Mike Beckett
Mike Beckett is a criminal defence and trial lawyer practicing out of British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. He defends individuals from all walks of life who are facing a wide variety of criminal and quasi-criminal charges. Mike has also advised entrepreneurs in the medicinal marijuana and online gambling industries to help them ensure that their business practices comply with the law. Mike has experience before all levels of court in British Columbia, including Provincial Court, the Supreme Court, and the Court of Appeal.
Though he practices primarily out of British Columbia, Mike has also represented individuals facing criminal charges in Provincial Court and the Court of Queen’s Bench in Alberta and Saskatchewan. In addition, Mike has advocated before administrative tribunals, including the Mental Health Review Board of British Columbia, where he has obtained favourable outcomes for individuals found Not Criminally Responsible on account of Mental Disorder. Mike has even assisted clients outside of Canada by liaising with counsel in Washington, Arizona, Nevada, and California.
Mike obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia’s Peter A. Allard School of Law, where he focused his studies on criminal law and trial advocacy. He began representing defendants in criminal proceedings in his first month of law school and continued to do so throughout his studies and articles. During law school he was the President of the UBC Criminal Law Club, a clinic head for the Law Students’ Legal Advice Program, a graduate of the UBC Criminal Law Clinic, and a summer student for one of Vancouver’s largest criminal defence firms, where he returned to complete his articles after graduating from law school.
Mike continually works to develop his legal knowledge and skills, and he is committed to building strong professional relationships with others involved in Canada’s criminal justice system. He is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia, the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia, the Criminal Defence Advocacy Society (C-DAS), the Surrey Bar Association, and the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association.
A Judge recently made the following comments about Mr. Beckett in a court ruling in late 2020 ... "It is clear to me that counsel have given this matter a great deal of consideration, as has [client name]. I am not going to repeat the content of the excellent oral submissions made this morning, or Mr. Beckett’s extensive and helpful written sentencing brief delivered earlier, most or perhaps all of which the Crown takes no issue with."