Ask most Ontario paralegals what they charge and you will get a version of "it depends on the matter." That is true, and it is also not an answer to the question you actually asked, which is whether you can afford this.
So here are the numbers.
Point Duty's fee ranges
All figures are flat fees, plus HST at 13 per cent. You get a specific quote on the first call — these are the bands those quotes fall into.
| Matter | Flat fee (plus HST) |
|---|---|
| Straightforward HTA ticket — speeding, stop sign, lane change, resolving at Early Resolution | $400 – $700 |
| Careless driving | $700 – $1,200 |
| Stunt driving | $1,200 – $2,500 |
| Summary conviction criminal — assault s.266, theft under $5,000, mischief, cause disturbance | $1,500 – $3,500 to a non-trial resolution |
| Criminal trial | Quoted separately, before you decide whether to run it |
| Small claims, Landlord and Tenant Board matters | Quoted on the call — these vary too widely to band honestly |
Two things about that table are worth pointing out, because they are not how the rest of the market prices.
These are ranges, with a top end. Most published paralegal fees are starting prices — "$995 and up." That tells you the floor and nothing about the ceiling, which is the number you actually need. The bands above have both.
On a traffic matter, the trial is inside the fee. If your ticket runs to a full contested trial, the number you were quoted does not move. Firms that price trial days separately commonly charge in the region of $3,000 for one. On criminal matters a trial is quoted separately here too — that work is genuinely different in scale, and I would rather you saw the number and chose than found it on an invoice.
A note on the comparisons on this page: every figure attributed to another firm is that firm's own published rate as at August 2026, taken from their public fee pages. Rates change, and firms are free to change them without notice — check the current figure with any firm you are comparing before you rely on it.
Otherwise a flat fee means the number you are quoted is the number you pay. No hourly billing, no charge for phone calls, no meter running while I wait in a courthouse hallway.
Why the ranges differ this much
Three things move a file up or down inside its band:
Whether it resolves at Early Resolution or goes to trial. Most traffic matters resolve at Early Resolution — a meeting with the prosecutor, no trial, no witnesses. A file that runs to trial involves disclosure analysis, subpoenas, cross-examination preparation, and a full court day.
What is in disclosure. A speeding charge with a clean radar log and complete officer's notes is a different file from one where the calibration record is missing or the notes contradict the certificate. The second one takes real work — it is also the one worth fighting.
How serious the consequence is. Stunt driving carries a roadside licence suspension and vehicle impoundment before any finding of guilt, then fines from $2,000, possible jail, and the heaviest insurance consequence in the Highway Traffic Act. That file gets prepared to a different standard than a stop sign, and it is priced accordingly.
Compare the fee to the right number
Most people weigh the fee against the fine. That is the wrong comparison, and it is the single most expensive mistake we see.
A traffic conviction's real cost is the insurance. A single speeding conviction typically raises premiums 5 to 15 per cent for three years. A careless driving conviction can raise them 20 to 25 per cent for six years. The combined hit on one conviction commonly runs $1,500 to $5,000 over the life of the policy.
So the arithmetic on a routine ticket is often a $400 to $700 fee against a $1,500 to $5,000 downstream cost — before counting demerit points, and before counting what happens if a second conviction lands while the first is still on your record.
On a criminal matter the comparison is not financial at all. A conviction for theft under $5,000 or assault means a criminal record, with consequences for employment, bonding, professional licensing, and travel to the United States. There is no premium number that captures that.
What about a lawyer?
For a matter a paralegal is licensed to handle, a lawyer will generally cost more for the same work. Lawyers typically bill hourly, commonly quoted between $150 and $500 an hour, with published total estimates on a careless driving file in the $2,500 to $5,000-plus range. Some lawyers then assign the file to a paralegal anyway.
The distinction that matters is scope, not price. Paralegals in Ontario are licensed for Provincial Offences Act charges, summary conviction criminal offences, small claims up to $50,000, and Landlord and Tenant Board hearings. For an indictable charge, or one where the Crown has elected to proceed by indictment, you need a barrister — and on the first call you will be told which applies to you and referred on if it does. There is more detail in what a paralegal actually does and in the scope of practice page.
When we tell you not to hire us
Two situations come up regularly.
The charge is not worth defending. No demerit points, no meaningful insurance exposure, a fine lower than the fee. In that case paying it is the rational choice and you should hear that from us rather than pay us to find out.
The matter is outside our scope. An indictable charge, a family law issue, complex civil litigation. We refer to Ontario lawyers we would use ourselves.
Referrals have been the foundation of this practice since 2002. That only works if the advice on the first call is honest, including when the honest answer costs us the file.
How payment works
A flat fee is paid at engagement, on a signed retainer that sets out exactly what is covered. On criminal files the work is structured in phases — Crown screening and negotiation first, then trial preparation and trial if it comes to that — and each phase is quoted before it starts. You decide at each stage whether to continue, rather than committing to the whole thing on day one or discovering the cost of a trial after one has been scheduled.
Every figure is set out in writing before you sign anything. Nothing gets added later.
What to do now
- Find the charge on your ticket. The specific offence, not "a speeding ticket" — the section and the alleged speed determine everything about cost and options.
- Note your deadline. Most Ontario tickets give you 15 days to file a dispute. That deadline governs your options more than anything else on this page.
- Call for the actual number. The bands above are real, but your file gets a specific quote, not a range.
Want the number for your matter? Get a fee quote on the first call. It's free, confidential, twenty minutes, and there is no obligation to retain. Bring the ticket or the charge screening form and you will get a specific figure, plus an honest assessment of whether defending it is worth what it costs. Call 1-866-647-6468 or book a consultation at pointdutytraffic.com.
— Point Duty Traffic Court Defence & Legal Services
This article is general information and is not legal advice. The fee ranges above are the bands most matters fall within; the fee for your file depends on the charge, the court, the disclosure, and whether the matter proceeds to trial, and is confirmed in writing on a signed retainer before any work begins. Insurance figures are typical industry ranges, not a prediction about your policy. Competitor and lawyer rates cited are those firms' own published rates as at August 2026, taken from their public fee pages; they are reproduced for comparison only and may have changed since.