Tough Crimes
True Cases by Top Canadian Criminal Lawyers
- Publisher
- Durvile Publications
- Initial publish date
- Nov 2014
- Category
- General
- Recommended Age
- 18
- Recommended Grade
- 12
-
Downloadable audio file
- ISBN
- 9780968975473
- Publish Date
- Nov 2014
- List Price
- $29.95
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780968975466
- Publish Date
- Nov 2014
- List Price
- $29.95
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Tough Crimes is a collection of thoughtful and insightful stories by twenty of Canada’s most prominent criminal lawyers. In the book, they write about cases that had surprising turns, or that presented personal or ethical challenges. We’ve all heard the media’s take on notorious criminals, but when have we had a chance to hear directly from the lawyers who defended or prosecuted them? We’ve all lamented the fate of a person who we think was wrongfully accused, but who better to explain what happened than his or her counsel who was there for the client every step of the way. In Tough Crimes, Edward Greenspan writes on a miscarriage of justice; Richard Wolson and Marilyn Sandford on the wrongfully convicted; Earl Levy on the Toronto Shoeshine Boy murder; Peter Martin on a study of evil; John Rosen on defending Paul Bernardo; Fred Ferguson on child abuse; William Smart on a “Mr. Big” sting; Richard Peck on Air India; Noel O’Brien on corpora delicti; Joel Pink on the Antigonish Beech Hill murders; Brian Beresh and Patrick Fagan on reasonable doubt; Mark Brayford on Robert Latimer; Marie Henein on the wrongfully charged; C.D. Evans on weighing moralities; William Trudell on the Walkerton water treatment disaster; forensic psychologist Thomas Dalby on the Taber school shootings; John Vertes on aboriginal justice; and Hersh Wolch on a young prosecutor’s trial by fire.
About the authors
Christopher D. Evans' profile page
Lorene Shyba PhD is publisher at Durvile & UpRoute Books and series editor of the Durvile True Cases series.
One of Canada’s top criminal defence lawyers, Edward L. Greenspan has been practicing law in Toronto since 1970. He received his Queen’s Counsel in 1982.
Edward L. Greenspan's profile page
Marilyn Sandford's profile page
Excerpt: Tough Crimes: True Cases by Top Canadian Criminal Lawyers (by (author) Christopher D. Evans, Edward L. Greenspan, Richard Wolson, Marilyn Sandford, Earl Levy, Peter Martin, John Rosen, Fred Ferguson, William Smart, Richard Peck, Noel O'Brien, Joel Pink, Patrick Fagan, Brian Beresh, Mark Brayford, Marie Henein, William Trudell, John Vertes, Thomas Dalby & Hersh Wolch; edited by Lorene Shyba)
John Rosen on Defence of Paul Bernardo “Much has been written about the videotapes, the failure of the police to find them and the horrific nature of their contents. But nothing has ever been said about the impact of the tapes on the lawyers. After taking possession of the tapes, [Clayton] Ruby and I met at his home to view them for the first time. We played the VHS tapes so as not to damage the originals. We also fast-forwarded through most parts. Our intention was to get an understanding of what was depicted so we could assess my legal, professional and ethical obligations. “In truth though, the images depicted shook me to the core. At one point, I needed to stop and excuse myself for a few moments. The images were deeply disturbing and the implications were obvious. How was I going to defend this case in the face of these tapes? What would prevent the jury from coming over the boards at me for having the gall to advance any defence for this accused? Moreover, I am a father myself – what would my own family think of me? How was I going to survive a trial with my health and reputation intact? “I could have avoided my responsibilities by claiming I was a witness to the chain of custody of the tapes. But what would that have said about the twenty-five years of my life that, at that point in time, I had dedicated to the criminal law? After a moment’s hesitation, I decided to set aside my personal feelings and interests and get on with the job at hand.”
Editorial Reviews
“The conclusion of a criminal trial is not a closure. Tough Crimes, a collection of trial counsels’ recollections of cases that leave an indelible mark on them, engages the reader in the haunting and inevitable after-effects of prosecuting or defending notable Canadian trials. This book, carefully edited by C.D. Evans and Lorene Shyba, demonstrates that criminal lawyers do not escape unscathed from serious trials.” The Honourable John C. Major, CC QC Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
“Tough Crimes provides the reader with a breadth of view into the world of criminal trial work; the characters that occupy it; the impact of this work on the participants and the absolute need for an objective and impartial approach to the investigation, prosecution and defence of a person charged criminally. The essays illustrate the gamut of emotions from exhilaration to fear experienced by those involved whose task it is, in all cases, to ‘get it right’.” The Honourable Felix Cacchione Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia
