Practice Areas

Since beginning her legal career, Céline Dostaler has practiced exclusively as a criminal defence lawyer in practice areas that include:

Impaired and “over .80”
Drinking and driving is a criminal offence identified when a person exhibits reckless behaviour while driving, or when they fail a breathalyzer test administered by a police officer. A person is “over .80” when their blood alcohol concentration is more than 80 milligrams of alcohol for every 100 milliliters of blood. An arrest can be made for impaired driving, dangerous driving, driving over .80, or refusing to provide breath sample.

Sexual Assault
Sexual assault is the intentional physical touching of another person who has not consented. Threatening actions that do not result in physical contact may also constitute a sexual assault.

Assault
Assault is a criminal offence in which a person applies force or threatens to apply force on another person without that other person’s consent. The degree of the crime depends on a number of factors, such as whether a weapon or imitation weapon was used for the assault, if it was an aggravated assault, a sexual assault, or aggravated sexual assault, or assault of a police officer.

Domestic Assault
Domestic assault relates to harming or intending to harm a family, household member, or partner, as well as forcible confinement, uttering threats, and mischief to property. While waiting for trial, a person accused with domestic assault must not be in contact with their family or partner, until the court agrees to change that condition.

Drug Offences
Drug offences can include the production, possession, or trafficking of drugs and controlled substances like narcotics. A person may be charged with the production of a prohibited or controlled substance, drug possession, drug trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking, or trafficking as part of a “criminal organization”.

White Collar Crime
White collar crimes include false pretences, counterfeit money, falsification of books and records, real estate fraud, forgery, theft under power of attorney, securities fraud, and money laundering.

Obstruct Police
Obstruction is a verbal or physical act that interferes with a police officer’s job. This includes resisting arrest using physical force or by trying to elude the police.

Search and seizure
Search and seizure is a procedure that can be used by law enforcement to produce evidence for the prosecution of alleged criminals. Searches must be authorized before they are performed.

Weapons Possession
Under Canadian law, a weapon is any object designed or intended for use in causing injury or death to another person, or for the purposes of intimidating or threatening a person.

Homicide
Homicide is a serious criminal offence that involves taking another person’s life, either through indirect or direct actions. It is a broad term used to describe several different types of homicide.

Fraud
Fraud is a criminal offence that is committed when a person takes advantage of another person or persons, defrauding them of money or valuable security, property, or service, by means of intentional deception for one’s personal gain.

Theft and Shoplifting
Theft is a criminal act in which property belonging to someone is taken without that person’s consent. This includes shoplifting (retail theft), possession of stolen property, breaches of trust, workplace-related theft, price switching, and gaming offences.

Mischief
Mischief covers all types of damage made to another person’s property. It is committed when a person intentionally damages or destroys property with no intent to steal it, or when they render it dangerous, useless, inoperative, or ineffective.

Young Offender
A young offender is a child between the ages of 12-17 who has committed a crime.

Bail Hearings and Reviews
Following an arrest, the accused is brought into police custody. Shortly after, a bail hearing is held to decide if the accused will remain in custody while waiting for the trial, or be released on bail and be trusted to make any and all required court appearances up to and including a trial.