Saman Danesh Wickramasinghe

An accomplished litigator with a strong trial and appellate practice, UPFH partner Saman Wickramasinghe skillfully navigates the machinery of the justice system for clients in criminal and quasi-criminal law. Saman also applies his extensive litigation experience to navigate as counsel in professional disciplinary matters.

Saman has a wealth of experience litigating complex criminal cases at trial and routinely represents clients at the appellate level in the Superior Court of Ontario, the Ontario Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada. His practice ranges from the defense of clients charged with drug offenses, impaired driving offenses and weapons offences to sexual offenses and homicide. He has had particular success in litigating applications to exclude evidence under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Saman also represents workers, supervisors and companies charged under the Occupational Health and Safety Act in cases involving serious workplace injuries and fatalities. In many cases Saman will carefully negotiate the withdrawal of charges before trial.

Saman is among the experienced and dedicated lawyers who volunteer with the pro bono duty counsel programs in both the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Superior Court of Justice for Ontario. He is also a panel member of the Professional Regulation Committee at the Criminal Lawyers Association. Saman also co-chair’s the University Tribunal, Trial Division at the University of Toronto. He is often invited as a panelist panelist at conferences and legal education seminars on a wide range of topics – including cross-examination, trial advocacy, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and evidentiary matters.

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in History from Boston College and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor, Saman articled in criminal law at a prestigious labour-side firm and was called to the bar in 2007. He is a member of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, the Toronto Lawyers’ Association and the York Region Law Association. He served as a longstanding member of the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario’s Board of Directors and as a member the South Asian Bar Association’s Board of Directors.