There are 2 main ways to work with us:
CONSULTATION
Need to consult with our lawyers? We offer three levels of consultation depending on your need:
Level 1: Free Half-hour Phone Consultation
Facing criminal charges? We use this consultation to get a general understanding of your situation and determine if Armoured Suits can help you
We offer a free half-hour phone consultation for individuals who have outstanding charges and are not represented.
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For many inquiries, including those who have questions, we typically offer Level 2, which is a paid consultation.
example: The police have contacted you and are going to arrest you. We determine the likely charges and their relative seriousness. We also determine whether you will need a bail plan and provide an initial retainer cost.
example: You already have a lawyer but want to change because they never call you back. We help you find ways to resurrect relationship with your current lawyer. If you and your current lawyer cannot save the relationship, we discuss next steps.
Level 2 - Paid 60 min Consultation
- We recommend this option if you have a lot of questions or are experiencing a very specific situation, not involving outstanding charges. Have you tried and failed to get answers elsewhere? This is the best option for you.
example: A surety supervising an accused person on bail wants to know their options. They also want to know how to do their job without getting into trouble with the law.
example: I have never been in trouble with the law but my employer asked me to get a criminal record check and I did. The record showed that I may have a criminal record.
example: I met a girl last week and we had sex. I heard from my friend that she is threatening to call the police because she says our sex was not consensual.
example: You have been victimized and the police aren’t doing anything. We will most likely not be able to assist but we may be able to assist with a peace bond application.
Level 3 - Paid Legal Opinion
- Have a complicated legal concern? This option will get you a more thorough legal opinion
- During a phone or in-person meeting, we will get a detailed background of your situation, much like Level 2, but our lawyers go further to research the concern, using concrete legal examples to provide you with an in-depth opinion.
example: A graphic designer wants to draw erotic images. However, they not want to risk violating obscenity or child pornography laws. The designer wants to know what is and is not captured under the criminal law.
example: A private school in Ontario discovers one of its employees had sex with a student under 18. They want to know if they have to report this to the authorities.
example: You want to import firearms into Canada. You need to know if the specific items you want are legal to own in Canada
example: You own a business in Ontario and you have employees. You want to create a safe work environment. You have heard about criminal negligence and want to make sure you are following the law.
Not sure which Level is best for you? Our Client Relations Coordinator can help you work out what you need for your specific circumstances. Get in touch today.
FULL REPRESENTATION
Full representation differs from consultation because the lawyer-client relationship is expected to last longer than one or two meetings. Full representation also includes work that the firm must perform on the client’s behalf that is usually implied. Full representation is most often sought by clients who have been officially charged with criminal offences. A person who has been charged will require frequent, ongoing service throughout the life of the charge.
Full representation requires the client to provide a retainer (pre-payment of money held in trust) to ensure the firm can continue to work on the client’s file. Periodically, an invoice will be produced to the client for the work the firm has performed. Payment is taken from money in trust. Once money has been depleted, the client is asked to provide further funding (if required).
Full representation sees the firm’s role change from purely advisory services (consultation) to also include advocacy services (championing the client’s cause with the prosecutor and the court).
Tell Us More About Your Situation
Please fill out the form below to inquire about a consultation. We will respond to your inquiry within 3 hours.
We offer payment plans to permit you to spread out the costs of your defence!
How we structure our fees
You only pay us for the work that we do on your behalf. Our rate is set at the point of contract. We work efficiently to keep costs down.
Retainer
A retainer is partial pre-payment for services expected and agreed to be provided. The funds are held in a trust account until services are performed.
Consultations
We offer an initial free 30-minute phone consultation with Robert, our Client Services Coordinator. In person or longer phone consultations for a minimal fee that will be applied to your fees if you retain us.
After initial retainer is expended
When you require services beyond the amount of the initial retainer, we meet with you, focus on your objectives and strategies to get there. At this time, we discuss the additional fees that would require and work with you to find a satisfactory plan.
Payment methods
We have client friendly terms which means we work with you. We accept the following forms of payment: cash, certified cheque, bank draft, e-transfer, credit card, debit transactions and in some situations, personal cheques.
Please speak to an associate to inquire about other forms of payment (such as Apple Pay or Bitcoin)
Practice Areas
Now serving Ottawa and select cases across Ontario and the Gatineau Region.
The issue of valid consent is far from black and white, and the criminal justice system takes sexual assaults extremely seriously ...
The damage extends beyond merely reputational issues; there are very real financial, emotional, and legal consequences to those persons charged ...
An impaired driving charge is the most likely reason that an individual comes into contact with the criminal justice system ...
Trafficking in a scheduled substance is a common charge that carries ever increasing penalties and is not technically a criminal offence ...
Criminal negligence is the failure on the part of a person on whom a duty is placed to take reasonable steps to prevent a certain bad outcome from happening ...
A strategically sound course of action when dealing with a fraud charge could mean the difference between a sentence of imprisonment or something much less severe ...
Illegal firearms possession is the most common firearms related criminal charge, and is categorized as a hybrid offence with the potential to be pursued ...
When a young person is charged with a criminal offence, there are many more procedural safeguards put in place to protect their rights than adults have ...
When a person is charged with a criminal offence and released from custody pending its disposition (bail), the person will be released subject to conditions ...
Murder is defined within the Criminal Code of Canada (section 231(1) as either first degree or second degree murder. Any intentional killing of another that is planned and deliberate will constitute first degree murder ...
There is assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon, and aggravated assault ...
Regulatory offences can have different standards when it comes to knowledge and intention, especially when it comes to corporate accused. Strict liability is the norm when it comes to regulatory offences ...
The offence of Breaking and Entering can also carry with it “lesser but included offences” such as Being Unlawfully In a Dwelling-House or Mischief ...
The crime of theft requires that someone takes possession of something,
or takes steps in order to move, or eventually convert the object in a manner which is fraudulent ...
An assault coupled with the mere intent to steal also qualifies as robbery as defined by the Criminal Code of Canada ...
Definitions of what constitutes a hate crime are highly variable, and as a consequence, ...
For a pornographic picture, video or any other material to be illegal, it must be deemed to be obscene ...
Under Canadian law, child luring involves the use of technology with the intent to lure or entice a child under the age of 18 for the purpose of engaging in sexual exploitation, incest, child pornography, and/or sexual assault...
Regulatory offences can have different standards when it comes to knowledge and intention, especially when it comes to corporate accused. Strict liability is the norm when it comes to regulatory offences ...
Uttering threats is defined as knowingly conveying or causing a person to receive a threat to cause death or bodily harm to any person, to damage property or ...