Facing a criminal charge is often overwhelming. You do not need to be afraid: You are not alone.
If you have just been charged with a criminal offence in Edmonton, or you are under investigation and you can feel things moving in a bad direction, the next few hours matter more than most people realize. What you say to police, whether you say anything at all, and how quickly you reach an experienced criminal defence lawyer can shape everything that follows.
People search for a criminal lawyer near them for all kinds of reasons: an assault charge after a fight that got out of hand, a domestic violence allegation, a drug offence charge from a roadside stop, an impaired driving arrest, or a more serious matter they never saw coming. Whatever brought you here, the situation is fixable more often than you think. But it takes the right legal help, and it takes it early.
The single most important thing you can do right now is stop talking to the police. That is not advice to be difficult or uncooperative. It is your legal right under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and it exists for a reason.
Under the Charter, when you are detained or arrested, you have the right to remain silent, the right to be told why you are being held, and the right to speak to a lawyer without delay. Use those rights. Be polite, do not resist, but do not answer questions until you have spoken to a criminal defence lawyer. Most people, under the stress of detention or arrest, say things to the police that get taken out of context and used against them.
Once you are able to make a call, contact Rory Ziv. The firm is available 24/7 because arrests do not happen on a schedule.
When Rory Ziv reviews your file, he is not just reading the charges. He is looking at whether your Charter rights were respected during the arrest, the search, and the interrogation. He is checking whether the evidence was obtained lawfully, whether disclosure is complete, and whether there are procedural issues the Crown would rather you did not notice. With more than two decades of courtroom experience representing clients in Alberta and across Canada, he has seen cases that looked hopeless on paper get resolved through careful, strategic legal work.
A charge is not a conviction. What happens between the charge and any verdict depends heavily on the quality of your defence.
Ziv Law Group handles the full range of criminal offences in Edmonton and surrounding Alberta communities. Here is what clients most often come to us with, and what you should know about each.
Assault is one of the most commonly searched criminal charges in Edmonton, and the circumstances behind most cases are far more complicated than the charge sheet suggests. A physical altercation where you defended yourself, a confrontation someone else escalated, or a situation where the complainant’s version of events is incomplete. Self-defence, consent, and reasonable force are all legitimate defences under the Criminal Code of Canada. An experienced assault lawyer in Edmonton will examine the full context, not just the narrative the Crown has built.
Domestic assault charges move fast. Police in Alberta are required to lay charges in domestic situations even when the complainant does not want that to happen. Conditions of your release can remove you from your home, limit contact with your children, and affect your employment, all before you have ever been found guilty of anything. If you have been charged with domestic assault in Edmonton, getting a defence lawyer involved immediately is not an overreaction. It is the most important decision you will make.
Drug possession, trafficking, and production charges in Edmonton often come down to one key question: Did police have lawful grounds to search you, your vehicle, or your home in the first place? Under the Charter, an unlawful search can result in the evidence being excluded at trial. That is not a loophole. It is the law working as intended, protecting you from police overreach. Whether you are facing a simple possession charge or a more serious trafficking matter, the way the investigation was conducted is the first thing a skilled drug offences lawyer will scrutinise.
DUI and impaired driving charges in Edmonton carry serious consequences, including licence suspension, fines, vehicle impoundment, and potentially jail time. Alberta also has the Immediate Roadside Sanction (IRS) program, which can hit you with penalties before any court date. These cases are highly technical. The admissibility of breath test results, whether the roadside stop was lawful, and the procedures police followed all matter. An impaired driving lawyer who understands both the criminal and provincial administrative sides of these cases is essential.
Sexual assault and other sexual offences are among the most serious charges a person can face in Canada. The reputational impact begins the moment an allegation surfaces, long before any conviction. These cases demand thorough investigation, careful handling of disclosure, and experienced courtroom advocacy. Rory brings the same rigorous approach to every sexual offence case he defends, examining the complainant’s account, the investigation process, and all available evidence, because when the stakes are this high, nothing can be left unchecked.
