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Kirsten Lancee

403-874-7315
Email @klancee
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Since joining Roulston Urquhart, Kirsten Lancee has secured withdrawals, peace bonds, and ‘not guilty’ verdicts for serious crimes, including sexual assaults, aggravated assaults, kidnapping, unlawful confinement, robbery, trafficking in firearms, possession of loaded/restricted firearms, trafficking in drugs, possession of drugs, voyeurism, and child pornography offences.

Kirsten has received judicial written decisions on important developments in criminal law, including successful applications for admission of complainant’s prior sexual history to defend against allegations of sexual assault. Kirsten has also successfully argued pre-trial applications that resulted in significant strategic advantages to the Defence, including the complainant’s counselling records being disclosed, severance being granted to prevent multiple complainants from testifying together at trial, and the Justice’s determination that her client’s protected rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms had been breached. In a recent decision, Kirsten successfully argued that her client’s right to be tried within a reasonable time and right to be provided disclosure had been violated. This resulted in a rare stay of proceedings by the Court. See: Blood Tribe police officer disciplined for withholding rape kit as sex assault charges dropped.

Kirsten Lancee is a passionate advocate who has defended her clients in all levels of court and appears daily on her clients’ behalf to protect the presumption of innocence. Kirsten firmly believes that no stone should be left unturned when it comes to her client’s defence.

Education & Background

Under the mentorship of Toni Roulston and Andrea Urquhart, Kirsten completed her articles at Roulston Urquhart Criminal Defence and was called to the bar in 2020. Beginning in articles, Kirsten was working on complex files in all areas of criminal law, including first- and second-degree murder, manslaughter, conspiracy and accessory to murder.

Prior to law school, Kirsten received her Bachelor of Arts Degree with First Class Honours from the University of Alberta. In 2019, Kirsten completed her Bachelor of Laws at the University of Calgary. During law school, Kirsten was heavily involved with Student Legal Assistance (SLA), a non-profit organization that provides legal representation to underprivileged individuals in the areas of criminal, family, and civil law. Kirsten ran numerous criminal trials and continued to work at SLA throughout law school. In 2018, she was awarded the Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Trial Advocacy Prize for outstanding performance in trial advocacy and dedication to Student Legal Assistance. She was also elected to the SLA Executive as Trial Coordinator, where she oversaw the Trial Division program. As the Trial Coordinator, and a member of the SLA Executive Team, she focused exclusively on complicated litigation files.

Awards & Experience

Kirsten received a number of academic awards throughout law school, including the Judith R. Norman Memorial Award for leadership and superior ability in the areas of counselling and negotiation. In her final semester of law school, Kirsten was chosen as one of six Clerkship Students at the Provincial Court of Alberta, where she worked with and shadowed Judges from Criminal, Youth Criminal, Family and Civil Provincial Court. She gained invaluable experience as a criminal defence lawyer while being a Clerkship Student, as she garnered insight into the minds and practices of the judiciary.

Recent Criminal Cases

Our past cases prove the practical and effective results in successfully defending and negotiating criminal charges. We will provide you with a step-by-step plan to defend your charges and ideally resolve before trial. Our criminal defence lawyer’s goal is to protect your criminal record and your freedom.

R v J.Y. [Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench]
R v J.Y. [Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench]

R v J.Y. [Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench]

Offence: Two counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault.

Result: Not Criminally Responsible


The Accused was charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault. The Defence argued that the Court should find the Accused not criminally responsible as a result of a mental disorder. Specifically it was argued that he was suffering from a mental illness at the time of the attack that made it impossible to form the requisite intent. In July 2021 Justice Hall found the Accused not criminally responsible and directed that he appear before the Alberta Review Board for further assessment.
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