Do you have to go to court in person in Ontario, or can your lawyer appear for you?

Often your lawyer can appear for you. Once you file a designation of counsel, your lawyer can stand in for you at most steps of an Ontario criminal case, and routine case management dates can also be attended by Zoom. You still need to be there while witnesses give evidence, during jury selection, and for a guilty plea and sentencing unless the court orders otherwise.

Clients with jobs, children or travel plans ask this early, because a criminal case can involve many court dates. Here is how the rules work in the Ontario Court of Justice, where every criminal defence case in Ontario starts.

How does attending court work, step by step?

Most adult cases follow the same path.

1. You sign a designation of counsel. It is a short document, filed with the court, that appoints your lawyer to represent you (Criminal Code, s. 650.01(1)). It must contain the lawyer's name and address and be signed by both of you (s. 650.01(2)).
2. The first appearance. The court's guide says a lawyer you have hired may attend on your behalf, attend with you, or send you alone with information that helps move the case along. No guilty pleas, preliminary inquiries or trials are held in case management court. Our guide to what happens at a first court appearance in Toronto walks through that day.
3. The 12-week adjournment. Under a practice direction applied province-wide since June 2, 2025, a case where the accused is out of custody and has a lawyer by the first appearance, or within four weeks of it, is normally adjourned for about 12 weeks while the lawyers deal with disclosure of the Crown's evidence and a Crown pre-trial.
4. The judicial pre-trial. The court describes it as a meeting of the judge, the Crown and your lawyer, held by video unless directed otherwise; if you have no lawyer, you attend it yourself.
5. Setting a trial date or a resolution date. If no lawyer is retained for the trial, the date is set "with or without counsel", and the 12-week direction says the accused must attend court when that date is formally set.
6. A plea and sentencing, or a trial. These are the dates that need you, in person unless the court allows otherwise.

Once the designation is filed, you may appear through your lawyer for any part of the proceedings except three: a part where a witness gives oral evidence, a part where jurors are being selected, and an application for habeas corpus (s. 650.01(3)(a)). Your lawyer's appearance counts as yours unless the court orders otherwise (s. 650.01(3)(b)). Two limits apply. A guilty plea can be entered and a sentence pronounced only if you are present, unless the court orders otherwise (s. 650.01(3)(c)). And the court can always order you to attend; if it does, it can issue a summons to the address in the designation or a warrant to bring you in (s. 650.01(4)).

Which court dates need you, and which can be virtual?

The Ontario Court of Justice's practice direction on modes of appearance, in force since March 31, 2025, sets the default for each type of appearance, always subject to a judicial officer directing otherwise.

For a virtual guilty plea, the court can allow an accused to appear virtually with the consent of the prosecutor and the accused, and a written application should be submitted at least three business days before the plea date. The court looks at factors such as where you are and your circumstances, the cost or hardship of attending in person (the practice direction mentions work and childcare), whether the location is suitable, your right to a fair and public hearing, and how serious the offence is. Those factors come from section 715.23 of the Criminal Code.

A virtual appearance at a trial or preliminary inquiry needs a written application under rule 2.4 of the court's Criminal Rules, unless a judge directs otherwise. If a trial will follow, our page on choosing a judge alone or a jury explains which court will hear it.

How does it work at 10 Armoury Street in Toronto?

Each adult case management courtroom at the Ontario Court of Justice, 10 Armoury Street, has its own Zoom link and phone dial-in, listed on the court's location page. Connection details for a first appearance are also printed on your release document. If you do not have a computer or phone, you can attend in person, or call Zoom's toll-free number from a payphone.

Our courtroom resources page keeps a copy of the Toronto connection details, but the court's page wins if they differ. For the building itself, the courtrooms and the daily schedule, see what to expect at the Toronto courthouse, 10 Armoury Street. In person, Ontario's guidance is to arrive 30 minutes early.

When will the court insist you come in person?

The judicial officer always has the final say. The practice direction allows a judicial officer to direct an accused or a lawyer to attend a case management date in person "to ensure a meaningful appearance", and the presiding officer can end a virtual appearance and require attendance in another way (Criminal Code s. 715.222, as the direction notes). Some smaller satellite courts lack the technology for virtual appearances, so in-person attendance can be required there even for a first appearance. People appearing virtually must follow the court's Remote Appearance Code of Conduct, and a virtual appearance is still a formal court hearing: Ontario's guidance is to appear on video and act as if you were physically in the courtroom.

What changes the answer?

• Whether a designation is on file. Without a signed and filed designation, the lawyer's appearance does not count as yours (Criminal Code s. 650.01(1) to (3)).
• The type of appearance. Case management is flexible; a plea, sentencing, trial or preliminary inquiry is not (s. 650.01(3)(a) and (c); mode of appearance practice direction, parts A(2), A(4) and A(5)).
• Custody. At bail, the accused appears in person unless the justice allows video or audio (s. 515(2.2)).
• A direction to attend. The court can order you to be present, by summons or warrant (s. 650.01(4)), or direct an in-person appearance "to ensure a meaningful appearance".
• No lawyer for the trial. If the trial date is set "with or without counsel", you must attend when it is formally set (12-week adjournment practice direction).
• When the charge was laid. For charges sworn on or after June 1, 2026, out-of-custody adult cases should have no more than three appearances in case management court, unless a judicial officer orders otherwise (Jordan-compliant trial scheduling practice direction, Part III).
• Language. A party or witness who does not understand the language of the proceedings has the right to an interpreter (Charter s. 14).
• Your release conditions. A Zoom date does not lift a condition to stay in a set area or to deposit your passports (Criminal Code s. 515(4)(b) and (f)).

