Persian-speaking criminal defence lawyer in Toronto: what a Farsi speaker charged in the GTA needs to know

Gambriani Law PC is a criminal defence firm at Suite 1901, 5000 Yonge Street in North York. Its founder, Sourena Sarbazevatan, meets clients and represents them in Persian (Farsi) and English, so you can explain your side of the story in your own language from the first call. In court, a criminal case is heard in English or French, and Ontario provides an interpreter in any language the accused needs in a criminal matter.

This page is for people in the Greater Toronto Area who are more at ease in Persian than in English, and for the parents, spouses and friends who call on their behalf. It explains how a criminal case moves through the GTA courts, the questions Persian-speaking families ask us most, and where to find a full guide for each step. For every charge we handle, from assault to impaired driving, see our criminal defence practice areas.

What does a Persian-speaking criminal lawyer change for you?

A criminal charge comes with forms, conditions and deadlines written in legal English. Misreading one line of a release order can lead to a new charge. Being able to go through every word with your lawyer in Farsi removes that risk. It also changes the quality of the defence: the details that matter most, such as what was said, who was present and why, are easier to give fully in your first language.

Sourena Sarbazevatan was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2015. He is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, the State Bar of California and the Criminal Lawyers' Association. He is part of Toronto's Persian community, has represented many Farsi-speaking and Iranian clients, and provides full consultations and courtroom representation in Farsi and English. The firm also handles family law matters in Ontario and civil disputes, which matters when a criminal charge affects a marriage, the children or the family home.

The court itself works in English or French. Section 14 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms gives an accused person or witness who does not understand the language of the proceedings the right to an interpreter. Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General says it provides court interpretation in any language required in criminal matters. So in practice you speak with your lawyer in Farsi, and in the courtroom an accredited interpreter puts what the judge and lawyers say into Persian for you.

How does a criminal case run in the GTA, step by step?

The steps are the same across Ontario, because the Criminal Code is federal law. What differs is the building. The table follows a typical adult case from arrest to the end.

If police released you with a date, the next thing to read is what happens at a first court appearance in Toronto. If someone is being held, read when a bail hearing happens after an arrest on a weekend or holiday, because many arrests happen on a Friday or Saturday night.

Which courthouse will the case be in?

The place of the charge, not the place you live, decides the courthouse. A Richmond Hill resident charged in downtown Toronto goes to court in Toronto; a North York resident charged in Vaughan goes to Newmarket.

For everything local about the city, including the police divisions in the north end, read our page on criminal defence in Toronto. For Richmond Hill, Markham and Thornhill, our guide to how York Region criminal cases work lists each police district and station. In Peel, our page on why Mississauga criminal cases are heard in Brampton explains the local steps.

What do Persian-speaking families ask us most?

Can a parent or relative be a surety even if their English is limited?

Yes. A surety does not need to speak English. They must understand what they are promising: to supervise the accused, to make sure the accused follows every condition, and to risk an amount of money if they fail. Ontario's interpreter page lists sureties among the people who may need an interpreter, and says a surety can ask counsel to request one from the court. Our page on what a surety agrees to in Ontario explains the duties, the declaration and how to step down.

Will the court take my passport, and can I travel to Iran while the case is open?

A justice can order an accused to deposit all their passports (Criminal Code s. 515(4)(f)) and to stay within a set area (s. 515(4)(b)). One ground for detention is that it is needed to make sure the accused attends court (s. 515(10)(a)), so plans to leave the country can matter at a bail hearing. Travelling while a case is open is only possible if your release allows it, so read your conditions with your lawyer before booking anything, and ask before any date that would clash with a court appearance.

I am a permanent resident. Could a conviction affect my status?

It can. Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, a conviction for an offence with a maximum of at least 10 years, or a sentence of more than six months, makes a permanent resident inadmissible for serious criminality (s. 36(1)(a)). That is why the choice between a plea, a discharge and a trial has to be weighed with status in mind. Read how a criminal conviction in Ontario can affect permanent resident status. We advise on the criminal side; immigration advice comes from an immigration lawyer.

What happens after a domestic call in the home?

In intimate partner cases, Ontario prosecutors follow a directive (Crown Prosecution Manual D. 23) that puts the safety of the complainant first, and bail conditions often bar contact with a spouse and the family home. These conditions bind the accused even if the spouse wants contact. Our page on domestic violence charges in Ontario explains the process. We also explain how a no-contact condition can be changed when there are children.

What changes the answer in your case?

• How you were released. An appearance notice, an undertaking and a release order each carry different duties, and breaking one is its own offence (Criminal Code s. 145).
• Your record. Some charges, and some prior convictions, shift the onus at bail so that the accused must show why release is justified (s. 515(6)).
• Whether the Crown proceeds summarily or by indictment. This sets the maximum sentence, the court and the timeline. See what the Crown's choice changes.
• Immigration status. For immigration purposes an offence that can be prosecuted either way counts as indictable, even if the Crown proceeds summarily (IRPA s. 36(3)(a)).
• The kind of outcome. A discharge is not a conviction (Criminal Code s. 730(3)), and a withdrawn charge is treated differently again. Our page on what each criminal case outcome means sets them side by side.
• Language needs. If you need an interpreter, it should be raised at the first appearance. Ontario's guidance says to tell the judge or your lawyer, on the record, at your first court date.

