Daniel Brown.

Daniel was called to the Ontario Bar in 2005 after graduating from Queen’s University’s Faculty of Law. He began his criminal law career at Pinkofskys LLP, then Canada’s largest criminal defence firm, and in 2008 founded Daniel Brown Law — building a boutique criminal defence firm known for sophisticated advocacy, strategic judgment, and discreet representation in serious and sensitive cases.

Daniel is certified as a specialist in criminal law by the Law Society of Ontario — a designation held by fewer than 2% of criminal lawyers in the province. Practising from the firm’s office in downtown Toronto, near the main courthouses, he represents clients facing charges ranging from domestic assault, drug possession, and impaired driving, to sexual assault, murder, fraud, and weapons offences.

Daniel is ranked in the 2027 edition of Chambers Canada for Crime, a nationwide ranking of Canada’s leading criminal lawyers. Chambers and Partners bases its rankings on independent research, including interviews with clients and other lawyers. Daniel Brown Law is also ranked as a firm in the same category.

“Daniel is among the small handful of truly top criminal defence lawyers in the country.”

Chambers Canada Guide

Daniel has been named by Post City Magazine as one of Toronto's Top Criminal Lawyers and Top Appellate Lawyers, selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in Canada for Criminal Defence, and recognized through his firm’s repeated inclusion among Canada’s leading criminal law boutiques by both Canadian Lawyer Magazine and The Globe and Mail. Daniel Brown Law has also received national recognition from Best Law Firms as a Tier 1 Criminal Defence firm in Canada.

In 2024, Daniel was inducted as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, an invitation-only, peer-selected honorary society of 3,500 trial lawyers across North America. He is also a member of the Litigation Counsel of America’s Trial Law Institute and Diversity Law Institute.

In 2025, Queen’s University’s Faculty of Law honoured Daniel with the H.R.S. Ryan Law Alumni Award of Distinction, recognizing overall distinction in the legal profession.

Daniel is a former president of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, where he advocated on behalf of the criminal defence bar and contributed to public debate on criminal justice reform. In 2023, the Government of Canada appointed him to the Federal Judicial Appointment Advisory Committee for Toronto and the GTA for a three-year term. In that role, he evaluates candidates for appointment to the Superior Court of Justice, the Federal Court of Canada, and the Court of Appeal for Ontario. Since 2026, he has also served as a member of the Steering Committee for the Chief Justice of Ontario’s Advisory Committee on Professionalism.

He is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, The Advocates’ Society, the Toronto Lawyers Association, and the Ontario Bar Association, and serves on the Case Review Committee for Innocence Canada.

Daniel is frequently called on by the media for insight into criminal justice issues. He has appeared on CTV Your Morning, CBC Metro Morning, CP24, Global News, CITY TV News, and eTalk Daily, and has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, National Post, and Toronto Sun — see his media coverage. His experience with media-sensitive cases allows him to help clients manage public scrutiny, protect the integrity of their defence, and respond strategically when allegations attract unwanted attention.

Daniel has also authored scholarly articles for legal journals and written criminal law commentary for The Toronto Star.

Daniel primarily represents clients throughout the Greater Toronto Area, but his practice extends across Ontario. He regularly handles bail hearings, trials, appeals, and regulatory matters in Toronto, Newmarket, Oshawa, Brampton, Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Barrie, Hamilton, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, Bradford, Orangeville, and surrounding communities.