Book A Free Consultation

Highest-Rated Criminal Lawyer

Criminal Defence Lawyer

TRUST. EXPERIENCE. SUCCESS.

Cory Wilson is one of Calgary’s most successful criminal defence lawyers.

There are few experiences as stressful and potentially life-altering as being charged with a criminal offence. Facing a criminal charge may have significant impacts on your family, employment, immigration status and liberty.

Once charged with a criminal offence, the most important decision you can make is hiring the right criminal lawyer to defend you.

0 +

YEARS OF CRIMINAL DEFENSE EXPERIENCE

0 +

5-STAR RATINGS
ON GOOGLE

0 +

CASES & CLIENTS
SERVED

24/7

AVAILABILITY
AND SUPPORT

TRUST. EXPERIENCE. SUCCESS.

Cory Wilson is one of Calgary’s most successful criminal defence lawyers.

There are few experiences as stressful and potentially life-altering as being charged with a criminal offence. Facing a criminal charge may have significant impacts on your family, employment, immigration status and liberty.

Once charged with a criminal offence, the most important decision you can make is hiring the right criminal lawyer to defend you.

0 +

YEARS OF CRIMINAL DEFENSE EXPERIENCE

0 +

5-STAR RATINGS
ON GOOGLE

0 +

CASES & CLIENTS
SERVED

24/7

AVAILABILITY
AND SUPPORT

CALGARY CRIMINAL LAWYER

When Everything Is at Stake, Hire the Best.

Cory Wilson is one of the most successful and respected lawyers in criminal law. He offers his clients an unparalleled defence and helps solve their legal problems efficiently and affordably. Cory represents individuals charged with any criminal offence as well as quasi-criminal and regulatory offences.

Cory has significant trial and appellate experience and has appeared at every level of court in Alberta. He has been counsel on many high-profile cases including kidnappings, significant drug seizures, homicides and the largest fraud in Canadian history.

Cases Featured On

Areas of Expertise

Comprehensive Criminal Defence Built on Experience and Results

Impaired Driving / DUI

Impaired driving / DUI refers to criminal charges of operating a vehicle while impaired from alcohol or drugs, driving over 0.08 and refusing to provide a sample of breath. These charges have serious consequences including significant fines, skyrocketing insurance, jail and a criminal record that can impact future travel and employment.

Domestic Assault

Domestic assault is no different than assault generally, except it occurs when the violence is directed at a family member, spouse or romantic partner. When charged with domestic assault, you will most likely be prohibited from returning to your home or having any contact with the complainant.

Theft

Theft is defined generally as taking another’s property without lawful authority to do so. Depending on the monetary value of the theft, an accused may be charged with theft under $5,000 or theft over $5,000. The elements of the two offences are the same, but the punishments are drastically different. A theft conviction can result in sentences ranging from discharges to significant periods of incarceration.

Fraud

Fraud is a very broad criminal offence that ranges from altering a price tag to multi-million-dollar Ponzi schemes. While the charge is very similar to theft, fraud requires deceit or falsehood. Depending on the monetary value of the fraud, an accused may be charged with fraud under $5,000 or fraud over $5,000. These offences are often incredibly complex and include a high-volume of documents and forensic accounting reports.

Sexual Offences

Sexual offences are incredibly complex and encompass many different charges under the Criminal Code, including sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching, sexual interference, sexual exploitation and child pornography. Given the intimate and often highly-emotional nature of these offences, you need a highly-skilled and experienced lawyer who understands how to properly defend these charges.

Drug Offences

The most common drug offences are possession, trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking, production and importation. Drug investigations usually involve undercover police officers, wiretap, confidential informants and search warrants. Offences and sentencing regimes are based on the nature and quantity of the drug found. Possible consequences for drug offences range from diversion programs and discharges to significant periods of incarceration.

Assault

Assault is the intentional application of force to another person without their consent and can range from a pinch or shove to a punch or kick. Assault offences include common assault, assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon and aggravated assault. The more serious the assault, the greater the possible consequences.

Criminal Harassment

Criminal harassment or “stalking”, consists of repeated behavior that has the intention of harassing, frightening, annoying or other actions displaying obsessive and unwanted conduct directed towards another individual without lawful authority. Most often this is in the form of following a person and/or repeatedly calling, texting or emailing them.

