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One lawyer, both sides of the courtroom: criminal defence and civil litigation across Toronto and the GTA.
- Free, immediate case evaluation
- Most cases resolved without a trial
- Available 24/7 for emergencies or for an appointment
About Elias
Founder. Sole counsel. Your advocate.
A 2021 graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, Elias Rabinovitch is the founder and sole counsel of Elias Rabinovitch Law, a boutique practice built on two pillars: criminal defence and civil litigation.
His practice splits about evenly between criminal defence and civil litigation, the latter spanning expropriation, debt collection, and wrongful dismissal. Every client gets Elias personally, no juniors, no shuffling files. Read more on the blog or our FAQ.
Outside the courtroom, Elias volunteers with the Rexdale Community Health Centre and the Handcuff Status Foundation. He is a member of the Criminal Lawyers Association and Jewish Lawyers of Canada.
Watch · 60 seconds
What happens if I get arrested in Toronto?
A quick, plain-English rundown of what to expect and how to protect yourself, straight from Elias. When you call, this is the same lawyer who picks up the phone.
Fast Track
I've been charged with…
Click the offence closest to your situation. I'll show you how I handle it.
Other charges or unsure where you fit? Call directly or browse all areas of expertise.
Lawsuits & Civil Law
I need help with a civil matter…
Suing, being sued, owed money, or fighting a government taking? Click what fits your situation.
Free Guide
Just been charged? Read this first.
A plain-English guide on what to do (and what NOT to do) in the first 24 hours after a criminal charge.
Free Guide
Facing a civil dispute? Start here.
Suing, being sued, owed money, dismissed, or expropriated? A plain-English guide covering Small Claims, larger claims, expropriation, and employment law.
Why Choose Elias
Why Toronto clients choose Elias Rabinovitch.
Relentless
Personally handles every file, no associates, no handoffs. Your case gets Elias from start to finish.
Responsive
Available 24/7 for emergencies. When you call, you reach your lawyer, not a receptionist.
Resolve
Routinely settles cases through skilled negotiation before trial, from withdrawn charges to favourable civil settlements.
Google Reviews
Exceptionally professional, organized and honest. Elias is very articulate and takes the time to review your particulars and walk you through an informed evaluation of the landscape you are dealing with. He will provide an honest assessment and ensure that you are aware of all your options and possible outcomes. Highly recommend.
He was very helpful and dedicated, also very supportive. Didn't feel like I was alone in the battle, when I knew he had my back. Thanks!
Elias Rabinovitch stepped up and helped me out of a tough situation. He's professional, honest, ethical and above all, represented my interests. If you need a lawyer who understands the legal system and who has your back, call Elias.
Expropriation
The government is taking land across the GTA.
Highway 413, the Ontario Line, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension and the Yonge North Subway Extension are moving through the region, and thousands of owners will deal with an expropriating authority before they are finished. Most of them will do it without ever speaking to a lawyer, and most of them will accept an offer that covers the land and very little else.
The deadline most owners never hear about is the one that sets what their land is worth.
When the Notice of Expropriation arrives, section 10 gives you 30 days to elect the date your land is valued at: the registration of the plan, the service of that notice, or the date you were served with notice of a hearing where one was held. Say nothing and the registration date is chosen for you, and in a moving market, or on a corridor where the project itself has been depressing values for years, the difference between those dates is the whole of your market value claim.
The other thing worth knowing early: the authority must offer you immediate payment of 100 per cent of its own estimate of market value, and the Act says taking that money is without prejudice to everything else you are owed. Owners routinely leave six figures sitting with the authority because they assume accepting it settles the claim. It does not. What you should not sign without advice is a full and final release.
The offer is not the ceiling
Compensation is not a land price. On a partial taking, injurious affection to what you keep and disturbance damages are frequently worth more than the strip itself, and they are the heads most often thin or missing from an authority's first appraisal.
How you pay
Nothing up front, no retainer, and no hourly bills. The fee is a percentage of the compensation recovered for you, set out in a written fee agreement signed before any work starts. If nothing is recovered, no fee is payable.
If no land of yours is taken
You may still have a claim. The Act compensates owners damaged by the construction of the works even where nothing of theirs is expropriated, and section 22 bars that claim one year after the damage was sustained or became known. Nothing is served on you to tell you the clock is running.
What is taking land, and where
This page is legal information, not legal advice. It describes the law in general terms and cannot account for the facts of your situation. Reading it does not create a lawyer and client relationship. For advice you can act on, speak with a lawyer about your own matter.
My Approach
From first call to resolution.
Review the evidence
Forensic analysis of the disclosure, documents, and the other side's materials.
Speak to the other side
Direct, strategic dialogue with the Crown or opposing party to identify weaknesses.
Try to resolve it
Pursue a withdrawal, a favourable settlement, or reduced exposure where possible.
Fight in court
If resolution fails, aggressive, prepared advocacy at trial.
Coverage
I will travel across Ontario to win your case.
Based in downtown Toronto, appearing in courthouses province-wide. Click your city below for area-specific information, local courthouses, and how I handle cases there.
Dedicated City Pages
Local courthouse, neighborhoods, and case handling infoAlso serving across the GTA
Expropriation by city
Also serving across Ontario
Don't see your city? Call 647-547-6734. I appear at courthouses across Ontario.
Facing a charge or a dispute in Toronto or the GTA?
Criminal or civil, every hour matters. Call or email now for a free, confidential evaluation.
Toronto ON M5A 4K2