Have you been charged with a criminal offence? Are you concerned about the cost of retaining a qualified criminal lawyer? No matter what the issue is, Toronto Criminal Lawyer, Aitan M. Lerner, will be able to fight your case for a reasonable fee. Check out the FAQs below to see the answers to some frequently asked questions.
I have been arrested and charged what shall I do now?
Contact my office and schedule an appointment. I will provide you with immediate answers to the myriad of questions that you have as a result of your arrest.
Why should I pay a lawyer to assist me, I am told that I will not go to jail even if found guilty?
There are many adverse repercussions that arise from being found guilty by a criminal court even if you do not end with a jail sentence. Having a criminal record may prevent you from obtaining certain jobs that require criminal background checks. Many landlords today ask for a criminal record background check before agreeing to rent their premises to you. Depending on the nature of the charges and your conviction, you may find it difficult to travel across international borders, especially to the United States.
I have consulted with a paralegal who offered to represent me at a fraction of the cost of an experienced criminal lawyer why retain a lawyer?
A paralegal is not qualified to provide you with the legal advice you need in a criminal matter. Would you hire a nurse to perform open heart surgery on yourself or a loved one?
The police told me that my matter is not a big deal and I should speak to duty counsel or the crown about resolving the matter, why consult with a private lawyer if my matter is not a big deal?
The police do not have your best interests in mind! They charged you with a criminal offence. Of course they prefer that you simply assist them in unclogging the legal system by cooperating with them and the crown and resolving the matter quickly. By doing so, you risk getting a raw deal and perhaps adversely affecting your future in ways that cannot be predicted but preventable if you spoke with an experienced lawyer. Duty counsel is very helpful with certain matters. Most duty counsel however, lack the experience necessary or the time to deal with your matter properly.
Must I pay all of your fees up front? What forms of payment do you accept?
I offer a very flexible payment plan to my clients each according to his or her own needs. I accept payment by cheque, money order, visa, mastercard, and bank draft. Although I discourage my clients from paying in cash, I will accept cash payments in certain circumstances.
How much will it cost me to defend myself?
I offer my clients the choice of retaining me in one of two ways. The traditional manner involves paying an hourly fee. Your cost will depend on the number of hours spent on your file. With this type of fee structure it is difficult to forecast how much defending your case will cost as we can never determine with certainty ahead of time how many hours your file will require. The more cost effective way most clients tend to prefer is what I call a block fee. The block fee is discussed at the time of our initial discussions where I set a block of fees required to take you to a predetermined point in your proceedings. This allows you the opportunity to budget your expenses as you will know early on how much defending your case will cost.
What is a Pardon?
A pardon is a government document that is granted to an individual by the National Parole Board (NPB). If granted, a pardon will remove and seal an individual's criminal record permanently from federal databases (unless the individual is convicted of a new offence). A pardon provides numerous benefits to people with criminal records, as it removes many of the barriers a criminal record can present in daily life.
How do I qualify for a Pardon?
Before an individual can apply for a pardon, they must first fulfil two conditions: • They must complete the terms of their sentence (this includes any incarceration, parole, and the full payment of any fines) • They must complete the required conviction free period before they can submit an application. For a summary offence this time period is 3 years, and for an indictable offence the time period is 5 years. Once these conditions have been fulfilled, the pardon application can be downloaded from the National Parole Board. The National Parole Board is responsible for processing and granting the pardon application, but the completion of the application itself will require contacting the RCMP and local police, and in some situations, the local courts, the Canadian Military, and Immigration Canada. It will take approximately 6-8 months to successfully complete the application, and once submitted to the NPB the results can be expected in a further 8-12 months.