Firearm Offences

Possessing a firearm in Canada is a heavily regulated activity, with the regulations primarily set out in the Criminal Code and Firearms Act. There are many firearms offences, most of which carry significant punishments if convicted including lengthy periods of incarceration.

Violent Offences

These offences include any crime in which a high-degree of violence is involved, including murder, home invasions, serious assaults, robberies and kidnappings. Violent offences are considered the most serious in the Criminal Code and are often investigated by specialized police units. The consequences of being found guilty of a violent offence are often lengthy periods of incarceration.

Experienced Lawyer

With over 10 years of experience, you can feel confident that you will receive the best possible legal advice.

Client-Centered Approach

We put our clients first and find solutions that best meet your individual needs and budget.

Sophisticated Advice

We will provide you with detailed advice so that you can make an informed decision on how to proceed.

Superior Results

Regardless of your criminal charge, we will work tirelessly to get you the best possible outcome.

Do Crimnial Defence Lawyers Offer Payment Plans?

Cory Wilson understands that hiring a defence lawyer is expensive and often unexpected. For this reason, he offers his clients a flexible, no-interest payment plan. Each plan is individually tailored to the client’s needs and budget.

The first step in arranging a payment plan is to retain Cory Wilson. The retainer is a down-payment on services and is applied towards the final fee. Once the retainer has been made, you and Cory will discuss a suitable payment plan. Generally, the payment plan is structured so that the entire fee is paid prior to completion of the matter. Often, criminal matters take many months or even years to complete, so there can be great flexibility in payment options.

Payment plans can be arranged through automatic bank transfers, cash, VISA, Mastercard and post-dated cheques.

How Do I Choose a Defence Lawyer?

When charged with a criminal offence, it is highly important that you speak with a criminal defence lawyer right away. Often your first phone call is the most important because it generally means you are in custody and the police want you to give a statement. Once released, many people think that they don’t need a defence lawyer for a variety of reasons such as cost, they believe the charges are no big deal or they can just convince the judge that they are innocent. Unfortunately, the criminal justice system is a complex and difficult path to navigate. Just like you wouldn’t perform your own root canal, you shouldn’t try to defend yourself from criminal charges that can have a lifelong impact on your liberty, employment and ability to travel.

One of the most important considerations in hiring a defence lawyer is their experience representing individuals charged with the same offence as you. Not all criminal defence lawyers are made the same and it is important to ask questions about their knowledge and experience not in criminal law generally, but with respect to your specific charges. Some defence lawyers only practice in certain areas of criminal law, such as impaired driving, but claim to have significant experience in other areas. While they may have been a lawyer for 20 years, they may not have the specific experience you are looking for and need.

When choosing the right defence lawyer, it is imperative that you feel comfortable with the person you are choosing. You have to feel confident placing your life in their hands and knowing that they have your best interests in mind.

One of the biggest red flags in retaining a criminal defence lawyer is if he or she gives you a guarantee. If the lawyer guarantees they will get your charges withdrawn or win at trial, ask them to put it in writing and contingent on you paying them. If they are unwilling to do so, you know the guarantee means nothing. Unfortunately, with very rare exceptions, there are no guarantees in criminal law.

In the end, the right criminal defence lawyer is the one you feel the most comfortable working with and who can solve your problem effectively and efficiently.

What Does it Cost to Hire a Criminal Defence Lawyer?

Determining the cost of defending a case depends on many different factors including, but not limited to, complexity, the volume of disclosure, type of offence, length of the anticipated trial and whether it proceeds to a preliminary inquiry.

Cory Wilson knows that every client is unique and our fee and billing arrangements are structured to reflect that reality. We pride ourselves on being completely transparent so that you can focus on your defence. Our fees are reviewed with you in detail to ensure the highest level of transparency.

Our legal fees are quoted as a flat rate fixed fee. This means you know exactly what your total fee is with no surprises. Too often people complain about lawyers’ hidden fees or last-minute demands for money. With our transparent fee structure, you can be confident that the price you’re quoted is the price you will pay.

Cory Wilson accepts cash, VISA, MasterCard, debit and e-Transfers.

What Should I Prepare for my Meeting with my Lawyer?

You want your first meeting with your defence lawyer to be as productive as possible or you may leave with more questions than answers. One of the most important things you can do is to write out a detailed narrative of everything you can remember of the incident as well as any other related information. With each passing day, your memory will get worse and it could be the little things that make all the difference in your defense. This can be a working document and when you remember more details, they can be added. When writing out the narrative, make sure to make the title “For my lawyer in contemplation of litigation.” This will help protect the statement under solicitor/client privilege should it fall into the wrong hands.

