OUR TEAM

Richard Posner

Partner

Richard Posner is the managing partner of Posner Craig Stein (“PCS”).

For over 25 years, Mr. Posner has acted for individuals and corporations facing criminal, quasi-criminal and regulatory prosecution. His litigation practice is devoted to serious and complex cases at the trial and appellate level. He frequently conducts trials before judges, juries and regulatory tribunals and argues cases in the Court of Appeal for Ontario. His appellate experience extends to the Divisional Court, the Tax Court of Canada and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Mr. Posner advises individuals and corporations under audit and investigation by government and professional regulatory authorities. He regularly provides clients with strategic guidance on regulatory compliance and licensure in a variety of professional disciplines and in the commercial transport and financial service sectors. As a veteran criminal defence counsel, Mr. Posner has a mastery in the defence of alcohol-related driving offences and fatal motor vehicle collision cases. He also has considerable experience in complex fraud prosecutions and cases under the Income Tax Act and the Ontario Securities Act. Mr. Posner routinely provides advice to lawyers throughout Ontario in the handling of homicide and sexual assault cases.

Prior to forming PCS, Mr. Posner served as the managing partner of Lockyer, Campbell, Posner for 17 years. In his capacity as an articling principal since 2005, Mr. Posner has continuously acted as a teacher and mentor to many law students. He is a member of the Ontario Criminal Lawyers Association and a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School (class of 1995). Mr. Posner is also a long-distance runner and a classical pianist.

Mr. Posner can be reached through his assistant, Christa Wong, at +1.416.391.2118 ext. 228.

Alison Craig

Partner

Alison Craig is a founding partner of Posner Craig Stein. She graduated from the University of Guelph in 2002 with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. In 2005, Alison graduated from Queen’s University Law School. While a student at Queen’s, she volunteered for three years at the John Howard Society, serving as Vice President of the Board of Directors in her final year.

While she was in Kingston, Alison worked for the Correctional Law Project, a legal clinic run through Queen’s University. As an employee of the clinic, she represented federal prison inmates at their disciplinary court trials and parole hearings. She still conducts parole hearing for clients throughout Ontario. She has also represented clients before regulatory and licensing tribunals such as the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

In 2005, Alison joined Lockyer Campbell Posner as an articling student and after her Call to the Bar in 2006, joined the firm as an associate. In 2011, Alison was made a partner at the firm. She remained there until starting Posner, Craig & Stein.

In 2007 and 2008, Alison represented nine individuals at the Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology in Ontario who were convicted of homicides as a result of the flawed pathology work of Dr. Charles Smith. In the years since the Inquiry concluded, several of those convictions have been quashed by the Ontario Court of Appeal.

Alison has successfully conducted hundreds of trials at both the provincial and superior court levels. She specializes in defending people charged with murder, sexual assault, and drug offences. She has successfully defended persons accused of offences ranging from mischief to murder.

In addition to her trial work, Alison has argued conviction and sentence appeals at the Summary Conviction Appeals Court for Ontario, the Ontario Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Gabriel Gross-Stein

Partner

Gabriel Gross-Stein is a founding partner of Posner Craig Stein. His practice includes the defence of individuals and corporations charged with criminal, regulatory, and disciplinary offences. His extensive preparation, skill, and experience lead to excellent outcomes for his clients, in and out of the courtroom.

Gabriel has had success at all levels of Court in Ontario, where he has conducted hundreds of trials, hearings, and applications. Gabriel regularly argues appeals before the Court of Appeal for Ontario. His focus is on providing you with the best possible result, and protecting your employment, reputation, and freedom. You can be sure that you will receive the best possible defence with him. Gabriel has successfully defended all types of criminal offences, from impaired driving, fraud, and sexual assault to first degree murder.

Gabriel has developed particular expertise in defending professionals before their regulatory bodies, including lawyers before the Law Society of Ontario and health professionals before the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. He appears regularly before professional regulatory authorities.

Gabriel also defends individuals who are sought for extradition, in the Superior Court of Justice at the judicial phase, and in drafting submissions to the Minister for the ministerial phase.

Gabriel holds an honours degree in Classics from the University of Kings College. He graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2012, where he developed an intense focus in criminal law. While at Osgoode Hall, he was a member of the Innocence Project, which seeks to exonerate those who were wrongly convicted.

Gabriel joined Lockyer Campbell Posner in 2013 and was made a partner in 2019. In 2022, he formed Posner Craig Stein LLP with his partners, Richard Posner and Alison Craig.

Lance Beechener

Partner

Lance Beechener graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2004 and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2005. He articled and was Crown counsel at the Crown Law Office – Criminal, where argued appeals regularly at the Court of Appeal for Ontario.

