If you need a criminal defence lawyer in Edmonton, Brij Mohan & Associates can help you respond to a police investigation, arrest or criminal charge. Our Edmonton office is at 6147 28 Avenue in southeast Edmonton.
Call 780-951-2662 or 1 (800) 871-1196 to request a confidential case review.
Courtroom experience
Criminal defence help
Edmonton court representation
Help after arrest or charges
A criminal accusation can turn an ordinary day into a crisis. You may be worried about custody, a no-contact order, work, family or immigration status. At the same time, court papers can be difficult to understand. The useful first step is to slow the situation down, protect your rights and get advice before making a major decision.
Being charged does not mean you are guilty. The prosecution must prove every required part of the offence beyond a reasonable doubt. A defence begins by examining what happened, what the evidence actually shows and whether the investigation followed the law. No lawyer can promise a result, but careful preparation can provide a clearer path forward.
If you or a family member is in custody, has release conditions or has an upcoming Edmonton court date, call us. Bring the court papers and tell us every deadline shown on them.
A criminal file is not decided at the first appearance. It moves through stages, and each has a different purpose. The exact path depends on the charge, release decision, disclosure and your instructions.
If police arrest or detain you, clearly ask to speak with a lawyer. Stay calm, follow safety directions and avoid volunteering an explanation before speaking privately with counsel.
Police may release you with conditions and a future court date. If they keep you in custody, the law requires an appearance before a justice without unreasonable delay; actual timing and hearing arrangements can vary.
Read every release condition and obey it exactly until lawfully changed. If remanded, a person in the Edmonton area may be placed at the Edmonton Remand Centre, depending on the circumstances.
An early appearance manages the file and confirms the next step. It is not normally a trial, no finding of guilt is made that day, and you must follow the location and time printed on your document.
Defence counsel obtains and reviews Crown disclosure, which may include notes, statements, video, photographs, audio, expert reports and digital records. Missing or unclear material may require follow-up.
Once the evidence is understood, the client and lawyer discuss realistic options, including diversion, resolution, an application, a preliminary inquiry where available, or trial. The client decides after receiving advice.
The evidence and legal issues differ from one offence to another. Our Edmonton criminal lawyers handle charges ranging from driving and property offences to complex allegations of violence.
Assault cases may turn on identity, credibility, self-defence, consent, and whether the Crown can prove the required act and intent. Driving files may require review of the reason for the stop, police observations, demands, test records, video and access to counsel. This includes domestic assault, threats, impaired driving, refusal and dangerous driving allegations.
Sexual allegations require careful, private handling and may involve digital communications, forensic material and special evidence rules. Drug and weapons files often involve warrants, surveillance, confidential-source information or items found in a home or vehicle. The defence examines the legal basis for the search and the alleged connection to the item.
Theft, robbery, break-and-enter and fraud files can involve video, transactions, access logs, contracts, emails and device data. Homicide and other serious violent charges may add forensic science, experts, search-warrant material, phone records and many witnesses. Each source must be tested while keeping the Crown theory in view.
Whatever charge you face, the defence approach is disciplined: identify what the Crown must prove, test whether the evidence tells a consistent story, examine how it was obtained and account for the personal consequences of every option.
CHARTER PROTECTIONS
Section 10 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the right, on arrest or detention, to be told why and to retain and instruct counsel without delay. Other Charter issues can arise during a traffic stop, home or phone search, interview or collection of a bodily sample. A breach does not automatically end a prosecution, but a court may consider a remedy when the facts and legal test support one.
Being asked to give a statement at the roadside, at a police station or over the phone is not something to navigate alone. Ask whether you are free to leave and request legal advice if detained or arrested.
Read every release condition. Preserve messages, call logs, photographs, receipts, location history, camera files and witness names. Do not edit or delete material.
Do not contact a complainant where contact is prohibited and do not debate the allegation online. A post or private message can be copied and used out of context.
Release conditions can affect housing and family contact. Driving prohibitions can affect work. A record can create barriers involving travel, volunteering, education, security clearances and professional regulation.
Immigration risk deserves early attention. A charge does not produce the same result in every case, but the offence, conviction and sentence can matter for a permanent resident, temporary resident or foreign national. Because our firm practises both criminal defence and Canadian immigration law, our team can coordinate advice before a plea or resolution when both areas matter.
EDMONTON DEFENCE PRINCIPLES
Every offence has legal elements. Counsel compares requirements such as identity, intent, knowledge, possession, consent, causation or participation with the actual evidence. A missing or unreliable element may change the case.
Police records are not automatically accurate. Counsel checks timelines, memory, video angles, authorship, continuity and context, then considers whether the investigation respected Charter rights.
Disclosure, court procedure, available applications and realistic outcomes should be assessed before choosing among diversion, resolution, a preliminary inquiry where available, or trial.
Employment, licensing, family contact, driving, travel and immigration status should be identified before a plea or another major decision—not afterward.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Stay calm, ask why police are arresting you and clearly request a lawyer. Follow safety directions. Avoid discussing the allegation until you have had a reasonable opportunity to obtain legal advice.
You generally have the right to remain silent about the alleged offence. Some legal duties may still apply, including providing licence, registration and insurance during a lawful traffic stop. Roadside breath-testing rules also have special features, so obtain advice for your situation.
Many Edmonton files begin in the Alberta Court of Justice at the Edmonton Law Courts. Follow the address, courtroom instructions, date and time shown on your own document. Contact the court or your lawyer if the information is unclear.
If police do not release an arrested person, the Criminal Code requires an appearance before a justice without unreasonable delay. If a justice is available within 24 hours, the person must be brought before that justice within that period. Actual scheduling and hearing arrangements can vary.
Sometimes. A lawyer may ask the prosecutor to consent to a change or may apply to the court, depending on the release document and circumstances. Until the condition is lawfully varied, obey it exactly.
No. Some cases resolve through withdrawal, diversion or a negotiated outcome. Others proceed to an application or trial because important facts or legal issues remain disputed. The client decides after receiving legal advice.
Call as soon as you learn that police want a statement, a search has occurred, an arrest has been made or a court date has been set. Early advice can help protect evidence, clarify conditions and prevent avoidable mistakes.
It can. The impact depends on factors such as immigration status, the offence, the outcome and the sentence. Obtain coordinated criminal and immigration advice before entering a plea or accepting a proposed resolution.
Brij Mohan & Associates
A criminal charge can affect your freedom, family and future. You do not have to interpret the evidence or make important decisions alone. Our team can review the allegation, explain the Edmonton court process and discuss a practical defence plan.
Brij Mohan has nearly three decades of courtroom experience. Past work cannot predict a new result, but trial experience matters when counsel must challenge evidence and help a client make difficult decisions.
CALL OUR EDMONTON OFFICE
6147 28 Avenue · Edmonton, Alberta T6L 6N5
Also available toll free: 1 (800) 871-1196
