You are here: Home

We Defend Assault Civil Forfeiture Driving Drug Serious Crime Sexual Assault Theft & Fraud Weapons Charges

Vancouver Criminal Defence Lawyers

Dedicated. Experienced. Proven Results.

Vancouver based criminal defence lawyers, Mines & Company have, since 1993, maintained a proven record of success defending criminal offences, including assault charges, driving charges, drug charges, serious crimes charges, sexual assault charges, theft and fraud charges, and weapons charges.

Michael Mines, Ian Gauthier and Patrick Johnston are dedicated to helping their clients obtain the best possible outcomes in every case. Our lawyers are focused solely on criminal law, civil forfeiture, and Motor Vehicle Act defence. We regularly appear in courts throughout Metro Vancouver and the rest of British Columbia. We’ve conducted cases in Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec, as well as the Yukon Territory.

We believe that great communication is the key to every successful case. From initial consultation to extensive trial preparation, we are committed to answering your questions, addressing your concerns and keeping you informed. We understand that to be successful, we must work hard to understand every detail of your case. We will listen to you. We will explore every possible defence. We will prepare sound legal arguments and advance them in court on your behalf. We still strive to communicate your circumstances and your story to police, Crown prosecutors and to the Court.

Recent Successes

R. v. M.F. – Surrey Provincial Court

Charge: Health insurance fraud investigation.
Issue: Given our client's civil settlement of the alleged false insurance claims. whether there was any public interest in proceeding with criminal charges.
Result: Mr. Gauthier was able to negotiate an appropriate civil settlement and repayment to the employer. No criminal prosecution.

R. v. V.H. – Port Coquitlam Provincial Court

Charges: Assault (domestic).
Issue: Whether or not it was contrary to the public interest for our client to be sentenced to a conditional discharge.
Result: Mr. Mines was able to steer our client through a course of rehabilitation. The Court granted our client the discharge and placed her on probation. No record of conviction.

R. v. J.M. – Abbotsford Provincial Court

Charge: Health insurance fraud investigation.
Issue: Given our client's civil settlement of the alleged false insurance claims. whether there was any public interest in proceeding with criminal charges.
Result: Mr. Mines was able to negotiate an appropriate civil settlement and repayment to the employer. No criminal prosecution.

R. v. K.D. – Vancouver Provincial Court

Charge: Mischief Under $5000 (reduced to Peace Bond).
Issue: Given our client's background and rehabilitative efforts, whether it was in the oublic interest to proceed with a criminal prosecution.
Result: Mr. Mines was able to persude the criminal charge upon our client entering into a 12 month peace bond. No criminal record.

R. v. N.S. – Vancouver Provincial Court

Charge: Theft under $5000 (shoplifting).
Issue: Given our client's background and remorse, whether it was in the public interest to proceed with a criminal prosecution.
Result: Mr. mines was able to persuade Crown counsel to admit our client into the Alternative Measures program. Upon completion, Crown counsel entered a stay of proceedings, bringing the matter to an end. No criminal conviction.

R. v. N.S. – Vancouver Provincial Court

Charges: Theft Under $5,000 (shoplifting).
Issue: Given our client's background, was it in the public interest to proceed with the criminal prosecution.
Result: Mr. Mines was able to persuade Crown counsel to allow our client into the Alternative Measures Program and, upon our client's completion of the program, Crown enteres a stay of proceedings. No criminal record.

R. v. C.G. – Vancouver Provincial Court

Charges: Fraud (in the range of $50,000).
Issue: Based on information Mr. Gauthier was able to provide to the civil investigators about our client's personal circumstances, whether it was in the public interest to proceed with a criminal prosecution.
Result: Mr. Gauthier was able to settle the matter civilly on our client's behalf. No charges were recommended. No criminal record.

R. v. A.L. – North Vancouver Provincial Court

Charge: Sexual assault.
Issue: Whether there was a substantial likelihood of a conviction.
Result: Mr. Mines was able to steer our client through the police investigation by providing information to police on our client's behalf. Ultimately, Crown counsel decided to not approve any criminal charge. No jail; no criminal record.

R. v. A.Z. – Vancouver Provincial Court

Charge: Assault (domestic).
Issue: Given information we provided to Crown counsel regarding our client's background, the circumstances of the incident and the complainant's wishes, whether there was a public interest in proceeding with the criminal prosecution.
Result: Mr. Gauthier was able to persuade Crown counsel to enter a stay of proceedings, bringing the case to an end.  No criminal record.

