Areas of Practice

Sitar and Milczarek Appellate Lawyers in Calgary AB

WHAT WE DO

Complex Criminal Trials

If you or your loved one is charged with one of the following criminal offences, chances are they are facing a lengthy trial to clear their name:

Drug Trafficking,
Production,
Importation,
Murder,

Manslaughter,
Sexual Assault,
Fraud Over $5000,
or Terrorism,

Such trials can last a week or even months, depending on how much evidence the prosecution presents in court. Our lawyers have many years of experience representing clients with such serious criminal charges. Our reputation for handling this type of litigation is well-known in the criminal defence community.

We are often the first choice of other criminal defence lawyers for referrals or assistance when the complexity of legal matters exceeds the norm.

we are often the first choice for referrals or assistance for complex legal matters

Working through your complex trial materials

CLIENTS TRUST US IN CALGARY & THE SURROUNDING AREA

Our lawyers do not argue multiple cases on a single day in court. Instead, they make time to review lengthy disclosure packages, research innovative legal issues, and prepare persuasive written arguments for the court. Our firm was founded on the belief that excellent representation requires significant out-of-court preparation. When the potential punishment is substantial penitentiary time, nothing less will do.

WHAT WE DO

Appeals

Every person convicted of a criminal offence has the right to appeal to a higher court for review of the conviction to determine if the trial judge made legal errors that led to their conviction.

Criminal law has increased significantly in complexity over the last 30 years. Judges and lawyers have to get the law right. When they don’t, our lawyers can spot the error and argue that the appellate court should grant the accused person a new trial (or in some cases an acquittal on appeal). The ability to spot the legal errors necessary for a successful appeal is something our lawyers have cultivated over many years of practicing in appellate litigation.

Appellate advocacy requires extensive review of transcripts of what happened in the trial court and legal research and writing. These tasks require time in the office or the library. Our firm’s focus on this type of work ensures that we are not in court every day running low-complexity matters.

This means we can devote the time necessary to spotting the legal error that can overturn a matter and then the legal argument that can result in a win before the appellate court. Our years of experience making these arguments at the Alberta Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada means that we have the knowledge, reputation, and skills to make your argument the best it can be.

While we prepare to make that complex legal argument, we can also apply for bail pending appeal for our clients. People who have good bail compliance histories and a reasonable argument on appeal can obtain bail for the entire time their matters are before the appellate courts. Appellate courts recognize that a successful appeal would be pointless if they person has already served their entire sentence by the time the appeal is decided. For this reason, bail pending appeal is something our lawyers often argue and obtain for our clients.