Sonya Shikhman, LL.B., is the Founder of Shikhman Barristers, a Toronto criminal defence law firm. Recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada for Criminal Defence in both 2024 and 2025, she has spent more than two decades defending individuals facing serious criminal allegations.
Known for her fearless advocacy, she believes the justice system only remains fair when it is challenged, tested, and held accountable.
In addition to her practice, she teaches Trial Advocacy at Osgoode Hall Law School and regularly provides legal analysis for CTV News and Newstalk 1010.
In this episode, Sonya shares the remarkable journey that began long before she entered a courtroom. Growing up in Odessa during the final years of the Soviet Union, she developed an early understanding of government power, injustice, and the importance of standing up for those whose voices are ignored. At just thirteen years old, she told her parents she would become a criminal lawyer. By seventeen, she was knocking on the doors of law offices across Toronto looking for an opportunity.
She reflects on the mentors who shaped her career, the confidence that carried her through unfamiliar situations, and the hidden humility that allowed her to keep learning throughout more than twenty years of practice.
Sonya also explains why criminal defence is unlike any other profession: representing people who have placed their lives in your hands, challenging the power of the state, and protecting the principles of fairness, due process, and the presumption of innocence. Throughout the conversation, she speaks candidly about leadership, independence, authenticity, and refusing to change who she is in order to succeed.
She leaves listeners with a philosophy that continues to guide both her work and her life: be deeply honest with yourself, know exactly why you do what you do, and always let your conscience lead the way.
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