Marianne Salih is a trial and appellate lawyer who has successfully litigated cases at every level of court in Ontario, and has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada. She is the head of the appeals litigation department and the composer of an online criminal case law digest – a continuously expanding digest of new appellate jurisprudence. She severed for several years on the Executive Board of the Ontario Bar Association, Criminal Law Branch, and on the junior litigation committee for the Criminal Lawyers’ Association. She now serves as a Director on the board of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association. She is also a contributing author to the CanLii criminal law e-book.
Ms. Salih obtained her Honours Bachelor of Arts with “High Distinction” from the University of Toronto, and her law degree from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where she graduated with Honours standing in her final year. Prior to joining Edward H. Royle & Partners LLP, Ms. Salih worked in the field of criminal and human rights law in Kenya, Amsterdam, and Geneva. She clerked for judges at the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto, and the Superior Court of Justice in Brampton. She also taught classes in criminal law to internationally trained lawyers, and completed two research placements in criminal law and procedure for highly regarded professors at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.
Ms. Salih has over 135 reported decisions. She has successfully represented accused persons on a wide variety of cases, including on charges of sexual assault, firearms, and homicide. In 2025, she received the L’expert Rising Star award for being one of Canada’s top lawyers under the age of 40. She was the only criminal defence lawyer in Canada to have received the award that year. In 2023, 2024, and 2025, she was voted by her legal peers as one of Toronto’s top criminal defence lawyers, as surveyed by Post City Magazine – Streets of Toronto Best Lawyers. In 2018, she was the recipient of the Precedent Setter Award, which recognizes Toronto lawyers who have shown excellence and leadership in their early years of practice.
Education
University of Toronto Faculty of Law, J.D.
University of Toronto, Hons. B.A. “With High Distinction”
Memberships
Law Society of Upper Canada
Criminal Lawyers’ Association
Canadian Bar Association
