Ewan Lyttle

Ewan is a veteran criminal defence lawyer and partner at Lyttle McGarry Del Greco LLP.

In 2015, Ewan was certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in Criminal Litigation. A certified specialist designation is an accolade awarded to Ontario lawyers who have a proven depth of experience in criminal litigation. Ewan is the current President of the Defence Counsel Association of Ottawa.

Ewan defends accused persons against all types of criminal and quasi-criminal charges with a focus on the most serious of allegations and large-scale cases. He has extensive experience in homicide, major drug and weapons trafficking, human trafficking, and sexual assault cases. He has appeared in all levels of court, including the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. He has litigated many complex legal motions, including motions under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In 2018, Ewan successfully applied to have two Criminal Code provisions struck down.

Ewan was appointed by the Federal Justice Minister to the list of persons who may act as Special Advocates pursuant to section 85(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Special advocates are private-practice lawyers who must have top-secret security clearance. They are independent of government. The Special Advocate protects the interests of a permanent resident or foreign national who is subject to a security certificate or other proceedings under the IRPA held in private and in the absence of that person and their lawyer.

Ewan takes a special interest in advancing the rights of the Indigenous. For over a decade, he has performed thousands of hours of volunteer work in the Indigenous community through his relationship with Ottawa’s Wabano Centre. Ewan regularly takes on Indigenous client cases for free. Ewan has completed a certificate course on Indigenous Studies from the University of Alberta.