Other lawyers practice in various areas of law. At Roulston Urquhart, we specialize only in criminal defence law. This sets our firm apart. We have a familiarity with the Crown Prosecutors and Judges, along with an exceptional understanding of the criminal court system. It is imperative to your criminal case and likelihood of success that you retain a lawyer with expert knowledge and experience defending criminal cases.
At Roulston Urquhart Criminal Defence we provide the client with a variety of fee structures that best suits you and your finances. We will request a retainer from you in the range of $750-$3000 depending on which lawyer you wish to hire. We will find the best fit for you and we can then assist with a payment plan depending on how your charges progress. If you qualify, certain lawyers at our firm may represent your charges through Legal Aid.
The importance of a criminal lawyer is to ensure that your rights are protected within the court system. It is often important to our clients not to have a criminal record even though they may not go to jail if convicted. If a criminal record is important to you then call us.
We attend all the court appearances for our clients once we are retained. We will have you sign a Designation of Counsel so we can appear on your behalf and you do not have to attend. The only time we will ask you to come to court is when the judge directs it or when there is a trial or a resolution. Often your charges may be adjourned so that we can ensure we have all the disclosure (the evidence against you) or to have resolution discussions with the Crown prosecutor.
The timeline to the resolution of your case is dependent on the complexity. It may be as short as 2 to 3 months or take as long as 2 years. Beginning the process of negotiation relies on the time it takes to receive disclosure (the evidence against you) from the Crown. Cases may resolve quickly or require complicated and lengthy negotiations with the Crown. You will receive instruction from your lawyer on how you can help facilitate the quickest resolution possible.
We will update you as to how your charges are progressing. We will review your disclosure (the evidence against you) and meet with you to give you a thorough and detailed legal opinion. We will devise a plan so that we can strategically and successfully defend the charges against you. We will keep you updated every step of the way.
At Roulston Urquhart Defence Firm the lawyer you hired will be handling your case. That lawyer will be reviewing the disclosure (the evidence against you), negotiating with the crown, conducting resolution or trial.
The benefit of being a client of our firm is that we have five lawyers that will often collaborate on your file to ensure you have the best outcome. Another benefit is that at times we may utilize a junior lawyer for minor tasks to avoid high legal costs.
But rest assured the lawyer you hired is the lawyer that will be conducting your file.
Generally we may advise the client not to give a statement to police. This is because when you give a statement to the police you do not have the entire story as to what the allegations are against you. The client is often in a high stress situation and it’s simply trying to tell his or her side of the story but does not have the full picture. This can put you in a dangerous position because you’re not able to think it through and answer thoroughly. Any omission or mistake or lack of detail could be used against you later. We will assess your situation and give you an honest opinion as to whether you should give a statement to police.
The lawyers at Roulston Urquhart Criminal Defence will try to resolve your matter and negotiate with the Crown for a favourable outcome without the need for a trial. We will exhaust all avenues working to resolve your matter to your satisfaction before having a trial. If you have to go to trial, rest assured that we will leave no stone unturned and will prepare you to ensure that you have the best possible outcome and put you in the best position to win.
Contact us immediately and we will review the process with you and tell you exactly what you need to do to start protecting yourself.
Do not make any statements to anyone without legal advice, write down what occurred, save all text, Instagram, Facebook messages, emails and ensure they are in a secure place either on iCloud or emailed to yourself. Write down any witnesses to the event that may assist you.
We will have a meeting with you and review the process and strategically advise you what the next steps are so that you can start putting yourself in the best position to defend these charges successfully.
The lawyers at Roulston Urquhart Criminal Defence Firm have assisted clients facing charges in all areas of criminal law. We have developed a specialty in assisting clients accused of sexual assault. Many of the cases we represent relate to domestic violence. Notably, we have experience with the most serious charges in our society. These include domestic assault, harassment, internet offences, firearm offences and drug offences. We are also knowledgeable in pursuing potential Charter violations that may have occurred while you were under arrest or being investigated.
