Lawyers are not always well-liked. Over the years we took a lot of hits by MADD, various police officers and others who view us as the lawyers who put drunk drivers back on the road. Sometimes it gets us down. When we succeed, our clients quietly move on and get on with their lives. Sometimes when we don’t succeed, a small number of people get the real hate on for us.
We stick our necks out in our area of the law. Curious about how we were viewed, particularly how we were viewed relative to other law firms that also practise impaired driving defence, we decided to hire a company that conducts research to look into how we are viewed.
For a long time, we had the documents to prove we have the best track record in Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP) appeals than any of our competitors in BC, but then RoadSafetyBC, in all its wisdom, decided to stop releasing the information. We don’t know why it did this. Maybe we were winning too much, but there you go.
We knew our win rate was exceptional and although we also knew our clients were pleased with our service, we never had the numbers to back it up. Now, thanks to a survey of adults in BC commissioned by Brazen Bull Creative Marketing, we can reveal what the public really thinks of us.
Based on what they had seen, read, heard or experienced, they were asked which of nine leading BC law firms working in our practice area:
- Has skilled lawyers
- Is the most approachable
- Is the most trustworthy
- Is the most effective
- Inspires confidence
It wasn’t even close. Acumen ranged between 32 percent and 37 percent on all attributes tested – almost double our nearest competitors. The closest came to 16 percent on one attribute.
Has skilled lawyers
Our lawyers have a track record of success and take cases before every level of court and administrative tribunal including RoadSafetyBC, BC Provincial Court, BC Supreme Court, the BC Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Kyla Lee has lost count of the number of IRP wins they have had for clients across BC.
More than a third – 37 percent – of the people who took part in the survey regarded Acumen as having skilled lawyers. By contrast, the firm that came in second place received just over 12 percent of the votes. A breakdown of the figures by geographic area shows more than 40 percent of respondents living on Vancouver Island thought Acumen has skilled lawyers.
The most approachable
In addition to the having skilled lawyers, we treat our clients the way we like to be treated. We explain our process, our fees and we give straightforward answers. Our clients are good people who usually have only one incident with the police in their lifetime. We provide a free initial consultation in all criminal cases, an assessment of the prospective case and we explain the options to our clients all free of charge.
Our other practice areas include ICBC claims, negligence law, administrative law, employment law, and immigration.
The statistics show 34.6 percent of those who answered the survey think Acumen is the most approachable of the law firms included in the survey.
The most trustworthy
Hiring a law firm to represent you at court is a task that should not be taken lightly. But how do you know which one to trust? A good place to start is to ask what other people think about them.
If trust is an important consideration for you when you are looking for a lawyer, then the results of this survey show Acumen should be your first choice. We received 32.4 percent of the overall vote – a landslide.
The most effective
We defend a lot of IRPs and DUIs and we believe we are the best at what we do.
In August 2015, we succeeded in more than ten times as many IRP appeal hearings as the next most successful law office. RoadSafetyBC no longer releases IRP figures but it’s hard to imagine this dominance being overcome in a relatively short space of time.
If you want to know the key to our success, it’s simple: smart lawyers, hard work and a vast collection of internal documents. We succeed because we have lawyers in our office devoted almost exclusively to IRP work.
Members of the public also found us to be effective. More than 36 percent of the respondents to the survey said Acumen was the most effective. We were particularly well-regarded outside of the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, with nearly half of the respondents living in the rest of BC voting for Acumen.
Part of the reason for our popularity across BC may be that we accept cases across the province, usually for the same fee you would pay if you lived beside our office.
Inspires confidence
At Acumen Law, you know you are in good hands. Our proven track record, lawyers who are working at the top of their fields and excellent reputation means you can be confident we will do our best for you.
The survey revealed 33.5 percent of those who took part in the survey found Acumen to be the number one law firm in the province for inspiring confidence.
Rest assured: hire a well-regarded law firm in BC
So there you have it. If you are looking for skilled lawyers, working for the most approachable, trustworthy and effective law firm that inspires the most confidence in BC, there is one clear choice: Acumen Law. We are extremely proud of our reputation and this survey is testament to that.
Wherever you are or whatever your legal issue, it is important you find the best help there is to protect you. Don’t take our word for it. The results of the public survey are in and they show us to be the first choice of BC residents out of a pool of reputable law firms.
We make it our mission to hold the police to account, protect individuals from state intrusion into their lives and to ensure the justice system is fair and balanced. This survey shows we must be doing something right.
Call us today on 604-685-8889 for a free consultation.
Survey carried out by Research Co. Results are based on an online study conducted from May 25 to May 27, 2018, among 800 adults in British Columbia. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty. The results of the survey are easily verifiable and if you would like a copy, get in touch.