Areas of Practice
Search Warrants and Opinions

The police show up at the door of your home or business demanding to see and possibly seize documents, files, computers, and anything else they claim to need for a criminal investigation. What do you do?

For many people, the shock of such an experience leads them to simply open the door and worry about the legality or consequences later. They assume that they have done nothing wrong and therefore have nothing to hide but they never consider the cost to their business of allowing uniformed police officers to wander the halls, seizing whatever they claim to need. Can your business operate without its computers or copies of your files? What would your clients think if they showed up for a meeting only to find yellow police tape surrounding your reception area?

A single call to could save you enormous amounts of heartache and lost business. We will dispatch a lawyer to communicate with the officer in charge of the investigation and determine whether police have any right to search your home or business. If police do in fact have a valid search warrant, our lawyers will ensure that police stay within the scope of that warrant. We will also negotiate with police to ensure that the search is conducted as quickly and unobtrusively as possible preserving your right to access business-critical files and equipment.

For an example of how has helped other clients face search warrants at their businesses, please click here.

In addition to search warrants, is occasionally consulted by individuals or businesses who want legal advice on the legality of a particular activity. It is not always clear whether certain actions run afoul of the law, especially when one considers the complicating factor of quasi-criminal legislation such as proceeds of crime law, gaming laws, or liquor licensing legislation.

Our firm will prepare a detailed legal opinion on your behalf carefully considering the activity proposed and suggesting alterations or alternatives where appropriate. If your business operates outside of Ontario, will make arrangements with experienced criminal lawyers in the appropriate jurisdictions to make sure that you are covered both in, and out, of Ontario.

 

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