Fraud, theft, and white-collar crime charges in Edmonton often involve complex paper trails, financial records, and digital evidence. If you are under investigation, what you say to investigators, what you hand over voluntarily, and how you handle documents right now can significantly affect your case. Do not wait until fraud charges are formally laid. Getting legal advice at the investigation stage can sometimes prevent charges from being laid at all, or position you far better if they are.
Theft charges in Edmonton range from shoplifting and theft under $5,000 to robbery and home invasion. The impact on your criminal record, your employment, and your ability to travel can be significant even at the lower end of the scale. A criminal record for theft can close doors for years. Getting proper defence advice for theft and property charges early, including exploring whether a discharge is available to keep your record clean, is worth every penny.
Weapons charges in Edmonton range from unauthorized possession of a firearm to using a weapon in the commission of an offence. Many weapons offences carry mandatory minimum sentences, which means the judge has limited discretion once a conviction is entered. That makes avoiding a conviction, or challenging the charge on technical or Charter grounds, all the more critical. Whether the issue is a prohibited firearm, an improper storage charge, or a weapon allegedly used during an altercation, early legal intervention matters enormously.
If you or someone you care about is facing a murder or manslaughter charge in Edmonton, you are dealing with the most serious allegation in the Criminal Code of Canada. A first or second degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence. Manslaughter, while treated differently, can still result in decades in prison. These are not cases where any lawyer will do.
Homicide cases are complex from the ground up. They involve extensive Crown disclosure, forensic evidence, expert witnesses, and often months or years of legal proceedings before a trial even begins. The defence has to be built carefully and strategically from day one, because every decision made early in the process, from what is said during the initial police investigation to how bail is handled, can affect the outcome at trial.
Rory Ziv has defended clients facing serious violent offence charges in Alberta courts. His years as a Crown Prosecutor mean he understands exactly how homicide investigations are built, where the Crown’s theory of the case is strong, and where it can be challenged. In murder and manslaughter cases, the difference between a skilled defence and an average one is not a matter of degree. It can be the difference between life in prison and walking free.
One of the most common questions people search for after a charge is what a criminal conviction means for their record long-term. In Canada, a criminal record does not disappear on its own. Without a record suspension (formerly called a pardon), your conviction stays on file with the RCMP indefinitely and can affect employment background checks, travel to the United States, professional licensing, and immigration status.
This is exactly why the outcome of your case matters so much. A conditional discharge, an absolute discharge, a stay of proceedings, or an acquittal all have different implications for your record than a conviction. A good defence lawyer fights not just the charge but the long-term consequences. The goal is always to protect your future, not just resolve today’s problem.
If you are held after an arrest, you are entitled to a bail hearing within 24 hours. At that hearing, the Crown will present reasons why you should not be released. Your defence lawyer is there to challenge those reasons and argue for your release on the least restrictive conditions possible. The conditions set at your bail hearing, where you can go, who you can contact, where you can live, can affect your job, your family, and your ability to properly prepare your defence.
Having an experienced bail hearing lawyer in Edmonton argue for you at that first appearance is not a luxury. It sets the tone for everything that follows.
A criminal defence lawyer assesses your case to find the best strategies. They advocate for your rights, pursue charge withdrawals or acquittals, and make submissions at bail hearings to help secure your release.
Possibly, but entry is not guaranteed. U.S. Customs and Border Protection may deny admission based on the nature of the charges. Consult an experienced criminal defence lawyer like Rory Ziv before travelling to assess the risks and your options.
A charge is not an automatic job loss, but a conviction creates serious obstacles to obtaining or retaining employment. This is especially true for “crimes of dishonesty,” such as theft or financial crimes.
Timelines vary based on complexity and court scheduling. For instance, minor offences can take a couple of months, but complex matters indictable offences can take several years to resolve. Promptly retaining a criminal defence lawyer helps navigate these legal timelines.
Summary offences are less serious and heard by Provincial Court Judges. Indictable offences are more serious, carrying higher punishments and potential incarceration. Crown Prosecutors decide how to proceed with hybrid offences.
You’re not alone. We’ll walk you through your options and build a plan to defend your rights and future — starting with a confidential consultation.
