Jeffrey is a criminal defence lawyer and head of the firm’s civil practice group, specializing in securing compensation for victims of state misconduct. Before joining Lockyer Zaduk Zeeh in 2023, he developed a national reputation for his advocacy on behalf of individuals seeking compensation from Canadian prison administrators.
Jeffrey’s prison law advocacy is sought after across Canada, and he maintains a focused criminal defence practice in the Greater Toronto Area and Southwest Ontario.
Jeffrey’s approach to criminal defence and prison advocacy is deeply informed by his PhD research at Memorial University, where he is supervised by internationally acclaimed sociologist and criminologist Dr. Rose Ricciardelli. His forthcoming dissertation, set in the notorious Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s, Newfoundland, critically examines sentencing principles by exploring the lived realities of imprisonment. Through this qualitative approach, he seeks to uncover what is actually happening when someone is sentenced to imprisonment, as opposed to what the law claims is happening. Jeffrey contends that institutions such as HMP function in a state of exception, largely unconstrained by the rule of law – a perspective recently affirmed by the Ontario Court of Justice in a scathing criticism of Maplehurst Correctional Complex.
Jeffrey was admitted to the Law Society of British Columbia in April 2013 and to the Law Society of Ontario in May 2015. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Law (Highest Honours) and Master of Arts in Legal Studies from Carleton University in Ottawa, as well as a Juris Doctor from the University of Victoria in British Columbia. He is currently completing his PhD at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Jeffrey has appeared before various provincial and superior courts across Canada, as well as the Federal Court of Canada and Supreme Court of Canada. His cases are frequently in the news, including the following:
Judge approves B.C. inmate’s class action over ‘inhumane’ prison isolation during pandemic
Two dead as dangerous infection spreads through Ontario’s most over-crowded jail
Toronto mom Cindy Ali sues police in $10M lawsuit over ‘negligent investigation and false imprisonment’ in disabled daughter’s death
Prisoners owed ‘remedy’ for harsh conditions in prisons amid COVID, says watchdog
This man is on his deathbed because of the health care he received in prison, lawsuit alleges
Former UN Gangster warns of the perils of gang life – and cooperating with police
BC Rights groups demand inquest into inmate death at Mission Institution
