Calgary DUI Lawyers
Driving While Impaired Defence
Impaired Driving Charges Have an Immediate Impact: On-the-spot licence suspensions or vehicle seizures related to impaired driving charges or driving over the legal limit immediately affect your legal ability to drive and therefore immediately disrupt your life. Getting an experienced lawyer on your side right away is your best option to reduce the impact of impaired driving related charges. Find an experienced DUI lawyer with a call today to Bourdon Defence.
A DUI (Driving under the Influence) charge is a commonly used American expression for an impaired driving charge or a charge of driving with a blood alcohol level that exceeds the legal limit. Other charges that relate to impaired driving may include care and control of a motor vehicle while impaired or failing to provide a breath sample. If you were involved in an accident while driving impaired, charges could include impaired driving causing bodily harm or impaired driving causing death.
Toughening Approaches: Recently Alberta got tougher on impaired driving. Blood alcohol levels of over 0.08 (or “over 80”) will result in criminal charges. Blood alcohol levels over 0.05 (0.04 in some provinces) can result in immediate licence suspensions and vehicle seizures. Impairment is not restricted to alcohol use. Use of drugs whether illegal, prescription or over-the-counter can lead to impaired driving charges. If drugs or alcohol hampers your judgment and ability to accurately perceive and react to what’s happening around you in a timely and appropriate way, you can be charged with impaired driving. A DUI lawyer will be able to thoroughly explain the consequences associated with each charge.
Get the Help You Deserve and Need: Knowing if you have a defence to a DUI or other related impaired driving charge starts with a call to Bourdon Defence. Your DUI lawyer will help you every step of the way and is always on your side. We work hard to reduce the disruptive effects of the charges on your everyday life. We take the time to get your side of the story, understand your objectives and goals, contact the Crown prosecutor, scrutinize all the evidence and police processes, and help you understand the law and your options. Drawing upon our experience, past successes, and detailed knowledge of the law and judicial processes in Alberta, we work with you in providing advice to make decisions about how best to proceed. Anyone charged with a criminal offence has the right to understand fully the options for a defence under the law. Having an experienced legal team behind you is the only way to ensure you have all the legal protections you deserve.
Don’t Delay: Delay works against you, as does saying too much if you are stopped on a DUI charge. Contacting a DUI lawyer as soon as you can ensures that you don’t make mistakes that can cost you a good defence later. The consequences of a DUI charge, or related impaired driving charge, make it worthwhile to get professional, defence-targeted help. Don’t rely on what you think you know about the law, or what your friends tell you, get the best advice you can and get it right away. Professional legal advice from experienced lawyers with a track record of success can tip the balance in your favour. If stopped for a DUI, call Bourdon Defence immediately – don’t delay.
Danusia Bourdon
Danusia believes that every client deserves her time, attention, and dedicated service. Danusia founded Bourdon Defence to find like-minded lawyers who would work alongside her, defending the rights of those charged with all types of criminal offences. Danusia understands that when you are charged with a criminal offence, it is just you and your lawyer against the State. The State are the police and Crown Prosecutors—they have infinite resources at their disposal to prosecute you. All you have is your lawyer. If you choose your lawyer wisely, your lawyer is all you need.
Danusia will defend you against any charge you face, such as serious violent offences, homicide, domestic assault, sexual assault, drug offences, internet crime/pornography, impaired driving, dangerous driving, weapons offences, theft, youth charges, etc., and through every step of the process, from your bail hearing, to your first court appearance, through to the completion of your trial. Danusia will also defend you wherever you are charged; Danusia has defended clients in cities and towns across Alberta, as well as in B.C., Saskatchewan and Manitoba. At no point will you feel alone as you face the court and the criminal justice system.
Danusia began her career as a Crown Prosecutor in Calgary, Alberta. Thus, Danusia has the advantage of understanding the criminal justice system from both sides, as a Prosecutor and as a defence lawyer. Danusia has dedicated most of her career to being a defence lawyer and is proud to defend clients in all levels of court (Provincial Court, Court of Queen’s Bench, Court of Appeal).
Danusia completed her undergraduate degree at McGill University and then obtained her law degree at the University of Calgary. She is a proud member of the Law Society of Alberta.
Ooldouz Sotoudehnia
Ooldouz is an associate with Bourdon Defence. She practices exclusively in criminal law. She helps her clients at all stages of the court process, such as bail, court appearances, preliminary inquiries, trials, and sentencing. She can also assist those in need of help dealing with the police prior to having been formally charged.
She obtained her law degree from the University of Ottawa and her Master of Laws at the University of Calgary. She completed her articles at a very busy criminal practice in Calgary where she had the privilege of working with senior and experienced members of the legal community. Ooldouz is passionate in representing her clients to the fullest extent and securing the best possible outcome possible for them. Among her many skills, Ooldouz is an excellent and tenacious negotiator. She has worked on hundreds of cases. Fluent in both official languages, she can represent her clients in court in both English and French. She can also assist clients who speak Spanish and Farsi.
Ooldouz prides herself on helping clients through some of their greatest challenges and hardest times. Contact Ooldouz today for a free consultation to discuss how she can help you.
James Hawkins
James is a passionate advocate who practices criminal law in order to protect the individual liberties of all Canadians. He prides himself on being attentive to his clients’ needs as he helps them navigate the criminal justice system and understand each step of the process.
James received his law degree from Queen’s University in 2010. As well, he studied International Criminal Law at Queen’s International Study Centre, Herstmonceux Castle, U.K., receiving an academic certificate in Public International Law. James started his criminal defence career in his second year of law school as a member of the Correctional Law Project, defending inmates in federal penitentiaries and conducting hearings before the Parole Board of Canada.
Following law school, James completed his articles and worked as an associate in Toronto with one of the most renowned criminal lawyers in Canada. He has worked on cases at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. His defence experience includes murder, serious violent offences, sexual offences, criminal organization offences, large frauds, firearms possession, drug trafficking and possession, drinking and driving, and regulatory offences for corporations.
In 2015, James returned to his home province of Alberta to live and practice law. In April 2017, he was delighted to begin practicing in association with Bourdon Defence.
He is a member of both the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Law Society of Alberta.