For example: how a family might handle the first week

This is a hypothetical, not a real client or a result. Suppose a 24-year-old permanent resident who lives with his parents in Richmond Hill is arrested in downtown Toronto on a Saturday night after a fight outside a restaurant, and charged with assault causing bodily harm. Police hold him for a bail hearing. His mother, who speaks mostly Farsi, calls a lawyer on Sunday morning.

The lawyer explains in Farsi that the hearing will be at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre on Finch Avenue West, that sureties may appear by video, and that the court can provide an interpreter for her as a surety. The lawyer and the Crown agree on a release with the mother as surety, a condition to live at home and a condition not to contact the complainant. The court date is at 10 Armoury Street.

Because assault causing bodily harm carries a maximum of 10 years when prosecuted by indictment (Criminal Code s. 267), the lawyer flags at once that a conviction alone could make the son inadmissible, and that any resolution offer must be weighed against that risk, with an immigration lawyer brought in. That single fact shapes every step that follows.

What mistakes do people make after a charge?

1. Talking to police before speaking to a lawyer. Everyone arrested or detained has the right to retain and instruct counsel without delay and to be told of that right (Charter s. 10(b)). Use it before giving a statement.
2. Relying on a relative to translate legal papers. A loving translation can still miss a condition. Go through the release document with a lawyer who reads it with you in Farsi.
3. Pleading guilty quickly to "get it over with". A quick plea can carry immigration, travel and employment results that last far longer than the case.
4. Contacting the complainant through family. Indirect contact, including messages through relatives, can breach a no-contact condition (s. 515(4)(d)).
5. Assuming a withdrawn charge leaves no trace. Police records and record checks follow their own rules. See whether a withdrawn charge shows up on a police record check.
6. Booking travel before reading the release. A trip that breaks a condition, or a missed court date, can lead to arrest and a new charge.

What can you do this week?

1. Find every paper police or the court gave you and keep them together: the release document, any notice and any property receipt.
2. Write down your next court date, the courthouse and the courtroom or Zoom details.
3. Speak with a lawyer, in Farsi or English, before that date, and before any police interview.
4. Tell your lawyer your immigration status, any travel plans and any family court case.
5. If you need an interpreter in court, say so to your lawyer now so it can be requested early.
6. If a relative will be a surety, have them read about the role and speak with the lawyer too.
7. Use our first-week checklist after a criminal charge in Toronto to keep track.

Where is the guide for each stage of a case?

Every guide below is written for Ontario and, where the process is local, for the GTA courts. Pick the stage you are at.

Right after the charge

• Released with papers: what happens at a first court appearance in Toronto.
• Unsure whether you must be there: attending court in person or through your lawyer.
• A date was missed: what happens after a missed court date.

Bail and release

• How release is decided: bail hearings in Ontario.
• Held in Toronto: the Toronto Regional Bail Centre on Finch Avenue West.

Moving through the courts

• The evidence: what disclosure is and why early dates are adjourned.
• Settlement talks with a judge: what happens at a judicial pre-trial.
• A first charge: whether diversion is possible in Toronto.
• Choosing a trial: judge alone or jury, and the preliminary inquiry.
• Superior Court cases in Toronto: what happens at 361 University Avenue.

Sentencing, appeals and records

• Before sentencing: pre-sentence reports and victim impact statements.
• A sentence in the community: conditional sentences in Ontario.
• After a conviction: how to appeal a criminal conviction in Ontario.
• Clearing an old record: record suspension waiting periods.

Common charges

• Driving: impaired driving charges under the Criminal Code.
• A reading between 0.05 and 0.08: the provincial warn-range penalties.
• Violence: assault charges in Ontario.
• Property: theft charges over and under $5,000.
• Business and money: fraud charges.

Frequently asked questions

Is the court interpreter free in a criminal case?

Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General says it provides interpretation in any language required in criminal matters. The interpreter works for the court, not for either side. Your conversations with your lawyer are separate, and with a Farsi-speaking lawyer they happen in Persian directly.

Do you only take cases in Toronto?

No. The firm represents clients across Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, including the courts in Newmarket and Brampton. Our courtroom resources page lists Zoom links and contacts for those courts.

Can I message the firm in Farsi?

Yes. The office responds in English and Farsi, by phone, through the contact form or on WhatsApp. Do not send confidential details through the website until a lawyer has been retained.

Does the firm handle my immigration case too?

No. The firm advises on the criminal case and how its outcome is structured. Questions about permanent residence, sponsorship or citizenship should go to an immigration lawyer, ideally early enough to inform the criminal strategy.

My family case and my criminal case overlap. Can one firm help with both?

The firm practises criminal and family law. In Toronto, some cases with both a domestic charge and a family case go to the Integrated Domestic Violence Court, where one judge manages both files.

Is there a Persian version of this site?

Yes. Most of the firm's practice pages are also available in Persian through the language button at the top of each page.

What if I cannot afford a lawyer?

Legal Aid Ontario has duty counsel at the courthouses and the bail centre, and it decides who qualifies for a certificate. Our page on what drives the cost of a criminal defence in Toronto explains the stages that add work.

Getting help

The earlier you call, the more options remain open: release conditions can be reviewed, disclosure can be requested and immigration consequences can be planned for before any plea. Gambriani Law PC works from Suite 1901, 5000 Yonge Street in North York, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and you can reach the office at +1 647 970 3370 in Farsi or English.

This page is general information about Ontario criminal law, not legal advice about your situation.