Charges We Defend

The charges Sam handles.

Sam's practice covers three connected areas — traffic, summary criminal, and regulatory discipline. The categories overlap more often than people expect, and many cases involve charges across two or all three.

Traffic Tickets Summary Criminal Regulatory Discipline

Highway Traffic Act · Provincial Offences

Traffic Tickets

Most Ontario traffic charges look like a flat fine on a yellow ticket — but the points, the insurance impact, and the licence suspensions stack up fast. Paying the fine is the same as pleading guilty.

Careless Driving +
Section 130 HTA — a broad, catch-all charge often laid after accidents. The Crown has to prove a real failure to give "due care and attention" — the standard is not always met.

Possible penalty: Up to 6 demerits, $2,000 fine, possible licence suspension up to 2 years.

Careless Driving Causing Bodily Harm or Death +
Aggravated form of careless driving where someone was hurt or killed. Higher penalties, mandatory court appearance, and tight insurance fallout.

Possible penalty: Up to $50,000 fine, 2-year suspension, possible jail.

Stunt Driving / Racing +
Section 172 HTA. Includes 40+ km/h over in 80 zones and lower, 50+ over elsewhere, plus a long list of "stunt" behaviours. Roadside suspension and impoundment trigger before you ever see a courtroom.

Possible penalty: 30-day roadside suspension, 14-day impoundment, up to $10,000 fine, 6 demerits.

Speeding +
Ontario's most common ticket. Pay the fine and you plead guilty — points, premium hikes, and a record follow. Speeds 40 / 50+ over the limit are stunt driving territory.

Possible penalty: 1–6 demerits depending on speed; insurance impact for years.

Distracted Driving (Hand-Held Device) +
Section 78.1 HTA. The Crown has to prove the device was actually being "held" or "used" — and that the stop itself was lawful.

Possible penalty: 3 demerits, fines $615–$3,000, immediate suspension for novice drivers.

Drive Under Suspension +
Section 53 HTA. Even an administrative suspension over an unpaid fine carries six-figure consequences over a career. Repeat convictions add mandatory jail.

Possible penalty: First offence $1,000–$5,000 + 6-month suspension; jail on repeat.

No Insurance +
Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act s. 2(1). The Crown has to prove you knew you were uninsured — a defence that turns on what you reasonably believed, not just the paperwork.

Possible penalty: First offence $5,000–$25,000 minimum; 1-year suspension; impoundment.

Failure to Remain at the Scene +
Section 200 HTA. Often layered on after a fender-bender or hit-and-run allegation. A conviction is treated the same as an admission of liability in any civil or insurance fight.

Possible penalty: Up to $2,000 fine + 2-year suspension; possible Criminal Code charges in serious cases.

Accident-Related Charges +
Unsafe turns, improper lane changes, failure to report — secondary charges that often build the case against you in a parallel insurance dispute. Paying any of them is the same as admitting guilt.

Possible penalty: Demerits, fines, civil-liability evidence.

Criminal Code · Summary Conviction

Summary Criminal

Paralegals in Ontario are authorized to defend summary conviction offences within the Law Society of Ontario's permitted scope. These charges still create a criminal record — early advice matters.

Mischief (under $5,000) +
A frequently over-charged offence covering damage to property or interference with property. Often laid alongside assault or theft charges.

Possible penalty: Up to $5,000 fine and/or up to 2 years less a day in jail.

Theft Under $5,000 +
A summary conviction option for low-value thefts. The Crown often elects summary; many of these resolve with peace bonds, diversion, or withdrawal where the evidence is thin.

Possible penalty: Up to 2 years less a day in jail; criminal record on conviction.

Causing a Disturbance +
Section 175 of the Criminal Code. The Crown has to prove an actual disturbance — not just that someone complained. The line between "annoying" and "criminal" is narrower than people think.

Possible penalty: Up to 2 years less a day in jail; criminal record on conviction.

Trespass at Night +
Loitering near a dwelling-house at night without lawful excuse. Often laid out of suspicion alone; the lawful-excuse defence does real work.

Possible penalty: Up to 2 years less a day in jail; criminal record on conviction.

Assault (summary election) +
Where the Crown elects summary on a simple assault, a paralegal can defend. Domestic and serious bodily-harm assaults are typically indictable — those go to a lawyer.

Possible penalty: Up to 2 years less a day in jail; criminal record on conviction.

Cannabis Act / CDSA (summary) +
Summary offences under federal cannabis and controlled-substances legislation — possession-level matters and minor public-consumption charges.

Possible penalty: Fines and/or jail depending on the section; record on conviction.

Professional Discipline · LSO Focus

Regulatory Discipline

Sam's current focus is the Law Society Tribunal — defending licensees facing conduct, capacity, and good-character proceedings. Other professional discipline panels are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Law Society Tribunal — Conduct Proceedings +
Allegations of professional misconduct against Ontario paralegals or lawyers — handled before the Hearing Division. This is Sam's current focus.

Possible outcome: Reprimand, restrictions on practice, suspension, revocation of licence, costs.

Law Society Tribunal — Good-Character Hearings +
Applicants for licensure (or licensees facing a good-character review) defending their fitness to be a licensee of the LSO. The hearing turns as much on insight and rehabilitation evidence as on the underlying conduct.

Possible outcome: Granted licence, conditional grant, denial — followed by an appeal route.

Law Society Tribunal — Capacity Hearings +
Where the LSO alleges a licensee's capacity to practise is affected by a medical or mental-health condition. Requires careful navigation of medical evidence and accommodation.

Possible outcome: Practice restrictions, supervision, suspension pending recovery.

Reinstatement Applications +
Applications by former licensees to be reinstated to the LSO after a suspension, surrender, or revocation. Sam helps prepare the evidence and the narrative the Tribunal expects to see.

Possible outcome: Reinstatement, conditional reinstatement, or denial.

Other Professional Discipline +
Sam handles other regulatory matters on a case-by-case basis — including disciplinary panels for regulated professionals where a paralegal is permitted to appear.

Possible outcome: Varies by regulator.

Don't see your charge?

If it isn't on this list, it's worth a phone call anyway. Most charges layer on top of one another — and many cases involve charges Sam can defend even when the headline charge is something he can't.

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Licensed Paralegal — Not a Law Firm. Sam Pazzano is regulated by the Law Society of Ontario. Services are limited to the authorized scope of paralegal practice. Nothing on this site is legal advice.