Criminal Law(OLD)

If you are seeking an experienced criminal defence lawyer in Nova Scotia and are facing the prospect of criminal prosecution, we have experience representing individuals at all levels of the Court within Nova Scotia.  This includes representation in the Provincial Court and Supreme Court of Nova Scotia as well as the Court of Appeal.  We have also appeared before various administrative tribunals of regulatory bodies.

Criminal law services include assaults and threats, breathalyser and impaired driving offences in Nova Scotia, alleged domestic assaults, restraining orders (Peace Bond), defence of drug prosecutions (Controlled Drug and Substances Act), property offences, mischief, fraud, theft, sentencing and plea arrangements.

The question of whether you need a lawyer or not cannot be answered unless you have actually had legal advice!  You must be aware that if you are pleading guilty to an offence and you are sure that you are guilty, you are losing an opportunity to negotiate on sentence.  This can have a profound outcome on whether you end up with a criminal record or are able to receive a conditional discharge or end up with a lengthy custodial sentence in one of our provincial or federal jails.

You must also be aware that if you are pleading guilty to an offence, it implies that you are agreeing and admitting all of the facts that are alleged.  Rarely will one agree that all of the facts that are alleged about one’s supposed involvement in a crime are accurate.  All the facts on the Crown sheet will be read into the court record by the Crown Attorney if you simply plead guilty and this can drastically affect how the judge will view the offence.  It may be that only some of the alleged facts are ones which actually occurred or you are willing to admit.  Having an experienced Nova Scotian criminal law defence team review your case and handle any plea, can prevent you from receiving an unfair sentence.