Chris Rudnicki

Chris Rudnicki is a criminal law expert. He is a veteran of hundreds of criminal trials and appeals. His experience includes complex, serious, and precedent-setting cases at every level of court in Ontario and at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Chris specializes in criminal appeals. Losing a criminal case is a traumatic experience. Convicted persons lose the presumption of innocence and often also lose their freedom. Most of Chris’s clients contact him after being found guilty but before sentencing, when he can help secure bail pending appeal. Chris then helps his clients to identify the right legal issue to secure the best possible result, seeking a new trial, a sentence reduction, or in some cases an outright acquittal before a higher level of court.

Chris sees his law practice as a means of achieving just results for individual clients while contributing to the progressive development of the legal system as a whole. He regularly gives lectures, publishes articles, and speaks with media about emerging issues in the criminal law. His work has been featured in For the Defence magazine, the Criminal Law Quarterly, and the Canada Bar Review. His comments have appeared in the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, and on CBC radio.

Chris is passionate about teaching and mentorship. In addition to his law degree, he holds a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School with a specialization in criminal law and procedure. He is the author of the chapter on appeals in McWilliams’ Canadian Criminal Evidence. He is a lecturer at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he teaches advanced criminal law.