I’m Frank Alfano - an advocate trained in Ontario, educated at the University of London (LL.B.) and Osgoode Hall Law School (LL.M.), with more than 35 years of courtroom experience.

I built You Defend You to make legal concepts practical for real people. I'm here at CPD and You to help licnesees.

I was born in Kingston, Ontario, and raised near Ossington and Bloor on Concord Avenue in Toronto. My path into law wasn’t polished, it was forged.

As a teenager I was a street racer and a menace-on-wheels on motorcycles. I spent enough time around traffic court to learn the system the hard way—until a lawyer told me, “You’re here so much you should learn the Act and start taking clients.” So I did. I ran my first paid case at 19, defended friends for free, and built skill the only way it’s ever built: reps, pressure, and results.

By 1993 I wasn’t nervous anymore. By 1995, the people I used to look up to were coming to me for advice—and when court insiders needed defending, I became the one they called.

How I Learned the Craft

My start came from Mario Giangioppo, who gave me my first real opening into the profession. He saw something in a kid who was in traffic court too often and pointed me toward the law instead of away from it.

After 1992, I mentored under Greg Burd — an exceptional mentor and a formidable practitioner. Greg shaped my courtroom discipline, my strategic thinking, and my understanding of how arguments actually land in front of judges.

What I learned early is simple: knowing the statute matters. Knowing how the courtroom works matters more.

Practice Philosophy and Focus

My practice has focused on criminal and quasi-criminal defence, including driving-related offences, litigation strategy, and appellate work.

From first appearance decisions to trial preparation to appellate argument, my approach has been structured and strategic: identify what matters, eliminate what doesn’t, and build leverage early.

My long-term direction remains clear: criminal defence with an emphasis on jury trials and appellate advocacy.

What Drives Me

Winning means everything to me.

Not as ego. As responsibility.

Someone’s freedom, reputation, or future can rest on a single courtroom day. I have a pathological desire to win because I take that responsibility seriously.

My approach to advocacy has always been preparation first — pressure-testing arguments, refining strategy, and eliminating weak ground.

No shortcuts. No casual approach.

Outcomes matter.

Teaching & Recognition

Over the years, I have trained new lawyers and professionals in oral advocacy, courtroom structure, and practical litigation strategy.

In 2020, Toronto Community Housing’s Community Safety Unit recognized me for training recruits in court proceedings. That recognition matters because it reflects something real: practical knowledge that works in actual courtrooms.