When a survivor decides to proceed with a lawsuit for the sexual assault & abuse which they have suffered, choosing the right lawyer is an important step. Presently finding that right lawyer is harder than ever. Because of the decline of motor vehicle lawsuits in Ontario many law firms which are inexperienced in the area of sexual abuse law have decided that they will give it a try. In order to do so they have engaged in massive advertising, swamping social media and representing themselves as victims’ advocates. In reality many of them have only a few years or less in this area of law. While they are trying their best to learn, your case is not a classroom. What you need is experienced counsel who has represented the interests of victims for decades. Those lawyers are at Beckett Personal Injury Lawyers. Let me tell you why.
Beckett Lawyers has represented victims through most of the 21st century which means decades of experience. Their first precedent setting trial for survivors goes back to 2003 with the decision of J.R.S. v. Glendenning – https://canlii.ca/t/1w7w1 . Since then, they have handled hundreds of sexual abuse cases. While they did start their efforts in Ontario, they now handle matters all across Canada (Quebec excluded) with lawyers at the firm licenced in other provinces. Lawyer Robert Talach for example who is a Partner and the department lead is Called to the Bar as a lawyer in Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick and Nunavut. He is literally a victim’s advocate from sea to sea to sea.
In addition to civil lawsuit experience the team at Beckett has also represented survivors in other legal forums. Most notably Beckett was designated by the Province of Ontario as the lawyers for the Victims’ Group at the Ontario Public Inquiry held in Cornwall Ontario from 2005 to 2009. This inquiry was “to inquire into and report on the events surrounding allegations of abuse of young people” in Cornwall, Ontario by local police, Crown attorneys, probation officers, Roman Catholic clergy, and other adults in positions of trust. Since that Inquiry, Beckett lawyers have been active in other advocacy efforts with governments and agencies in various provinces in an effort to improve the law as it applies to survivors. They have also changed the law through precedent setting legal decisions like the outcome in MacLeod v. Marshall which set records with respect to compensation – https://canlii.ca/t/j31bt
Beckett is also more than a law firm for their clients; they provide a comprehensive approach to their representation. Beckett clients who have no access to counselling can receive firm funded counselling services which is essential for those going through litigation. Additionally, they routinely assist with employment issues, disability benefits and other related administration and legal matters which survivors encounter. They understand that the legal representation can extend into several areas of a client’s life and they do their best to assist in dealing with all the problems which ultimately arise from the sexual assault.
At the end of the day Beckett is a longstanding experienced firm with national reach and a comprehensive approach to representation. Beckett is deeply committed to the cause of eradicating sexual violence and serving clients and survivors to the utmost of their abilities.
