Modern police services operate in a constantly evolving social, political, and legal environment and face evolving legal needs and challenges as a result. The law governing police services and individual officers is unique and grants citizens a variety of opportunities to raise concerns about officer conduct, or concerns about police policy and service delivery. The working environment of a police service is also unique in terms of the human resources-related issues that arise. Field Law has represented major municipal police services in all aspects of their legal needs.
The lawyers in our group constantly monitor new developments in policing and police law so that we can provide advice that anticipates and avoids legal problems. Field Law’s services include:
- Representing chiefs of police in Law Enforcement Review Board proceedings
- Acting as Presenting Officers at police disciplinary hearings
- Addressing civil claims efficiently, and bringing an integrated approach to multiple overlapping proceedings
- Defending civil claims brought against police services or its members
- Representing police services in their capacity as employer addressing labour and employment matters such as grievances, human rights complaints, developing organizational policy and strategy, and generally managing their workforce
- Court applications for third-party records held by police services
- Privacy disputes, including acting on behalf of a police service in inquiries and related judicial review applications
- Representing police services at fatality inquiries
- Preparing and reviewing internal policies and procedures
- Providing general advice to Professional Standards Branches on regulatory, policy and investigation issues
Police services’ legal issues can arise very suddenly and require immediate action. Our Labour + Employment Group includes team members with specialized experience in these areas focused on police services, and we have extensive experience in helping to successfully manage their issues in a timely and efficient manner. We work hard to ensure that the organization’s interests are well served and protected in all cases.