Sylvan Lake Law Office - Sylvan Lake, Alberta

Madison B.

Highly recommend Sylvan Lake Law! I feel like the lawyers and staff here went above and beyond to make sure that I got the resolution I needed. They kept me informed about the process and made sure I knew everything going on as well as exactly what I should be doing. In court, I don't think there is anyone I would rather have represent me than Sylvan Lake Law Office. They fight for their clients and make sure they get results. There is a reason they come so highly recommended! 5/5 stars any day of the week

Rebecca A.

I originally had a consult booked with Shelly, which would have been my preference, though I could not see her prior to my court date which felt risky. It was suggested that I meet with James instead to take on my case being that he could meet with me prior to the court date & was able to attend said date as well. I met with him for my consult, I brought over 100 pages of printed evidence to support my affidavit response; he had made comments about how he would have to fish to get evidence from other clients & that he appreciated that I came prepared. I wanted to be efficient & thorough, making it easier on both of us. My consult costed $420.

Following my consult, I paid my $5000 retainer on a Monday, court date was the following Friday. Immediately following said court date, 4 days after I paid my $5000 retainer on top of paying $420 for the consult, I received a statement of account via email stating that my ENTIRE retainer was used in those 4 days in addition to a $911.50 bill on top of it. Prior to the following court date I called & paid the additional bill, they wanted another $3000 retainer to move forward. I explained that with being pregnant, preparing for baby, & with the holidays bring right around the corner, the additional retainer wasn’t feasible for me unless I took out a loan, which obviously wasn’t preferable unless I absolutely had to. I stated that I believe proper representation is important & that I would appreciate if he would come to the court date to represent me & send me the bill afterwards; I explained that I understood that they’ve had problems with people in the past & that they don’t normally do this. The secretary/office assistant said she would speak with James about it & get back to me; I never heard back. I was anxious not knowing what to expect, if I was showing up with it without representation, though when I appeared for the court date, he was present to represent me. Following the court docket, we had a brief meeting to discuss what avenue we would like to take moving forward. That was on October 18th, October 21st I received my statement of account for $1680; the statement states “kindly remit payment at your earliest opportunity”. From that statement on the 21st of October to the 1st of November I had heard nothing from my council, until I received a notice of withdrawal of lawyer on November 1st. There was ZERO communication prior, it was less than 2 weeks from the time of received my bill for the previous date. On the notice of withdrawal it states that they would “follow up shortly with a reporting letter and your final Statement of Account”. Apparently “shortly” is over a month later. I received NO communication or explanation as to why my lawyer withdrew, not prior to it happening, & not for a month following. Today I finally received to reporting letter & final statement of account, which states that he withdrew as my lawyer as he “did not receive payment of (my) bill prior to (my) last court date of November 15th”, when he withdrew on NOVEMBER 1st, again, less than two weeks following the previous court date, with no communication.

James represented me 2 times in court, charging me over $8000 total.

There’s a previous review that I ignored that states James doesn’t really care about his clients & is only in it for the money, based on my recent experience, I do believe this to be true.

All & all, a very poor experience, in a vulnerable time in my life, leaving me to self represent. This reflects badly on the office, which is unfortunate knowing that they’re a small local office & I had heard great things about the owner.

Stuart B.

Avoid this law firm at all costs James A Jerrard is practically useless
7 months and more than $25000.00 my daughter is left representing herself in court
He went to court twice but never spoke one word , other than to phone looking for more money
This firm does not deserve even one star

Jake F.

James Jerrard only cares about making the case drag out longer then it needs to so he can keep collecting more money. Doesn't care about his clients.. (the ppl he is suppose to be working for). Very unprofessional and degrading lawyer.. will not recommend to anyone.

Jessalynn M.

Shelly is an excellent family lawyer. She was very helpful and informative, and helped me immensely with my custody case. I will continue to use her for the remaining of my divorce and could not recommend her enough!

Teresa M.

Shelly is a great family lawyer that gets results. She was able to settle my complicated divorce. She is honest and keeps you informed every step of the way. I highly recommend Shelly and her team.

Brad F.

Shelly and her team at Sylvan Lake Law were incredible. She worked extremely hard, kept me informed, explained the process and most importantly got results. Couldn't be more thankful for her work and abilities.

Tamara L.

Shelly is professional and very effective when dealing with difficult situations. The ladies in the office are friendly and considerate to your matters.