bail LAWYER | CALGARY

securing bail for clients since 2005

Calgary Criminal Defence Lawyer: (403) 452-8018

CALGARY BAIL LAWYER

Your freedom is the first step towards successfully defending your charges.

If you are charged with any offence, the police might think you are guilty; the Crown might think you are guilty; society might think you are guilty. You are, however, presumed innocent. And presumed innocent, you should be released from jail. 

“Bail” or “judicial interim release” is essentially the process all accused are under while their charges wind their way through the court system.  Not all accused are granted bail.  If bail is denied, the accused is detained in custody and thus must languish in jail until the case is concluded. The first step, therefore, to successfully defending any criminal charge is obtaining release. 

For most charges there is a presumption in favour of reasonable bail. This presumption flows from the generally recognized principle that all accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Given that all persons are presumed innocent, the presumption in favor of bail operates because it would be unprincipled to incarcerate innocent people until the allegations are proven.  

Notwithstanding the presumption, it is not unusual for persons seeking bail to feel like they must establish their own innocence.  It is also not unusual for accused to languish in custody awaiting the opportunity to have a bail hearing. Delay in a bail hearing occurs for a variety of reasons, many of which are caused by administrative policy instituted by the Courts.  For example, notwithstanding that all people are entitled to a bail hearing within 24 hours, the Provincial Court of Alberta in Calgary has established internal rules that require the scheduling of a bail hearing.  To accommodate a bail hearing, it is not unusual for detainees to wait days – or perhaps even longer.

Sometimes delay in a receiving a bail hearing is caused by Crown tardiness with respect to disclosure; other times, the accused chooses to wait in custody so that his or her defence lawyer can pursue disclosure issues, conduct investigations or take other legal steps to enhance the chance of successfully obtaining bail.

Whatever the case, if you have been charged with a criminal offence, judicial interim release is your first priority.

I understand the importance of obtaining bail. I routinely obtain judicial interim release for my clients and have done so in many high profile cases, including those involving drugs, guns, serious violence and even murder.  

For a Calgary bail lawyer call 403.452.8018.  David Chow secures bail for clients throughout Alberta, including Airdrie, Cochrane and Lethbridge.