Daniel Brown - Lead Counsel

hear my name

Daniel Brown - Lead Counsel

hear my name

 

Daniel Brown defends individuals and corporations in criminal and regulatory litigation, including trials, regulatory and professional discipline hearings, appeals, advisory work, and witness representation.

After graduating from Queen's University's Faculty of Law, Daniel began his criminal law practice over two decades ago as a partner at Pinkofskys LLP, Canada's largest criminal defence firm, before founding Daniel Brown Law in 2008.

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. He runs offices near the main courthouses in downtown Toronto and York Region, representing clients facing charges ranging from domestic assault, drug possession, and impaired driving, to sexual assault, murder, fraud, and weapons offences.

Daniel has represented clients at every judicial level in Ontario, serving as trial counsel in the Ontario Court of Justice and Superior Court of Justice, and as appellate counsel at the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Daniel is consistently recognized by Post City Magazine as one of Toronto's Top Criminal Lawyers, and his firm has been repeatedly cited as one of Canada's Top Criminal Law Boutiques by Canadian Lawyer Magazine. Daniel has been selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in Canada for his work in Criminal Defence, and his firm has earned national recognition from Best Law Firms as one of Canada's tier one Criminal Defence firms. 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 a member of the Litigation Counsel of America's Trial Law Institute and Diversity Law Institute.

Daniel primarily represents people who are new to the justice system — professionals, public figures, first responders, and others whose careers, reputations, and ability to travel could be upended by a criminal or regulatory investigation.

Daniel is a recognized authority in defending sexual offence allegations and often represents high-profile clients facing sexual assault charges. His bestselling legal textbook, Prosecuting and Defending Sexual Offence Cases, is cited by judges, prosecutors, and defence lawyers across Canada, including in judgments at the Supreme Court of Canada.

As a former president of the Criminal Lawyers' Association, Daniel remains active in criminal justice reform and in public education about the system's strengths and weaknesses.

In 2023, the Federal Government of Canada appointed Daniel to the Federal Judiciary Advisory Committee for Toronto and the GTA for a three-year term. In that role, he evaluates lawyers for judicial appointments to the Superior Court of Justice, the Federal Court of Canada, and the Court of Appeal for Ontario. He is also a member of the Law Society of Ontario, The Advocates Society, the Toronto Lawyers Association, the Ontario Bar Association, and sits on the Case Review Committee for Innocence Canada.

Daniel is an Adjunct Professor at Queen's University's Faculty of Law, teaching Advanced Criminal Law and overseeing the Criminal Appellate Externship Program. He has mentored at Toronto Metropolitan University's Law Practice Program and lectured at Dalhousie University, Queen's University, the University of Toronto, and Osgoode Hall Law School.

He has served as an expert witness on criminal justice policy before the House of Commons and the Senate, and regularly presents at legal conferences hosted by the judiciary, the Crown and defence bar, the Law Society of Ontario, the Ontario Bar Association, and The Advocates Society — on subjects ranging from criminal procedure and forensic science to gang culture.

Daniel is also a frequent media source on criminal justice issues. He has appeared on CTV Your Morning, CBC Metro Morning, CP24, Global News, CITY TV News, and eTalk Daily, and been quoted in the New York Times, USA Today, Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail, National Post, and Toronto Sun. Over two decades of media work, he has learned how coverage shapes a file — and how to protect a client's case from unwanted publicity, or correct the record when an allegation has outrun the facts.

Daniel has authored scholarly articles for legal journals and written commentary on a range of criminal law issues for The Toronto Star.

Beyond defending criminal cases, Daniel advises crime victims, witnesses, and people under police investigation.

While Daniel primarily serves clients in the Greater Toronto Area, he also regularly handles bail hearings, trials, and appeals across Ontario, including in Newmarket, Oshawa, Brampton, Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Barrie, Hamilton, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, Bradford, and Orangeville.

To learn more about our team, or to speak with Daniel directly about a criminal matter, call (416) 304-0083 or text (416) 898-2097.