About
The Team
Jessica Read
Partner
Jessica attended Osgoode Hall Law School where she was awarded a position in the Criminal Intensive Program. During the program she completed a student clerkship with the Honourable Justice Joseph F. Kenkel. Her time with Justice Kenkel strengthened her desire to be a fierce trial lawyer. Hard-wired to fight for individual rights, she always envisioned herself as such.
After graduating from Osgoode, Jessica began her career, first articling, then as an assistant Crown Attorney. Here her work involved serious criminal matters, including jury trials for sexual assault and first-degree murder. She spent time at the Centre of Forensic Science with senior Crowns across the province, learning the latest in DNA technology. She was specifically trained by the Ministry of the Attorney General to prosecute impaired driving charges. Jessica developed a unique and concise understanding of this very technical part of the law, inside and out. She ran numerous impaired driving trials facing a multitude of defences against some of the most experienced and successful defence lawyers in the province.
As much as she enjoyed her time as a prosecutor, Jessica could not ignore the inner passion she had always had for defence work. Knowing that was where her true calling lied, she made the difficult decision to leave the security of working as a Crown to join Dean to realize their shared vision of building a powerful defence firm. Jessica has never looked back and the success she has had in defending and helping her clients has been the rewarding work she always believed it would be. Fearless in the courtroom, Jessica is a tour de force as a criminal defence lawyer, who also has an innate ability to relate to her clients and their families. She is exactly where she is supposed to be.
Jessica is proud to have guest lectured for first year Criminal Law at Osgoode Hall Law School. Jessica presented at the 2024 Central West Judicial Educational Conference where she sat on the impaired driving panel. Jessica is designated by Legal Aid Ontario to defend extremely serious matters. Jessica has successfully argued at all levels of court in Ontario.