patty's Case — Possession firearms — Testimonial

I am an American citizen and had never been arrested in Canada. My experience in the system was very confusing. For many days, I was moved to and from holding locations and taken into Court without being told what I was charged with or what was going to happen. I applied for Legal Aid (a free lawyer) but didn’t know if I would qualify. Someone else awaiting trial gave me the phone number for a lawyer. He agreed to represent me but didn’t even show up for a preliminary appearance in Court. My mother found Mr. Penney and hired him on my behalf. I found that he was very, very nice during the entire process, and willing to explain my options very patiently. Canada was charging me with many offenses for illegal possession of weapons and handguns. Mr. Penney was confident, poised, and articulate in Court. If you are new to the criminal justice system, you may come into things thinking that you can explain what happened and things will go well. My experience was that your lawyer and the Court are at a sort of battle of skills and knowledge. Over a period of weeks and several Court appearances, Mr. Penney negotiated my release by having all charges withdrawn, and I was sent back to the United States from which I had fled. I was facing serious charges and I think in the hands of a less qualified, experienced and intelligent lawyer I might have ended up in a high-security mental institution. Mr. Penney prepared for my case by doing a lot of research on mental health cases and argued using this information very persuasively in the Courts. Mr. Penney was also very, very kind and reassuring during a very difficult time when I was often miserable, scared, and not patient at all.

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