Ted’s Blog

Compassion in Motion, A podcast of Inspiring Stories of helping others – hosted by Sunny GrothausGuest – Ted Yoannou | April 6, 2026 Ted Yoannou isn’t just a friend and tennis buddy—he’s a criminal defense attorney who approaches his clients in a way that’s rare in the legal world: with genuine compassion and respect. Inspired […]

 Let’s go outside In the Sunshine I know you want to, but you can’t say yes Let’s go outside In the moonshine Take me to the places that I love best  “Outside” by George Michael  There was a woman I met in the1990’s when I was a young lawyer just getting started. She was a little older than me and

If you’re anything like me, it’s a constant struggle to find the ideal work-life balance. Work more. Stop and smell the roses.  Hard work never killed anyone.  You can’t take it with you to the grave.  Money doesn’t grow on trees. The best things in life are free. Idle hands are the devil’s playground.  Work

“I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers.” Blanche, A Streetcar Named Desire  My lovely and talented wife Pam used to ride horses in her youth. And while she may have had fun back then, her luck with rides didn’t extend from four legs to four wheels.  If our vehicle is going to run out

 We’re damaged people Drawn together By subtleties that we are not aware of Disturbed souls Playing out forever These games that we once thought we would be scared of -Depeche Mode We’re all damaged people.  Family and friends, neighbours and co-workers, lovers and strangers.  The damage is literally everywhere. We start off with our inherited imperfections at birth, and then

Three or four times per week, I’d get the call in the evening. “Let’s meet for coffee in the morning.” Dad was always flexible with time and location. These were his “fresh air inspector” days, when he left the house early each day, doing who knows what. Breakfast in the morning, lunch near whatever courthouse

“As you from crimes would pardon’d be, Let your indulgence set me free.” (Shakespeare) Consider the following scenarios: A person in their sixties flies with their elderly parent to the west coast to embark on an Alaskan cruise, but is denied entry because of a Possession of Marijuana conviction from the early 1980’s. They had pleaded guilty

I’ve always been a “resolutions” guy.  Over 50% of us make New Year’s Resolutions each year and over 50% of us fail to achieve them. That’s me, year after year, guilty of all charges, Your Honour. Not surprisingly, I can’t speak Spanish, have yet to learn to play the piano, and there’s still no novel

There was a recent performance art show in Montreal called Sisyphe, where the artist was moving 50 tons of sand from one pile to another, repeatedly for 30 days, seven hours per day, six days per week. The man would walk between the two piles with a shovel of sand, until one pile dwindled down

Impaired and Distracted.   With December’s recent onslaught of holiday parties, family gatherings, shopping frenzies and end of year work deadlines, that’s pretty much how many of us felt all month.    But as Judges often state in their courtrooms, it’s not a crime to consume alcohol, use marijuana or to text on your phone… but it