BOTTOS LAW GROUP - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Member of the Student Legal Services - Board of Directors
• Society - Treasurer / Criminal Trial Lawyers Association

Job Titles:

• Member of the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association

Mr. Corbett is a member of the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association, the Law Society of Alberta, and the Law Society of the Northwest Territories. He travels regularly to the Northwest Territories for Legal Aid and private clients. He is willing to speak with you anytime and is happy to meet free of charge. Austin Corbett acted as amicus curiae (friend of the court) to assist Mr. Mark Marek in his defence of his website www.bestgore.com on a charge of public obscenity, arising from an investigation into the posting of the infamous "1 Lunatic, 1 Icepick" video created by Luka Magnotta. The case involved a number of searches, including of Mr. Marek's laptop. The search was challenged by the defence as being over-broad and unreasonable. Mr. Corbett is an experienced criminal lawyer practicing exclusively for the defence. He is licensed to practice in both Alberta, and the Northwest Territories. Throughout his practice, Mr. Corbett has represented clients charged with a wide variety of Criminal offences, from minor tickets to extremely serious charges including Murder, Fraud, Drug Offences, and Sexual Assault. He has experience with Jury trials, and has represented clients in all levels of court in both Alberta and the NWT.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Student Legal Services - Board of Directors

Dino Bottos is a skilled lawyer who has honed his practice from painstaking and detailed preparation in advance of trial, keen study and understanding of Canadian criminal law and evidence, and excellence in courtroom presentation and advocacy. For over 25 years, Mr. Bottos has distinguished himself in all facets of criminal defence litigation and has successfully defended clients charged with murder, assault, sexual assault, impaired driving related offences, drug offences, robbery, fraud, and other serious crimes. Dino Bottos, Q.C. is a native Edmontonian and has practiced criminal defence law in Alberta since 1993. After practicing law for two years in Vancouver, British Columbia, Mr. Bottos returned to Edmonton in 1993 and practiced with the late Alexander D. Pringle, Q.C. until 2012. Since then, he has opened and built the criminal defence firm, Bottos Law Group. Mr. Bottos is a skilled lawyer who has honed his practice from painstaking and detailed preparation in advance of trial, keen study and understanding of Canadian criminal law and evidence, and excellence in courtroom presentation and advocacy. For over 25 years, Mr. Bottos has distinguished himself in all facets of criminal defence litigation and has successfully defended clients charged with murder, assault, sexual assault, impaired driving related offences, drug offences, robbery, fraud, and other serious crimes. Mr. Bottos holds an interest in both criminal trial and appellate work. He has practiced before all levels of court in Alberta and has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada. He has published articles on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and has an interest in Charter litigation as it applies to criminal law. Mr. Bottos has also been teaching Criminal Law and Procedure at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Law since 2010. In this course, law students learn about the principles and policies that constitute Canadian criminal law and related aspects of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and how these concepts apply to criminal cases in our courts on a day-to-day basis. Mr. Bottos has also appeared as a guest lecturer in criminal law matters for the Legal Education Society of Alberta and has published advisory material for that Society. Mr. Bottos was appointed Queen's Counsel (Q.C.) on March 31, 2020.