R. v. I.R. – Vancouver Provincial Court

Charges: Sexual assault, assault x 2
Issues: Whether a jail sentence was appropriate in all the circumstances, and whether our client should be excused from having to register as a sex offender.
Result: Upon hearing Mr. Johnston’s submissions regarding our client’s personal circumstances, rehabilitative progress, and the unusual nature of the offences, the Court imposed a sentence of probation, rather than the conditional sentence the Crown had sought. For the same reasons, the Court also agreed to excuse our client from the usual requirement of having to register as a sex offender.

R. v. R.A.M. – Vancouver Provincial Court

Charge: Robbery, uttering threats, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose
Issues: Whether there was a reasonable chance our client would be convicted at trial, and whether there was public interest in continuing to prosecute our client.
Result: Given Mr. Johnston’s representations on behalf of our client and the unusual circumstances of the offence, the Crown agreed there would be difficulty establishing our client was the one who committed the alleged offences, and that it was not in the public interest to continue prosecuting our client. Stay of proceedings. No criminal record.  

R. v. M.M. – Merritt Provincial Court

Charges: Assault, breach of release order (x3) Issue: Whether there was a reasonable prospect our client could be convicted of all charges at trial, and what the appropriate sentence would be.
Result: Mr. Johnston persuaded the Crown they were unlikely to prove most of the charges at trial given issues with the credibility and reliability of Crown witnesses and the fact our client had a valid defence to one of the charges. Our client pled guilty to one count of breach, which he had been prepared to admit from the outset, and the Crown directed stays of proceedings on all other counts. Given information Mr. Johnston provided about our client’s circumstances at the time of the offences and his rehabilitative efforts since, the Crown also  agreed to support a time-served sentence with no probation, even though our client had a lengthy criminal record and had recently been convicted of several breaches for which he had received far longer jail sentences. No further jail. No probation.
   
View all

We serve Metro Vancouver

and all of British Columbia.

We have over 45 years of courtroom experience.

Michael Mines, Ian Gauthier and Patrick Johnston have a combined total in excess of 45 years of experience conducting criminal trials. Their trial strategies and courtroom skills are enhanced by the firm’s past experience doing Crown prosecution work and working in the criminal justice system. Michael, Ian and Patrick take great pride in the professional relationships they have built over the years with Crown prosecutors, judges and other defence lawyers. The firm has earned a reputation as being highly professional, ethical and dedicated to our clients.

Mines & Company has conducted over 5,000 client matters over the years. This extensive criminal law experience has given us the depth of knowledge to assess our cases before they get to court. In essence, once we understand the issues of a particular case, we will be able to provide advice as to the probable outcome. Where appropriate, our lawyers will strongly advocate for a successful resolution of charges prior to your trial. Our firm grasp of the facts and the law, coupled with our excellent advocacy skills often allow us to negotiate a resolution that is favourable to our client. We will always strive to “control the outcome” of our case through a successful plea negotiation without the necessity of a trial. However, when we are called upon to argue a case in court – whether at trial or at a sentencing hearing, we find that our excellent preparation and courtroom advocacy pays off. The vast majority of our clients’ cases are resolved favourably.

We defend your rights and freedoms.

Our lawyers work tirelessly to defend your rights. We pride ourselves in fighting to uphold the Charter principles that guarantee Canadians freedom from unreasonable and unlawful police actions. We are dedicated to upholding the values enshrined in the Charter, including:

  • The right to be treated in accordance with principles of fundamental justice;
  • The right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure;
  • The right to be free from arbitrary detention and arrest;
  • The right upon detention or arrest to be informed of the reasons thereof and the right to contact counsel without delay;
  • The right to be tried within a reasonable time; and
  • The right to not be subjected to any cruel or unusual punishment.

Where appropriate, we will apply to the court to have any evidence obtained through a Charter breach excluded from the trial process.

Assault, Drug, Theft and Driving charges

Mines and Company represents people charged with assault (including domestic); drug trafficking; theft; fraud; sex assault; weapons; and driving (including impaired) offences. We appear regularly in all Metro Vancouver courts as well as courts throughout the rest of British Columbia. We have over 35 years experience and have, over the years, achieved an impressive record of success. Our lawyers work tirelessly to defend our client’s rights. We pride ourselves in fighting to uphold the Charter principles that guarantee Canadians freedom from unlawful and unreasonable police actions.

Start with a free consultation.

If you are being investigated by police or if you’ve been charged with a criminal or driving offence, don’t face the problem alone. Being accused of an offence is stressful. The prospects of a criminal record or jail sentence can be daunting. Even if you think there is no defence, we may be able to help. To schedule a free initial consultation with one of our Vancouver lawyers, contact us now.

Connect