

In every case the defence can examine all of the Crown's evidence prior to trial. Properly scrutinizing the evidence (aka disclosure) includes carefully screening the file for:

1. A lack of evidence or reasonable prospect of conviction
2. Inconsistent statements, missing timelines, inaccurate dates
3. Exculpatory evidence, including CCTV videos and text messages
4. Charter breaches and other legal technicalities

We will raise any discovered case problems with the Crown Attorney during the Crown Pre-trial (CPT) and Judicial Pre-trial (JPT) processes to try to convince them to withdraw (drop) the charges.

We are very familiar with the Crown Attorneys in Collingwood and will always try to discuss your case with a Crown we feel will fairly evaluate the appropriateness of continuing to prosecute you. Your own privately retained lawyer should be the first person to speak to the Crown about your case.

If you have been criminally charged in Collingwood, give us a call now at 647-228-5969 or text/iMessage us "Lawyer" by clicking here for assistance.

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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 criminal offences in Collingwood.

Have a skilled criminal lawyer who defends charges at Collingwood court protect you and your future from the stigma and consequences of a criminal record and conviction.

Are you a lawyer? If you are defending a criminal 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.

*2026 Results: the percentage of 99% of clients avoiding a criminal record (conviction) stated on this page is based solely on Lawyer Mark Zinck's personal representation of approximately 2000 criminal defence case clients as of the year 2026. Past results are not necessarily an indication of future results.