The Team

ROBERT KARRASS

LITIGATION LAWYER

ROBERT KARRASS
  • Biography
  • Professional Highlights

Mr. Karrass’s practice focuses on litigation and alternative dispute resolution. He has appeared on numerous criminal defence, civil, administrative and regulatory matters at both the trial and appellate levels.

Mr. Karrass received his J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School where he was the recipient of the Kenneth Gibson Morden Memorial Prize for standing highest in the subject of Evidence.

An accomplished pianist and musicologist Mr. Karrass remains an active supporter of education and the arts and has been teaching music at the college and university levels since 2005. He currently holds an adjunct teaching position at McMaster University.

Professional History
  • Principal – Karrass Law  (Present)

  • Adjunct Professor – George Brown College – Faculty of Continuing Education  (2015 – Present)

  • Columnist – The Lawyer’s Daily  (2017 – Present)

  • Presiding Lawyer Member – Consent & Capacity Board – Ministry of Health  (2015 – 2020)

  • Per Diem Crown Attorney – Ministry of the Attorney General  (2019)

  • Instructor – Lawyer as Negotiator – Osgoode Hall Law School (2017 – 2019)

  • Partner at a Boutique Law Firm in North York, ON (2014 – 2016)

  • Adjunct Professor – McMaster University – Hamilton, ON  (2009 – 2015)

Selected Publications
  • Ontario Litigators’ Guide to Criminal Procedure (Lexis Nexis – In Progress)
  • Ontario Litigators’ Guide to Process and Forms (Lexis Nexis – In Progress)
  • Ontario Litigators’ Guide to Administrative Tribunals (Lexis Nexis – In Progress)
  • Should Police Mental Health Training Be Legislated? (Lawyer’s Weekly – August, 2017)
  • Charter Damages Appropriate for Omar Khadr? (Lawyer’s Weekly – July, 2017)
  • Should Victims of Violent Crime Have Legal Representation in Court? (Lawyer’s Weekly – June, 2017)
  • Justice Delayed is Justice Denied: v. Jordan Reboot (Lawyer’s Weekly – May, 2017)
  • Policing and the Criminalization of Mental Illness (Lawyer’s Weekly – February, 2017)
  • Tasers: Acceptable Casualty Rates for Death by Less-Lethal Force? (Lawyer’s Weekly – February, 2017)
  • A Series of Interviews on Narrative and Prejudice (December, 2011)
  • Guidelines and Book of Authorities for the integrated Criminal-Family Court Initiative (September, 2011)
  • Bill C-32: A Lifeline for a Dying Industry? Published on Ipilogue.ca (March, 2011)
  • Masonic Elements in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (In Progress)
  • Master’s Thesis “Historical Performance Practice of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C Major K. 503: A Practical Analysis”. (December, 2007
  • “Dramatic Analysis of Mozart’s Late Concerti” Presentation at Manhattan School of Music Undergraduate Music Conference, New York, NY, (May, 2005)
Awards, Memberships, and Achievements
  • Listed as Lawyer to Watch: Public Litigation – Lexpert Rising Stars Competition 2017
  • Winner of the Kenneth Gibson Morden Memorial Prize in Evidence
  • Member of the Law Society of Upper Canada
  • Member of the Ontario and Canadian Bar Associations
  • Member of the Ontario Trial Lawyers’ Association
  • Member of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association
  • Member of Mosaic Lodge No. 559 and Wyllys St. John’s Lodge No. 4
Education
  • Member in good standing with the Law Society of Upper Canada
  • Juris Doctor (J.D.) – Osgoode Hall Law School
  • M.Mus. in Historical Musicology and Piano Performance – Hartt School, University of Hartford, CT
  • B.Mus. in Classical Piano Performance – Manhattan School of Music, New York, NY

JUSTIN SUGAR

ASSOCIATE LAWYER

JUSTIN SUGAR
  • Biography

Justin joined Karrass Law in 2021 as an Associate Lawyer.

His practice focuses on litigation, including commercial disputes, intentional torts, negligence claims, personal injury (slip and falls, motor vehicle accidents, statutory accident benefits) and insurance litigation.

Prior to his work at Karrass Law, Justin worked at a large downtown Toronto law firm where he gained experience defending some of Canada’s largest insurance companies in a broad range of civil matters.

Justin holds both Canadian and American law degrees. He was recognized in law school for academic excellence in the area of Health Law and was a recipient of the Lysaght & Stewart Scholar Award for the top twenty students in his class.

Justin is based in Toronto but provides legal services for clients and has appeared in all levels of court in Ontario.

Raquel Sananes

LAW CLERK

Raquel Sananes
  • Biography

Raquel attended the University of Toronto where she graduated with an Honors Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and minored in criminology. Raquel also attended the University of California Los Angeles where she furthered her studies in science, as well as Seneca College where she graduated from the Law Clerk’s program with High Honors with Distinction. While at Seneca, Raquel was the winner and recipient of the Public Speaking Award. 

Raquel has spent her entire law clerk career on Bay Street working in the areas of Civil Litigation, Criminal, Municipal, and Intellectual Property.

BETHANY COHEN

CONTENT SPECIALIST

BETHANY COHEN
  • Biography

Bethany Cohen received a Bachelor of Arts from York University and a Master of Arts from University of Toronto, both focusing on English literature. She has worked for multiple organizations, contributing her extensive creative writing skills to their communications teams. As a content strategist, she has created website and social media copy, drafted blog posts, curated blogs, and organized content calendars.

Please, enter a valid value