If you have been accused of impaired driving and your driver’s licence has been prohibited, an experienced impaired driving lawyer will give you your best chance to get back on the road as soon as possible. We can help.
DRIVING LAW BC
Call now for a free consultation: 778-601-6767
What Makes DrivingLawBC The Best Choice for Motor Vehicle Law?
DrivingLawBC takes a different approach to impaired driving law than other law firms that offer similar services. We use our extensive experience and communication skills to thoroughly evaluate your case and develop personalized defences. Before you retain an impaired driving lawyer, find out who you’ll be working with and how they will handle your case.
Extensive Experience
Choosing the right type of lawyer is important. If you want to be successful, you need a lawyer who knows the law that is relevant to your case.
You want to work with a lawyer who focuses their practice on motor vehicle law. This is a very specific area of law. Unless your lawyer really knows driving law, they are not equipped to put forth your best possible defences.
We know motor vehicle law and have a proven record of defending clients with driving prohibitions and administrative penalties. We have conducted over 1000 IRP reviews and ADP reviews, as well as Driver Improvement Program reviews, Remedial Program Referral reconsiderations, Medical Fitness Program reconsiderations, judicial reviews, and appeals.
Clear and Consistent Communication
Your case is important to you and the outcome can significantly impact your life. Allegations of drunk driving can affect your personal life and your job. You need an impaired driving lawyer who will talk to you when you have questions or concerns about your case.
You want to retain a driving lawyer that will actually talk to you. Clear and consistent communication is our priority because if your lawyer won’t talk to you, they cannot effectively defend you.
From your first contact, you will be speaking to an experienced lawyer who will keep you informed about your case. In addition, your lawyer will be available to address your questions and concerns until your matter is resolved.
Thorough Case Evaluation
You need an impaired driving lawyer who will properly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your case. Your paperwork alone doesn’t provide enough information to know if you can be successful on review.
You want to retain a lawyer who takes the time to understand your case before they advise you to proceed. Motor vehicle defences are both complicated and confusing, and legal representation is expensive.
If you retain us, you will get a thorough and detailed case consultation to help you decide whether or not to you want to proceed with your matter. We will give you an honest and comprehensive opinion about your case, and your overall probability of success.
If there is a way to win your case, we will find it. But if you don’t have a reasonable probability of success, we will not encourage you to engage in expensive litigation.
Personalized Defences
Legal submissions should address the facts of your specific case, not just the law generally. You want to retain a lawyer who drafts clear and concise legal arguments that are specific to your case.
Your review will not be successful if the person making the decision doesn’t understand the arguments being made.
You want a lawyer who spends time drafting arguments that apply to the specific facts of your case. You need a lawyer who will carefully walk the decision maker through your defence.
We are skilled at drafting carefully constructed legal submissions that lead the decision maker through a logical argument.
We will highlight the strengths of your case and minimize any weaknesses to persuade the decision-maker to see the evidence from your perspective.
The Review Process
Before you choose a BC driving lawyer, you need to know how IRP and ADP reviews work. That way, you know what to expect from your lawyer and which lawyer is best for you.
In most cases, the progression of an IRP or ADP review is reasonably predictable. There are occasional issues but, for clients who retain DrivingLawBC, most cases progress as follows:
Filing for Review
- A driver, who is alleged to be impaired or over the legal limit, receives an IRP or ADP.
- Best case scenario: the driver contacts a lawyer right away to get information about their driving prohibition.
- The driver files for a review, either in person or online, within 7 days.
- An oral hearing is scheduled 7-14 days from the date of the IRP or ADP.
- The driver or their lawyer is provided with the police disclosure.
- Please note: If the disclosure is provided to the driver, they must forward it to their lawyer.
Working with a Lawyer
- Once retained, the lawyer will review the police disclosure to figure out the client’s best possible defences.
- The lawyer will schedule a time to interview the client about their case. This can take an hour or longer.
- After evaluating a case, the lawyer will explain the strengths and weaknesses of the case. The client then decides whether or not to proceed with their review.
- If the client opts to proceed, the lawyer will help the client put together statements and other evidence.
- The burden of proof is on the driver, so you need evidence to put forth the best possible defence.
- The lawyer will draft written submissions that are specific to the client’s case.
- Written submissions address the relevant statutes and case law and apply the law to the specific facts of the client’s case.
- The lawyer forwards the written submissions and any evidence to RoadSafetyBC ahead of the oral hearing.
The Review Hearing
- During the 30-minute oral hearing, the lawyer reviews the submissions and evidence with the adjudicator.
- The lawyer explains to the adjudicator why the driving prohibition should be revoked, based on the law and the facts.
- The adjudicator is required to issue a written decision 21 days after the IRP or ADP was served.
- However, adjudicators can issue an extension if they need more time to decide. In many cases, the driver will not get a decision within 21 days.
After the Hearing
- The lawyer calls the client as soon as they receive any correspondence from RoadSafetyBC about the client’s file. A copy of that correspondence is sent by email after the client is called.
- If an extension is issued, the lawyer calls the client when any further correspondence is received.
- This communication continues until a written decision is rendered.
- If an extension is issued, the lawyer calls the client when any further correspondence is received.