You are here: / / Choosing a Lawyer
  • Vancouver at sunset

Choosing a Lawyer

Ask Questions

A skilled defence lawyer can certainly have a huge impact on a criminal case. For people who have never been subject to charges, finding the right lawyer can be a very daunting experience. When choosing a lawyer, there are a number of inquiries to make and questions to ask. Ultimately, a person facing criminal charges will want to have trust in their lawyer. In order to gain that trust, the prospective lawyer should be able to satisfy their client that they have the necessary legal knowledge and courtroom skills to obtain a successful result.

Experience Matters

At Mines & Company, our lawyers have over 30 years combined experience in criminal law. Our practice involves 100 percent criminal and motor vehicle defence. Our lawyers both have past experience doing Crown prosecution work. We have the depth of experience to understand how criminal matters are prosecuted and defended. We have the drive and discipline to conduct thorough preparation and legal research in order to obtain successful results, either through negotiated resolution or in the courtroom at trial.

We offer a free, initial consultation so that we can gain your trust. We are confident that we will be able to answer your questions regarding our experience in defending the type of matter you are charged with. Our services include defence of all criminal and driving charges. Our record of success suggests that we, in fact, have had past success in defending charges like yours.

Recent Successes

R. vs. M.P. – ICBC insurance fraud investigation.

Charge: Insurance fraud.
Issue: Whether it was in the public interest to proceed with a criminal prosecution.
Result: Mr. Gauthier was able to steer our client through the investigation by helping our client rectify the fraudulent information that he had provided to I.C.B.C. No charges approved. No criminal record.

R. vs. S.B. – Port Coquitlam Provincial Court

Charges: Assault Causing Bodily Harm; Assault Police Officer.
Issue: Given our client's severe mental health issues, whether he was criminally responsible for the offences.
Result: Mr. Gauthier was able to provide information about our client's mental health history to Crown counsel and, ultimately, was able to persuade Crown to end the prosecution. Stay of proceedings. No jail. No criminal record.

R. vs. J.H. – Vancouver Provincial Court

Charge: Mischief Under $5000.,br> Issue: Whether it was in the public interest to proceed with a criminal prosecution.
Result: Mr. Gauthier provided information about our client to Crown counsel and was able to persuade Crown that there was no public interest in prosecuting this matter. No charge approved. No criminal record.

R. vs. B.C. – Vancouver Provincial Court

Charge: Mischief Under $5000.
Issue: Whether it was in the public interest to proceed with a criminal prosecution.
Result: Mr. Gauthier provided information about our client to Crown counsel and was able to persuade Crown that there was no public interest in prosecuting this matter. No charge approved. No criminal record.

R. vs. W.F. – Richmond Provincial Court

Charge: Assault.
Issue: Whether this road rage incident was a criminal offence or a consensual fight.
Result: Mr. Johnson was able to present Crown counsel with video evidence which confirmed that the complainant had engaged in a consensual altercation. Stay of proceedings. No criminal record.

R. vs. K.Y. – Surrey Provincial Court

Charge: Assault Causing Bodily Harm.
Issue: Whether the 18 month jail sentence Crown had sought was reasonable in all the circumstances.
Result: Mr. Johnson provided information to the Crown and Court and ultimately persuaded the trial judge to sentence our client to a 7 month conditional sentence , followed ny 18 months probation. No jail.

R. vs. G.W. – North Vancouver RCMP Investigation

Charge: Assault with a weapon.
Issue: Whether there was sufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution.
Result: Mr. Johnson was able collect information from a defence witness and represent to police that our client should not  be prosecuted. Police concluded their investigation without recommending any criminal charge against our client. No criminal record.

R. vs. J.S. – Vancouver Provincial Court

Charge: Assault with a Weapon.
Issue: Given the rehabilitative steps we directed our client to complete, whether it was in the public interest to proceed with the criminal prosecution.
Result: Mr. Gauthier was able to persuade Crown counsel to not approve any charge prior to the scheduled first court appearance. No criminal record.

R. vs. S.L. – Port Coquitlam Provincial Court

Charges: Possession of a loaded prohibited firearm; Unlawful storage of firearms.
Issue: Whether the warrant used to search our client's premises was lawful; whether our client posed a risk to re-offend.
Result: Mr. Mines was able to point to potential flaws in the warrant and police search which culminated in Crown's agreement to not pursue their original sentencing position of a 2-3 year jail sentence. Rather, the court accepted a joint submission of a 12 month conditional sentence with a curfew for the first six months. No jail.

R. vs. M.K.A. – Vancouver Provincial Court

Charges: Assault with a Weapon (x2).
Issue: Whether it was in the public interest for the court to grant our client a conditional discharge.
Result: Mr. Mines was able to direct our client through a course of rehabilitative counselling, and after hearing Mr. Mines' submissions, the trial judge granted our client a conditional discharge. No criminal conviction.

R. vs. K.D. – Vancouver Provincial Court

Charges: Assault (domestic).
Issue: Given the rehabilitative steps that we were able to guide our client through, whether there was a public interest in continuing with the prosecution.
Result: Mr. Mines was able to persuade Crown counsel to amend the bail condition to allow "permissive contact" with the complainant, and after providing Crown with a report from our client's psychologist Crown counsel ended the prosecution. Stay of proceedings. No criminal record.

R. vs. J.L. – Vancouver Provincial Court

Charges: Sexual assault; Unlawful Confinement; Assault by Choking.
Issue: Given the impact of the additional evidence that Mr. Johnson provided to Crown counsel, whether there was a substantial likelihood of a conviction.
Result: Crown counsel agreed that the new evidence significantly undermined the strength of the case.  Crown counsel entered a stay of proceedings, bringing the prosecution to an end. No jail. No criminal record.
View All

Gaining Your Trust

During your initial consultation, you will meet with one of our lawyers who will:

  • Confirm the private and confidential nature of all communications between client and lawyer.
  • Gather information regarding the police investigation and any upcoming court dates.
  • Review all relevant court documents including police reports to Crown counsel, Informations to obtain search warrants, and certificates of analysis for drug, breath or blood samples.
  • Gather basic information about you; more specifically, your personal circumstances involving, family, education, and work history! Our goal is to be able to show your best side – the real person behind the allegations.
  • Provide you, in simple language, with an analysis of the law involved in the particular circumstances of your alleged offence. We will review what the Crown must prove in order to gain a conviction. For example, we will explain the “essential elements” of the charge(s) to you. We will explain how we believe the Crown will try to prove the charge. More specifically, we will review the important pieces of evidence – from human witnesses as well as any other evidence – such as video or photographic recordings and any potential evidence from doctors, scientists or mechanical reconstruction experts.
  • Provide you with our opinion of the best strategy (or strategies) to defend your case. Our goal is to obtain the best possible result.

Contact Us Now

If you are being investigated by police or if you’ve been charged with a criminal or driving offence, don’t face the problem alone. The prospect of a criminal record or a jail sentence can be daunting. Even if you think there is no defence, we may be able to help. To schedule a free initial consultation with one of our Vancouver lawyers, contact us now.

Start with a free consultation.

If you are being investigated by police or if you’ve been charged with a criminal or driving offence, don’t face the problem alone. Being accused of an offence is stressful. The prospects of a criminal record or jail sentence can be daunting. Even if you think there is no defence, we may be able to help. To schedule a free initial consultation with one of our Vancouver lawyers, contact us now.

Connect