Lance joined the criminal defence bar in 2007 as an associate at a well-known downtown law firm where he worked on a wide variety of trial and appellate matters. In 2010, he became a sole practitioner, focusing exclusively on criminal law, with a particular interest in defending clients charged with drug offences. He has appeared in both the Ontario Court of Justice and Superior Court of Justice all over Ontario.

From 2014 to 2022, Lance was an associate lawyer at Lockyer Campbell Posner. His practice focused primarily on criminal appeals, in particular representing persons convicted of murder. He has argued appeals in the Supreme Court of Canada as well as numerous times in the Court of Appeal. He has also acted as intervener in the Superior Court of Justice for the Criminal Lawyers’ Association. In 2022, he joined Posner Craig Stein. He has continued to focus on appellate work and has successfully argued many cases, resulting in acquittals or new trials.

Alexandra Mamo

Partner

Alexandra Mamo is a seasoned trial lawyer with a proven record of success defending clients against a wide range of criminal charges. She has secured acquittals in cases involving murder, sexual assault, aggravated assault, robbery, impaired driving, and the possession and trafficking of drugs and firearms, among many others. Alexandra has also achieved the exclusion of key evidence, including guns and narcotics, through rigorous Charter litigation, holding police to the highest constitutional standards.

Particularly skilled in defending sexual assault allegations, Alexandra brings both sensitivity and tenacity to this challenging area of law, ensuring her clients receive a full and fair defence.

Alexandra has extensive experience defending clients in Dangerous and Long-Term Offender proceedings. She has successfully opposed applications by the Attorney General seeking to have individuals designated as dangerous offenders and imprisoned indefinitely. Her commitment to thorough preparation, strategic thinking, and fearless advocacy has earned her a reputation for excellence in complex and high-stakes litigation.

Alexandra earned her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Public Policy from the University of Guelph in 2011, and her Juris Doctor from Western University in 2014. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2015. Upon graduation, Alexandra was recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Colin D. Leitch Award for exceptional promise in criminal law, the Genest Murray Award in Advocacy, and the David C. Scott Memorial Award for her outstanding contributions to Western Law and the London community.

Fiona McNestry

Partner

Fiona is committed to protecting the rights and dignity of her clients. She regularly appears before the Ontario and Superior Courts of Justice and takes pride in diligently preparing for each stage of criminal proceedings —from pre-charge and bail to trial and discharge planning. She also appears before the Ontario Review Board, Ontario Parole Board and National Parole Board.

Fiona secures excellent results for her clients. She represents individuals charged with a wide range of criminal offences, from impaired driving/”over 80” and fraud to sexual and domestic assaults, and firearm and drug offences. She is dedicated to achieving the best possible results in each case. As part of her practice, Fiona connects individuals in crisis to community supports in order to assist in their defence and general well-being beyond the criminal justice system.

In addition to her robust criminal defence practice, Fiona conducts investigations for individuals and organizations who are the subject of internal or public complaints.

Fiona was both a summer and articling student at Lockyer Campbell Posner. She joined the firm as an associate in 2019 and remained there until joining Posner Craig Stein in 2022.

Fiona graduated from the University of Toronto, Trinity College, with an honours degree in Psychology and Ethics. In 2016, she completed her Juris Doctor at Western University, where she gained valuable experience in client advocacy as a caseworker at Western University’s Legal Aid Clinic, Community Legal Services. While at Western, Fiona clerked at the Ontario Court of Justice in Scarborough and completed an internship with Peacebuilders Canada. She has worked with Peacebuilders Canada as part of their fundraising committee for many years since. She was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2017.

Stefan Rinas

Associate

Stefan is a criminal trial lawyer who provides clear advice and highly effective advocacy. He is a compassionate and approachable resource for his clients and their support networks. He has represented clients with charges that require challenging search warrants or carefully drafting motions in sexual assault cases. No matter the charge, he takes great pleasure in preparing and executing his trial strategy.

Stefan has extensive experience representing young people facing criminal charges under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. He has represented many young people facing firearms possession charges in Toronto. He has guided his clients through police interrogations and negotiated the pre-trial withdrawal of serious criminal charges.

Stefan graduated from Columbia Law School with Honours. While at Columbia, Stefan assisted in editing the Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual, a guide for self-represented incarcerated individuals. Stefan also holds the degree of Master of Laws from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University, where he majored in History. After being called to the bar in 2016, Stefan worked for a well-known sole practitioner prior to starting his own practice. Stefan joined Posner Craig Stein as an associate in 2024.