Ms. Petrie graduated with a law degree in 1990 from the University of British Columbia. After graduating, Ms. Petrie articled to and was a litigation associate with a leading Vancouver insurance defence firm before returning to her home province of Alberta. After being admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1994, Ms. Petrie worked as a litigation associate with an Edmonton civil law firm in the area of bankruptcy, insolvency and foreclosure before undertaking a legal research and opinion consultancy service working with both civil and criminal lawyers. In 2016, Ms. Petrie joined Bottos Law Group as Associate Counsel where she has been involved in all areas of criminal law, most notably cases involving mental health law, and has appeared at all levels of court as well as before administrative and adjudicative tribunals. Ms. Petrie graduated with a law degree in 1990 from the University of British Columbia. While in law school, she earned a law moot distinction and participated in the Law Students Legal Advice Program providing legal advice to low income individuals. After graduating, Ms. Petrie articled to and was a litigation associate with a Vancouver insurance defence firm before returning to her home province of Alberta. After being admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1994, Ms. Petrie worked as a litigation associate with an Edmonton civil law firm where she practiced in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency and foreclosure, and where she provided pro-bono legal representation to persons appearing before the Court of Queen's Bench seeking discharge from bankruptcy. In 1996, while raising a young family, Ms. Petrie started a legal research and opinion consultancy service where she worked with both civil and criminal lawyers on contracted legal projects. Over the course of her career, Ms. Petrie has been retained to work on large corporate commercial disputes, personal injury settlement negotiations and criminal matters at all court levels, including appeals to the Supreme Court of Canada. In 2016, Ms. Petrie joined Bottos Law Group as Associate Legal Counsel. She is also a Public Member of the Health Disciplines Board of the Government of Alberta, a quasi-judicial body with regulatory and adjudicative jurisdiction to hear appeals of disciplinary and registration decisions made by health committees and associations under the Health Disciplines Act of Alberta.

Matt Ackerman graduated from the University of Alberta Faculty of Law in 2021. Prior to joining Bottos Law Group, Matt completed his articles under the mentorship of prominent defence lawyer Mr. Peter J. Royal K.C.

Will van Engen graduated from the University of Alberta Faculty of Law in 2015 and completed his articles at Bottos Law Group. During law school, Mr. van Engen focused on criminal and constitutional law. He completed a number of advanced courses, including Advanced Evidence, Advanced Criminal Trial Advocacy, and Advanced Criminal Law. In his final year, he represented the University of Alberta at Canada's premiere criminal law appellate moot, the Gale Cup, placing third overall and receiving the Peter Cory Factum Prize for best overall written argument. Will van Engen is an experienced and respected trial lawyer who has represented clients at all levels of court in Alberta and at the Supreme Court of Canada. He has successfully represented clients charged with all manner of offences, including drug trafficking, robbery, sexual assault, murder, and fraud. He has experience conducting both judge alone and jury trials, and understands the importance of strategic decision making along the way. He is a firm believer that hard work and detailed, meticulous preparation are the ingredients of a strong defence. In 2021, Mr. van Engen was honoured by the Criminal Trial Lawyer's Association (CTLA) with the Peter Bruce Gunn Junior Barrister Award for outstanding work by a defence lawyer of 5 years or less experience. Mr. van Engen graduated from the University of Alberta Faculty of Law in 2015 and completed his articles at DePoe & Bottos under the mentorship of seasoned trial lawyer, now Provincial Court Judge, D'Arcy DePoe. After becoming an associate he worked closely with Dino Bottos, K.C., respected trial counsel and leader of Bottos Law Group. During law school, Mr. van Engen focused on criminal and constitutional law. He completed a number of advanced courses, including Advanced Evidence, Advanced Criminal Trial Advocacy, and Advanced Criminal Law. In his final year, he represented the University of Alberta at Canada's premiere criminal law appellate moot, the Gale Cup, placing third overall and receiving the Peter Cory Factum Prize for best overall written argument. Mr. van Engen was also extensively involved with Student Legal Services of Edmonton, a pro-bono legal clinic that provides free representation to low-income Albertans. During the summer after his first year of law school, Mr. van Engen was hired as a caseworker at the Criminal Law Project at Student Legal Services of Edmonton. He represented numerous individuals facing charges, including impaired driving, theft, and assault. In his second year, he was elected Criminal Law Project Coordinator, along with a colleague, and oversaw the representation of hundreds of individuals charged with criminal and regulatory offences in Edmonton and the surrounding area. Prior to attending the Faculty of Law, Mr. van Engen graduated from the prestigious Arts and Science interdisciplinary programme at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Before pursuing a career in law, he worked as a photojournalist and travelled to Afghanistan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Burma, focusing on conflict and human rights issues. Mr. van Engen understands that being charged with a criminal offence can be an overwhelming and stressful experience. If you have been charged with an offence or are currently being investigated, Mr. van Engen would like to meet with you for a free consultation to discuss your matter.