Another important step prior to meeting with your lawyer is to write out all the questions you have. Meeting with a lawyer can be a stressful time and you may forget everything you planned on asking. Your lawyer will much prefer if you are prepared with a number of questions to discuss in person rather than getting ten emails shortly after your meeting. You need to have all of your questions answered so that you can make fully-informed decisions.

If you suffered any injuries during the incident, take as many pictures as you can and provide them to your lawyer when you meet. These can be injuries caused by the complainant, witness or even the police.

Lastly, you need to bring all of the documents you received from the police when you were arrested. It is important to bring these so that no court dates are missed and you can have all of your release conditions explained to you. If you have any other documents that you believe may be of assistance to your defence, it is important to bring those with you to your meeting.

Successful Cases

Proven Defence. Trusted by Clients Across Calgary.

Theft Offences

S.V. was charged with theft under $5,000 after being caught shoplifting several pairs of sunglasses. She was caught red-handed and gave a full confession when confronted. She was a mother of two children and her employment required a clean criminal background.

Cory was able to have S.V. entered into the Alternative Measures Program on her first court appearance. After she successfully completed a small amount of community service, the charges were withdrawn.

Charges Withdrawn

Sexual Offences

B.S. and his younger brother were accused of sexually assaulting their younger sister for approximately 5 years in the 1970’s. The allegations were made in 2015 after the complainant had been estranged from the family for decades. If convicted, B.S. was facing a lengthy jail sentence. B.S. and his brother unequivocally denied the charges and pled not guilty. Cory cross-examined the complainant on her ever-changing versions of events and provable fabrications. At the conclusion of cross-examination, the Crown Prosecutor asked the judge to dismiss all of the charges against B.S. and his brother. This was the best possible outcome for the client.

Charges Withdrawn

Assault Offence

A.G. was accused of assaulting his wife, teenage son, and breaching both a recognizance and Protection Order. The allegations were made during an ongoing matrimonial and custody dispute between A.G. and his estranged wife.

A.G. was set to have three trials over the course of two weeks. Cory Wilson was able to have each charge withdrawn and A.G. did not face trial for any of the alleged offences.

Charges Withdrawn

DUI Offence

After a night at a bar, C.R. was observed entering his vehicle and driving away. When police arrived, C.R. drove into the garage and exited the vehicle. Police requested C.R. exit the garage and was taken to the police vehicle where he failed to provide a breathe sample. The officer chose to detain C.R. in police custody for over 9 hours.

There was no justification for C.R.’s detention and the Crown withdrew both charges.

Charges Withdrawn

GLOWING CLIENT REVIEWS

My experience with Cory Wilson was terrific despite it being under not great circumstances. He was professional, dedicated, compassionate and talked to me in a way that I could understand. It was very clear from our first meeting that Mr. Wilson knew the law and was confident that he could help me. Very quickly after I retained Mr. Wilson, he was able to identify issues with the case against me. As a result of these issues, Mr. Wilson was able to have the charge reduced and secured a conditional discharge.

— T.C.

Mr. Wilson did a terrific job on my DUI case. I blew over the legal limit and was charged and lost my license. I went to trial and Mr. Wilson cross-examined the police officer who arrested me. After he did that, the prosecutor asked the judge to dismiss the charges and I was found not guilty all because of how good Mr. Wilson was.

— G.S.

I have used a different lawyer on a past criminal charge and he was nothing like Cory was. The last lawyer just let my matter drag on and on but Cory actually showed up when he said he would and helped me resolve it within only a couple of weeks. Cory Wilson conducted himself very well in court and the judge agreed with our position instead of the prosecutors.

— A.J.

I was charged with domestic assault after my wife and I were drinking and we got into a fight. Both of us hit each other but the police only charged me, the man. I was told I couldn’t go home and had no way to speak to my kids. Cory was able to quickly get all of my bail conditions removed and then had the charge withdrawn and I got a Peace Bond. I highly recommend Cory Wilson to anybody who needs a criminal lawyer.

— J.T.

GET STARTED NOW

Request A Free Consultation

During your free consultation, we will discuss the allegations, possible outcomes, defences to the charges and legal fees. We will also create a clear path moving forward so you completely understand what to expect.