Call an IRP lawyer
Drivers often fail to understand how important it is to call an IRP lawyer right away if you’ve been issued a Immediate Roadside Prohibition. Any type of driving prohibition may be devastating, but an Immediate Roadside Prohibition, usually called an IRP, has consequences that go far beyond the simple fact of the prohibition.
IRPs are exclusively issued under BC law. What happened was that the BC Government was disappointed by the fact that so many people were acquitted of drunk driving under the federal Criminal Code laws. The BC Government wrote their own version of a DUI law to try to punish more people and make it easier for the police to conduct DUI investigations.
The BC law is unique in that the punishment is all based on roadside breathalyzer tests. The assumption made by the Government was that the test results would be black and white. The readings on the roadside breathalyzers are Fail, Warn or under the legal limit. So it seemed easy for the Government to punish people on that basis.
The IRP laws were not well thought out, however. The first version of the law was struck down by the courts for people who blew Fail. Every few months it seems that there is another court decision going against the BC Government. The second version of the IRP law has been challenged in court and a decision could come at any moment.
The good thing about IRPs is that they’re not expensive to defend. In most cases, an IRP lawyer can deal with the case from beginning to end over the phone and via email.
If you have an IRP, it’s important to contact an IRP lawyer because the court decisions are continuing to develop to address the deficiencies in the law. The Government assumed that the cases would be black and white, and that it would be easy to uphold the IRPs that were challenged. One thing that they didn’t count on was the complexity of the legal arguments advanced by IRP lawyers.
What does it cost for an IRP lawyer to handle the case?
The good thing about IRPs is that they’re not expensive to defend. In most cases, an IRP lawyer can deal with the case from beginning to end over the phone and via email. As well, the work is done quickly and each IRP lawyer who deals with many IRPs will be very efficient at putting together everything for the prohibition appeal. Each case is different and the costs associated with it will vary somewhat. Usually, however, your IRP lawyer can tell you fairly quickly over the phone what it will cost to handle your case. If you’re successful on the IRP review appeal, the legal fees will usually be much less than the cost of the IRP itself.
The most important thing is to call an IRP lawyer right away. Because most cases are dealt with over the phone and with email, our IRP lawyers deal with cases from all around BC.
We’ve regularly defended IRPs issued in Victoria, Saanich, Duncan, Nanaimo, Courtnay, Comox, Port Alberni, Parksville, Ladysmith, Chemainus and Campbell River. We’ve had driving prohibitions lifted for clients in Masset, Rupert, Kitimat, Smithers, Terrace and Prince George. Up in the Peace we’ve succeeded for clients from Fort St. John and Dawson Creek.
If you’re in Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon , Nelson, Castlegar, Revelstoke, Salmon Arm or Cranbrook, simply give us a call.
What is the cost of an IRP?
Today a fellow called who received an IRP over a year ago. Sadly, he missed the 7-days to appeal. He told us that he lost his job due to the IRP. Not including his lost wages, he calculated the cost of the IRP as being in excess of $10,000. Worse still is that it remains on his driving record and as result his ability to earn a living is greatly compromised.
What’s it like to call an IRP lawyer?
Calling an IRP lawyer is easy. All of the IRP lawyers in our office are regular people just like you. Our job is to help people who have been given an IRP. Properly defending an IRP can be a particularly complex task, however we do it every day so we can usually give you straightforward answers to most of your questions and concerns right away over the phone.
The BC Government was surprised and unprepared for the complex legal arguments mounted by IRP lawyers over the last several years. The law is developing by the day. If you have been issued an Immediate Roadside Prohibition, you should call an IRP lawyer right away. Our lawyers are available to take your call and help you with your case no matter where you live in BC.