Can you attend with a Farsi interpreter, in person or by Zoom?

Yes. Court proceedings in Ontario are in English or French, and the Ministry of the Attorney General says it provides court interpretation in any language required in criminal matters. Its interpreter page says your lawyer may request an interpreter at the first court appearance; if your lawyer does not, and you think you need one, tell the judge or your lawyer on the record when you go to court for the first time.

A Zoom date is no exception. The mode of appearance direction lists "arranging for simultaneous virtual interpretation, if needed" among the steps participants must take in advance of a virtual proceeding. A request names the language, who needs it, the type of appearance, the date and the court, so give notice early, especially for a plea or trial.

Sureties may need one too, and can ask counsel to request one. At bail, sureties may appear in person or by video, and by audio with permission; our page on what a surety agrees to in Ontario covers the role. For the wider picture, read our guide for Persian-speaking people charged in the GTA.

For example: a full-time worker with a case at 10 Armoury Street

This is a hypothetical, not a real client or a result. Suppose a Farsi-speaking permanent resident in North York, who works weekdays, is charged with theft in downtown Toronto and released on an undertaking with a first appearance at 10 Armoury Street.

She speaks with a lawyer in Farsi before that date and signs a designation of counsel. The lawyer attends the first appearance by Zoom, the case is adjourned for about 12 weeks, and the lawyer later attends the judicial pre-trial by video. She misses no work for these dates.

Her lawyer explains which dates are different. A guilty plea needs her present unless the court orders otherwise, and her status means any plea must first be weighed for immigration consequences. A trial needs her in the courtroom while witnesses testify. She also plans a summer visit to family abroad, so the lawyer reads her undertaking with her for any travel condition before she books.

What mistakes do people make about attending court?

1. Assuming a lawyer can appear without a designation. The document must be signed by both of you and filed (s. 650.01(2)). Until it is, plan to attend yourself.
2. Treating a Zoom date as optional. A virtual appearance is still court. If you are required to appear and do not, the court may issue a warrant, and failing to attend can be a separate offence (Criminal Code s. 145). If a date has already been missed, read what happens after a missed court date in Ontario.
3. Joining from the car or a busy workplace. The presiding officer can end a virtual appearance that does not follow the Code of Conduct.
4. Booking travel around a trial date. Once a trial date is set, it is expected to go ahead. Under the court's guide, an adjournment application must normally be served and filed at least 90 days before the trial and heard at least 60 days before it.
5. Raising the need for an interpreter on the day. Ontario asks for as much notice as possible.
6. Losing track of the next date. The court sets it at the end of each appearance. If your lawyer appeared for you, ask for the date and whether you must attend.

What can you do this week?

1. Find your release document and note the first appearance date, the courtroom and the Zoom details.
2. Speak with a lawyer before that date and ask whether a designation of counsel fits your case.
3. Give your lawyer the dates you cannot attend in person, such as work shifts or travel.
4. Read every condition of your release, including any about travel or your passport, and follow them until a court changes them.
5. If you or a surety need an interpreter, tell your lawyer now so the request goes in early.
6. Test Zoom, with video on, in the quiet place you will use.
7. Use our first-week checklist after a criminal charge in Toronto to keep the rest on track.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find my next court date if my lawyer appeared for me?

Ask your lawyer first. The Ontario Court of Justice also offers a Court Case Search Tool through Justice Services Online, which needs a ServiceOntario ONe-key account and lets you search by name or Information number for future dates and the type of appearance. If you have no lawyer, the court says to contact the courthouse.

Does my lawyer need me at the judicial pre-trial?

The court describes the judicial pre-trial as a meeting of the judge, the Crown and your lawyer, and says you attend if you do not have a lawyer. Your lawyer should get your instructions beforehand and report back. Our page on what happens at a judicial pre-trial explains the meeting.

Can I join a court date from outside Ontario?

Check your release conditions first, because a Zoom link does not change them. For a virtual plea, the practice direction says any participant who proposes to appear from outside Ontario must tell the court. For any other date, raise it with your lawyer well before you leave.

Can the court go ahead without me?

At a trial, yes. The court's guide says that if you cannot attend, someone must appear for you to explain why and ask for an adjournment; if the judge refuses, the trial might go ahead and you might be found guilty in your absence.

Does a guilty plea by video change anything for a permanent resident?

The mode of appearance does not change the consequences of a conviction. Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, certain convictions can make a permanent resident inadmissible (s. 36(1)(a)), so the plea should be weighed before the date is set. Read how a criminal charge can affect permanent resident status.

Getting help

Your next date stays your responsibility, even when a lawyer speaks for you. Gambriani Law PC represents clients in Toronto and across the GTA, in English and Farsi, and can explain which of your dates need you there. The office at Suite 1901, 5000 Yonge Street in North York is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at +1 647 970 3370.

This page is general information about Ontario criminal procedure, not legal advice about your case.