Stefan is passionate about protecting his clients’ rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In R. v. Dean, 2025 ONSC 3446, Stefan successfully argued that his client had been arbitrarily detained. As a result, a loaded handgun, quantities of cocaine, fentanyl and cash were excluded from evidence and Stefan’s client was acquitted.

In R. v. E.J., 2025 ONSC 6016, Stefan and his co-counsel secured the acquittal of a young person charged with murder.

Stefan is a member of the Toronto Lawyers Association.

D’arcy Leitch

Associate

D’Arcy Leitch is an experienced trial lawyer. D’Arcy appears routinely at the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice, where he acts for individuals facing serious criminal charges. D’Arcy has successfully defended clients charged with murder, attempted murder, sexual assault, firearms offences, drug possession and trafficking, robbery, and impaired driving, among other offences.

D’Arcy Leitch graduated from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in 2019, where he received several awards for academic excellence, outstanding scholarship, and legal research and writing. D’Arcy also holds a Masters of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from Concordia University.

D’Arcy was called to the Ontario Bar in 2020. He articled at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, Brampton Crown Attorney’s Office, in 2019. Prior to joining the criminal defence bar, and Posner Craig Stein, in 2023, D’Arcy was an Assistant Crown Attorney in Brampton, responsible for prosecuting offences under the Criminal Code of Canada and regulatory offences under the Provincial Offences Act of Ontario.

D’Arcy’s criminal law practice is focused on the defence of serious criminal cases at the trial level. He also maintains a select criminal appellate practice and acts for individuals facing regulatory and quasi-criminal charges under the Ontario Securities Act.

D’Arcy’s objective is to safeguard his clients’ liberty, their reputations, and their employment by providing them with extraordinary legal results.

Sigma Khan

Associate

Sigma Khan is a dedicated lawyer practicing criminal defence and civil litigation. In addition to acting as an advocate, Sigma also has apt experience in conducting investigations for a range of agencies. Sigma approaches advocacy with creativity, resourcefulness, and a fierce commitment to justice. Whether defending against criminal charges, navigating complex civil disputes, or investigating multifaceted allegations, Sigma strives for a tailored legal solution for each client.

Prior to joining PCS, Sigma gained pertinent legal experience from a prominent international Bay Street law firm in Toronto, and a high-profile boutique litigation firm renowned across Canada. Sigma has assisted with matters before all levels of Court in Ontario, the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal, and private mediations/arbitrations. In conjunction with a litigation practice, Sigma has also acted as an impartial investigator for notable institutions, including the University of Toronto.

Sigma graduated from Windsor Law with both Canadian and American Juris Doctor degrees. During law school, Sigma received several academic achievements such as winning top 10 oral advocate in Canada in the prestigious Jessup moot. Sigma also clerked for the Honourable Judge Allen in Detroit’s Wayne County Circuit Court and worked pro bono with public defenders to assist with criminal matters in Detroit’s 36th District Court. Sigma is a member of The Advocates’ Society, The Canadian/Ontario Bar Association and the Group of Racialized Ontario Women Litigators (GROWL).

Travis Moore

Associate

Travis Moore represents individuals and professionals in complex and high-stakes criminal and regulatory matters across Ontario. His practice spans serious criminal defence, professional discipline, and financial regulation, with a focus on protecting clients whose liberty, livelihood, and reputation are at risk.

He acts for clients facing investigation or enforcement action by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario, and navigating the complaints and disciplinary process of the Real Estate Council of Ontario, the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization, and the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario. He also represents health-care practitioners facing investigation or disciplinary action under the Regulated Health Professions Act, including dentists, physicians, psychologists, psychotherapists, and chiropodists. In addition, Travis advises commercial vehicle operators in matters involving intervention by the Ministry of Transportation, and has appeared before the Ontario Securities Commission and the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

Travis has appeared at all levels of court in Ontario, defending against allegations of fraud, domestic violence, sexual assault, drug trafficking, and firearms offences. He is known for his strategic judgment, meticulous preparation, and persuasive advocacy, and brings a focused, discreet, and results-driven approach to every case. He earned his law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School.

Patrick Carl

Associate

Patrick Carl is an associate at Posner Craig Stein, specializing in criminal defence.

Christa Wong

Office Manager

Christa Wong is the office manager of Posner, Craig, Stein.

Ms. Wong graduated from Ryerson University with a degree in urban and regional planning in 2003. Before joining Posner, Craig, Stein, for over 14 years, Ms. Wong served as a senior executive assistant at Lockyer, Campbell, Posner. She is knowledgeable in all areas of Ontario’s criminal court system and provides thoughtful guidance and assistance to our criminal lawyers in Toronto and clients of the firm. She is an exceptional manager. Ms. Wong is fluent in the Cantonese language and can be reached at +1.416.391.2118 ext. 228.