Remote Video Independent Legal Advice (ILA) Services
Your Alberta lawyer to advise and provide Independent Legal Advice (ILA).
Schedule an appointment with our law firm at 403-400-4092 or Chris@NeufeldLegal.com
We recognize that for many Albertans outside of a larger city (and even those in Calgary or Edmonton) travelling to a lawyer's office to to attain independent legal advice (ILA) and the completion of an ILA Certificate, can represent the loss of half-a-day or more (together with scheduling difficulties), which is a loss of time that most people would prefer to avoid (especially when compounded by time taken off of work and travel-related expenses). Instead, consider taking advantage of our remote video legal services and schedule an appointment, from your home or office, utilizing a two-way video call from your computer or smart phone, to receive the required independent legal advice and attain the requisite ILA Certificate (provided the recipient of the ILA Certificate will accept a remotely completed ILA).
Given the demands of Albertans, our law firm provides a secure, fully compliant, remote video Independent Legal Advice service (including the issuance of the requisite ILA Certificate) via two-way video conferencing for transactions across Alberta. By optimizing efficiency and accessibility, we eliminate geographical constraints, and ensure that you can receive crucial, unbiased legal counsel regardless of your location. This remote service maintains the highest ethical and professional standards required by the Law Society of Alberta (LSA), giving you confidence in the validity and enforceability of the resulting documentation (although it invariably involves more formalities, documentation and client verification).
The foundation of our remote video ILA service rests on strict adherence to the LSA’s rules and guidelines for virtual practice, including those governing client identification and the remote commissioning of documents. We operate under the permanent amendments and ongoing guidance that permit Alberta lawyers to witness signatures and administer oaths remotely. Crucially, this means our ILA Certificate is not a "temporary" measure but a recognized form of execution.
To guarantee the integrity and independence of the advice, our protocol begins with comprehensive due diligence: attaining your explicit written consent for the remote video process and verifying your identity using approved methods. During the video conference session, we look to ascertain the absence of undue influence, verify that you are alone and acting voluntarily. We also systematically review the transaction documents (e.g., mortgage, separation agreement, etc.) page-by-page with yourself, ensuring that you understand the nature and effect of the document, the risks you are assuming, and any underlying rights you may be waiving.
Once this independent legal advice process is completed, we proceed to issue an ILA Certificate, an authenticated document confirming that you have received competent, independent, and comprehensive advice. Where applicable, following the video session, you may be asked to provide the "wet ink" signed documents via secure courier, such that we might compare them against the pages reviewed on-screen to prevent substitution or alteration. This disciplined approach ensures that the Affidavit of Execution or Affidavit of Witnessing, which accompanies the ILA Certificate, accurately reflects the circumstances of the remote signing, making the certificate robust and acceptable to all major lending institutions and legal registries in Alberta.
Our accessibility to provide independent legal advice by permissible video sessions is especially valuable for clients in rural or remote communities, those with mobility challenges, or professionals with tight schedules. We minimize travel time and cost while maximizing security and compliance, providing you with a fast, reliable, and legally sound path to completing the ILA requirements for closing the particular transaction. To schedule an appointment with our law firm, contact us via email at Chris@NeufeldLegal.com or by telephone at 403-400-4092.
Important Note for Anyone receiving Independent Legal Advice: For anyone being asked to receive Independent Legal Advice (ILA), it is crucial to understand the significant financial responsibility and risks involved. If there wasn't serious risk, ILA would not be sought, especially where it is required by statute, such that the government considers the financial exposure sufficiently serious, that the government has legislated in those instances the attainment of ILA [about our law firm providing ILA and controlling cost].
