Toronto Criminal Lawyer Adam Goodman Reflects on Court Process for G20 Detainees.

Aug. 21, 2010 - PRLog -- During the weekend of June 26-27, 2010, Toronto hosted G20 leaders. Many individuals protested the summit. A number of these protesters were arrested and held for bail. Toronto criminal lawyer Adam Goodman (http://www.aglaw.ca) volunteered his services to help those arrested secure their release.

The purpose of the summit was for leaders from G20 nations, as well as other invited guests, to discuss the global financial system and the world economy. With the summit came a great deal of dissent from parties’ opposed to G20 policies and/or other policies supported by the leaders present at the summit. This dissent also brought a large number of protesters to Toronto’s downtown core. The city and G20 organizers were ready for the protesters. Officers from police forces from around the country were dispatched to help protect the small area where the summit was to take place, known as the security zone. The RCMP was responsible for protecting this area. The Toronto Police Service were responsible for area outside the security zone which is where the protesting would generally occur.

On the Saturday of the summit, a small group of individuals engaged in “black bloc” tactics where they violently vandalized the city. This included damages to storefronts and public property as well as the now infamous burning of a police car.

Many other individuals who were not engaged in these “black bloc” tactics clashed with police. Large amounts of people were detained. While many were released after a few hours, many others were taken to a temporary jail site at an old film studio on Toronto’s Eastern Avenue. These detentions and arrests have generated a large amount of media attention and discussion both in mainstream and alternative media. There have been numerous accusations of breaches of constitutional rights by police officers. At this point, no allegations against those arrested or against police have been proven either in a court of law or independent review or inquiry.

Individuals not released from the temporary jail facility were taken to a courthouse at 2201 Finch Avenue West for the purposes of a bail hearing. Criminal lawyer Adam Goodman, who practices criminal law in the North York area of the city, assisted individuals with these bail hearings. Adam Goodman blogged about his unique experiences on his blog, Adam's Law Blog (http://aglawblog.ca).

Adam Goodman’s first article, My Day at the G20 bail courts, went into detail about how the court functioned and provided some reflections on the effectiveness of the system. Law librarian and social media expert Connie Crosby covered Adam’s article on the popular Canadian legal blog, SLAW:

"However, one thing we saw little of in the mainstream media was the legal process for detainees. The only thing close was one lawyer from Legal Aid at the temporary detention centre wonder on CP24 TV if legal counsel or a group like Human Rights Watch should be checking the conditions inside the centre.

Enter Adam Goodman, solo lawyer who works in the area of criminal law and general litigation out of his office AG Law Office. As a pro bono initiative, he worked at the courthouse at 2201 Finch Ave. West yesterday to assist those who had been charged as a result of the G20. He discussed what he was seeing at the courthouse and answered questions via Twitter on his account @aglawoffice."

In the weeks since the summit, Adam Goodman has shared insights on the legal process that those arrested during the G20 will face. This has included articles on the next steps in the court process and disclosure of evidence. Adam has also written articles on other law-related G20 issues such as the call for an independent fact-diner by the Criminal Lawyer's Association, as well as the controversy surrounding publication bans at G20 bail hearings.

On Monday, August 23, 2010, the large majority of those arrested and charged are expected to appear at the 2201 Finch courthouse. This is going to present a very interesting situation, yet again, from both a logistical and political perspective. The G20, which ended over two months ago, will again be making headlines. While many have guessed that the Crown will be withdrawing a great deal of charges, there is no indication as of yet that this is going to happen. Thus, everyone expected to appear on August 23 that has not made alternative arrangements with a lawyer must do so. Failure to do so may result in a warrant being issued for their arrest.

Adam Goodman graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2007. Following his call to the bar, Adam opened up his own law firm and embarked on a practice in criminal law. Adam Goodman is very interested and actively involved with social media. In addition to his blog, Adam enjoys engaging with different people from his Twitter account, @aglawoffice. Adam recently launched a new web site for his practice which can be found at www.aglaw.ca.

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Adam Goodman is a lawyer practicing in Toronto, Ontario. Adam's focus is on criminal law and other forms of litigation such as small claims, academic disputes, etc. Adam is also a notary public.

Charges defended: drugs, theft, fraud, assault, etc.