Your free initial consultation is a chance to talk confidentially with an criminal lawyer about your legal concerns at no financial obligation subject to certain terms and conditions. Our Calgary law office has a comfortable space where you can talk openly with us. Whether you contact The Law Offices of Kay Patel Mahoney – Barrister’s Chambers with questions pertaining to your criminal charges, we will start by getting the facts about what happened.
You will also have an opportunity to ask our lawyers about their professional experience and credentials, as well as questions about how the law applies in your case. We will also describe the procedure for resolving matters as quickly and easily as possible. If you decide that we should represent you, you can sign a representation agreement with us. We will then become your law firm.
As we prepare your case, we will thoroughly investigate these facts, obtain copies of police reports, videos, statements, independent eye witnesses ,and any evidence that may improve the chances of defeating the charges levied against you. Our lawyers will also track down any potential witnesses and talk to them about what they may have observed relative to the indexed charges.
We are private criminal defence lawyers but we also accept certificates for legal coverage from Legal Aid of Alberta, and in accordance with their Rules and Regulations. Our fees are comparable to most criminal lawyers in the Calgary and Toronto area. They are reasonable. We limit the number of cases that we undertake to ensure that each one of our clients are provided full attention. Criminal matters involve an immense amount of planing strategic thinking. In that regard, the knowledge of the law is often not sufficient to secure a successful result.
We do not charge hourly fees. In our view and within the context of our practice areas, are not advantageous to our clients. We provide you a block fee that will encompass the totality of your criminal matter. This means if your matter proceeds long than expected, you do not pay any fees outside the retainer agreement. A quote for the total fees will often be provided after a review of the initial disclosure. We believe, a non-‘BS’ fee can only be quoted to you after counsel reviews the allegations from the prosecutorial perspective. Simply put, we charge our clients an initial retainer to order disclosure, review it and chart out a plan of action. If you decide to proceed, the initial retainer is rolled into the final fee that is quoted to you. All of our clients are put on a payment plan with various milestones that are negotiated in advance; and in writing in “black & white.”
We are happy to meet with you initially to discuss your matter. We often advise our clients to discuss matters with their loved ones, after the initial meeting, and before proceeding to retain our services. There are a number of excellent criminal defence lawyers in Calgary, and we encourage our clients to find the right fit.
We recommend that you research the lawyer that you are about to hire extensively (including us). As it is said, reputation, experience and legal costs are relevant factors that would bear consideration. Remember that the best criminal lawyer may not necessary be the most expensive criminal lawyer. We do not offer any guarantees and we would advocate a healthy degree of suspicion towards anyone who does. There are no guarantees in criminal defence work given the vagaries of trial work.
If you are unable to afford our legal services, we would certainly provide you with a names and numbers of our colleagues who might be able to assist you in your time of need. We genuinely understand the situation of most individuals who have been charged with a criminal offence, the corresponding emotional response that follows. It is often difficult to secure the required monies to pay a lawyer based on un-forecasted Criminal Code charges. In our view there is no need to be embarrassed about the your inability to pay a lawyer but we do emphasize the need to secure proper representation. The Ontario and Alberta Bars have a number of very good counsel who are affordable.
The law in Canada, generally does not provide you with the express right to have a lawyer for your trial. There are other options available. Generally, our firm is retained privately, however, our offices and league of associates will accept valid certificates from Legal Aid of Alberta pursuant to their rules and regulations. An application can be made to legal aid for assistance, and a certificate of coverage may be issued depending on your financial circumstances, which you are obligated to disclose in full and truthfully. Legal Aid essentially conducts an income analysis renders a decision regarding your eligibility for coverage. In the event that legal aid is unable to assist you and they reject your application for the appointment of a lawyer, other alternatives may exist including preparing, file and submitting an application, under the authority Regina v. Rowbotham (1988) 41 C.C.C. (3d) 1 (Ont. C.A.). Where an application was made within the auspices of, inter alia, section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to secure a conditional stay of proceedings in the event that the requisite monetized funds were not provided in furtherance of your defence. The members of Legal Aid Alberta have recently prepared an excellent template that may assist you in securing legal assistance by a lawyer through a Court order. For more details please consult with the information on the Legal Aid of Alberta website for a Rowbotham template offered by Legal Aid in PDF format.
You may also consult with Student Legal Services (SLA) at the University of Calgary or the University of Alberta (Edmonton) (http://www.slsedmonton.com) for legal assistance, if your matter falls within their permissible mandate.
Our telephone lines for new clients are generally available 24 hours.
If you wish to make an appointment to receive an initial free consultation, please contact our office at 403-585-1960 (Calgary) or 1-888-695-2211 (Toronto), and ensure to leave a message that will remain confidential. We will promptly return your telephone call.