Regulatory Lawyer in Winnipeg | Administrative Lawyer in Winnipeg | Professional Discipline Lawyer in Winnipeg

May 3, 2023

Facing a complaint or disciplinary hearing from your professional regulatory body can be daunting – your career could hang in the balance. Receiving the Letter of Complaint – also known as a 14-Day Letter – is intimidating and, if not addressed appropriately, can lead to the loss of your professional licence. That’s why retaining the service of a leading regulatory lawyer in Winnipeg is critical.

Also referred to as an administrative lawyer and professional discipline lawyer, working with experienced legal counsel upon first receiving the Letter of Complaint can help you achieve the best outcome possible in your particular case – and help you avoid further, potentially more dire consequences.

At Simmonds and Associates, we have extensive experience representing clients before a variety of regulatory bodies. With a combination of dedication, comprehensive legal knowledge, and diligence when preparing your case, we are confident that when you retain us as your counsel, we can achieve the best possible outcome in your particular case.

Get a Regulatory Lawyer in Winnipeg to Help Immediately

Upon receipt of the Letter of Complaint, you often have 14 days to answer. Missing this two-week time frame entails a variety of potential consequences. You can also request an extension, which is what your regulatory lawyer in Winnipeg will do.

During that extended period, our experienced regulatory lawyers in Winnipeg will review the specifics regarding the complaint and request further information from the relevant regulatory body if necessary. That way, we can examine the file and make factual, specific, and relevant responses to the complaint without opening you up to further liabilities in your case.

Too often professionals respond to these complaints in short order, prompted by the 14 day time limit, without consulting a regulatory lawyer in WInnipeg and without realizing that the contents of the response can be used to inform the case against them – or even be used as evidence in a criminal case (if relevant).

Worse yet, professionals in this position have a habit of responding to these complaints based solely on memory without assessing the facts of the file, again providing the regulatory body with potential ammunition for their case.

With a leading professional discipline lawyer in Winnipeg on your side, we take the time to draft a measured and detailed response that only strengthens your case – and do so only after having fully defined the true nature of the complaint.

What’s more, we can leverage the appropriate legal standards in the Canada Evidence Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in order to prevent the response and other evidence from being used in criminal proceedings (when relevant).

You may not be obligated to disclose certain personal facts to the regulatory bodies – even if they’ve asked for it. Counsel will assist in determining when or if it is appropriate to disclose evidence you may possess. Often it is a question of timeliness or an issue as to whether the material should be disclosed or held back for examination or cross-examination.

Having a full understanding of your rights and obligations in these circumstances is vital to developing the best possible defence against the complaints presented against you. Your administrative lawyer will be able to begin building your defence from day one, ensuring that there are no gaps or vulnerabilities in your response to the disciplinary hearing.

When You Should Contact an Administrative Lawyer in Winnipeg

It is critical to contact an administrative lawyer in Winnipeg the moment you receive a Letter of Complaint; the more time we have to assess the details of the case, the more robust your response and proceeding defence will be, and the less opportunity there is to make a simple oversight that could weaken our response to your complaint.

As experienced professional discipline lawyers in Winnipeg, our firm has extensive experience with the process so we are able to walk you through every stage – from the initial response to the Letter of Complaint to representation before a tribunal if necessary to any follow up or appeals processes.

Remember that your regulatory body has legal counsel representing them from the start; it’s highly inadvisable to communicate with them directly as they may leverage the communications to make their case against you.

Having a regulatory lawyer in Winnipeg from Simmonds and Associates on your side from the start can ensure you avoid these potential pitfalls.

Defence Before Regulatory Bodies by a Professional Discipline Lawyer in Winnipeg

At Simmonds and Associates, we have experience providing defence before regulatory bodies, including but not limited to the following professional colleges:

Each professional college has its procedures, regulations, requirements during a disciplinary hearing, etc. Simmonds and Associates is a law firm in Winnipeg that understands each specific college’s demands – and can help you navigate the complexities of the procedures while always striving to make the strongest possible defence for your case.

There’s no substitute for experience. Our firm has spent years appearing before judges, opposing counsel, and the colleges themselves, so we know exactly what it is they are seeking – and how best to answer the specific claims made against you.

Get a Leading Regulatory Lawyer in Winnipeg on Your Side

As a leading administrative law firm in Winnipeg, we have years of experience handling complaints from a variety of regulatory bodies. In every one of our cases, we bring to bear our comprehensive legal knowledge, dedication to our clients, and unwavering diligence when preparing a response to the complaint against you and representing you before a tribunal.

Book a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced professional discipline lawyer in Winnipeg so we can better assess your case and determine a path forward.