Helps Law Offices

is available as legal counsel in Criminal, Civil, Tax and Motor Vehicle / Personal Injury Litigation. We are also experienced Appellate Counsel who can argue at every level of court. Criminal Litigation

Helps Law Offices can act in every stage of a criminal hearing from first appearance to trial and at any level of court from Provincial to the Court of Appeal.

When you are first charged with a criminal offence, Crown Counsel will give you documents laying out the case against you. We are experts in going through this documentation with you and showing you where your defences are. We allow you to make your own decisions about your case after we've explained all your options to you. You are always in control of your case.

Whether you decide to go to trial or plead guilty, we will be with you every step of the way. Our lawyers are experienced criminal counsel who will fight for an acquittal using their vast knowledge of the law, written arguments, excellent cross-examination, and advanced trial technique. Representation always assists in getting the most beneficial sentence for you and to the community if you decide to plead guilty.

Helps Law Offices specializes in Impaired Driving, White Collar Crime & Fraud, Tax charges, Assault, Sexual Assault and Drug Defence cases, but has experience with all types of criminal charges. Our counsel have worked numerous Murder, Manslaughter, Kidnapping and other high-profile criminal defence cases.

We never work for Crown Counsel; we have proudly been a defence-only firm since our inception.

Civil Litigation

Whether you are contemplating beginning an action or are defending one, Helps Law Offices has a background in all Civil Actions.

Civil Litigation: British Columbia Supreme Court

British Columbia Supreme Court provides remedy for people who want to sue in civil court for damages or negligence. Usually the amount of money in dispute is greater than $25,000 (otherwise, it is usually easier to sue in Small Claims Court).

The beginning of an action usually starts with a Writ and Statement of Claim. These documents set out the basis of your claim and how much money you're suing for. There are very strict time limits on how long you can wait to file an action. The usual amount of time is two years, but in some circumstances, the time limit can be as little as 30 days.

Do not delay. Call Helps Law Offices for your free consultation as soon as possible if you are contemplating legal action!

Civil Litigation: Small Claims Court

Civil Litigation is now more accessible to everyone, thanks to the recent decision of the courts to increase the Small Claims Court limit from $10,000. to $25,000. This makes the courts much more accessible to small business and private litigants. Because $25,000. is a significant amount, private clients are starting to seek legal representation in Small Claims Court.

We would be happy to speak with you about your Small Claims Court action. Please call us for your free consultation.

Tax Litigation

Helps Law Offices is experienced counsel for Tax Litigation. Whether you're requesting a review of your Notice of Assessment, disputing a Notice of Assessment or Re-Assessment at the Tax Court of Canada or appealing a judgment of the Tax Court at the Federal Court of Appeal.

Often, Tax Litigation goes hand in hand with Criminal Charges relating to failing to file a return or failure to provide the proper information. Helps Law Offices is proud to offer both services in one office, a rare service in Vancouver.

Motor Vehicle Litigation/Personal Injury

With the advent of new legislation aimed at impaired drivers, the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles has the power, on their own initiative, to suspend your licence either with or without pending criminal charges. These Administrative Driving Prohibitions have the ability to seriously impact your life, especially if you need to operate a motor vehicle to do your job.

Counsel at Helps Law Offices are all trained in the new legislation. We can represent you either in writing or orally at dispute hearings for these prohibitions. We can make submissions to the Superintendent on your behalf and we know the ins and outs of the ways that the Superintendent decides the suspensions.

If you have received a Notice of Suspension or Prohibition, you should know that there is a very limited period of time - usually 21 days from the day you signed for the Notice - to dispute the Prohibition. Call us immediately for an appointment.

Appellate Advocacy

If you wish to appeal a criminal or civil case that has been decided in Provincial or Supreme Court, Helps Law Offices can help. We are experienced appellate counsel who argue at the Court of Appeal on an ongoing basis.

There are limited timelines with which to file an appeal. Usually, an appeal can be filed up to 30 days from the date of the judgment, although in some instances the Court will allow for an appeal to be filed after that date.

There are two types of Criminal Appeals: Conviction Appeals and Sentence Appeals. A Conviction appeal means that you want to appeal from a finding of guilty by a judge; a sentence appeal means that you want to appeal from a sentence given to you by a judge after a finding of guilt or a guilty plea.

In a Civil case, you can appeal from the judgment rendered by the judge or from the monetary amount awarded.

Every individual case is different. Helps Law Offices offers free consultations so that your individual case can be assessed by one of our lawyers and we can advise you on the best course of action for you. Please call us to set up an appointment.

The foregoing was for informational purposes only. Helps Law Offices encourages you to telephone our offices for an appointment to discuss your individual circumstances and case. All cases are different and we strive to provide the best services in Vancouver for our clients.