Bragging Rights:
I've built a criminal law practise representing people in Ottawa who are accused of crimes, under police investigation, or just need advice from a criminal law expert about the criminal justice system. My clients are regular people, often with no criminal records, who find themselves in situations that could effect their employment, mobility, and liberty. I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, with a minor in Economics, in 1982, followed by a Law Degree in 1985. I was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1987. Many services I can offer to you in French, such as reading French police reports, witness statements, or case law. My staff is fluently bilingual. While I primarily defend and advise individuals, I had the unique experience of working in 2006 and 2007 as an assistant crown attorney for the Ministry of the Attorney General specializing in bail court. It was very insightful to work on the other side of the criminal fence. In 2003, I founded and operated the first Ottawa criminal law legal research and writing business. Law firms retained me to find defences and prepare legal arguments in complex cases or where there were Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms issues. Notably, every firm for whom I worked retained me again for other projects. One of my clients was a major legal publisher. However, for the past few years I have chosen to focus primarily on my private individual clients. In addition to defence work, crown work, and legal research and writing, I have practiced administrative law before the Immigration Board, the Mental Health Review Board, and the Landlord/Tenant Board and have appeared on quasi-criminal matters in provincial offences court. I also spent a couple of years working in civil litigation for a large national firm. While working in civil law gave me a broader knowledge of the law, my passion is criminal law and today I usually select cases with a criminal element to them. Before being "called to the bar", every law student is required to do an apprenticeship with a law firm, called "articles". I was fortunate to article in 1985 and 1986 with a top criminal law firm in Ottawa, and remained there as a sole practitioner sharing their facilities. At that time, future lawyers then also attended an extensive Bar Admission program before being called to the bar. My career in criminal law really began at law school in 1982, where I worked actively at the student legal aid office. I also got great work opportunities outside of the university like appearing before the Senate to get private bills passed, always successfully. I bought myself a red suit to do that, which in retrospect was probably an unwise choice to appear in the Red Chamber. Legal documents are often provided to lawyers electronically. I have the training and experience to create, manage, and search large databases for cases involving tens of thousands of documents. This is useful for large document cases such as allegations of major fraud. The law changes all the time, often dramatically. I stay current by subscribing to on-line and hard-copy research resources and attending seminars regularly - in all areas of law just for fun. I attend workshops to improve writing and communications skills – very important for a lawyer. Keeping up with technology is also an on-going. I organize all this legal learning and share it with laypeople that can't normally access it. I have created Newsletters, Blog Articles, and several useful Legal Publications for non-lawyers found on my website. I offer the following legal services at no charge or for a minimal fee: Legal information distributed by email each month to individuals, law firms, university students and libraries, all levels of government, and police services. The newsletter goes out only to those who ask to subscribe – if you would like to subscribe, send me an email. What My Clients Say: My clients tell me that I am practical, I give strategic advice that works, I can predict an outcome, and I can think on my feet in court. And they are amazed that I am so accessible and responsive to them - my secret is that I take on a limited number of clients at a time, so I can be fully involved with each individual. Call me on my direct line at 613.203.4874. All content © 2011/2012/2013 Lisa Christian 200-440 Laurier Ave W, Ottawa ON K1R 7X6 ChristianCriminalLaw.com T 613.203.4874