Highland Law

Whatever your legal matter, why not take the high ground?

 

General Counsel , Southern Alberta

Practice Areas

At Highland Law, we provide the following legal services.

Wills and Estate Planning

Regardless of socio-economic background, estate planning is crucial for anyone seeking to protect themselves, their assets, and the loved ones they leave behind. Highland Law is pleased to offer competitive flat fee rates for the three main estate planning documents:


Wills - Wills outline the distribution of assets upon an individual’s death, as well as provide direction for continuing obligations, such as the guardianship of minor children, funeral arrangements, and estate related expenses, among other things.


Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) - EPAs direct who will manage the property and financial affairs of individuals when they become incapacitated or otherwise unable to manage their own affairs. Although typically used in the event of medical incapacitation, EPAs are also a great tool for individuals expecting to be unable to manage their assets for significant periods of time as a result of overseas military deployments, terms of imprisonment, or long-term travel to remote areas. 


Personal Directives - Personal Directives, also known as "living Wills", allows individuals to direct the type of medical care and treatment they wish to receive, or not receive, in the event they are unable to provide that direction themselves due to medical or mental incapacitation.


Flat Fees (*rates exclude GST)

  • Simple Will, Power of Attorney & Personal Directive - Individual $950, Couple (Mirrored) $1,250
  • Will Only - Individual $650, Couple (Mirrored) $950
  • Power of Attorney & Personal Directive - Individual $500, Couple (Mirrored) $750
  • Power of Attorney Only - Individual $350, Couple (Mirrored) $500
  • Personal Directive Only - Individual $250, Couple (Mirrored) $350


Highland Law is also pleased to offer Estate Administration services at regular hourly rates in the event a deceased failed to provide a Will, or an individual finds themselves acting as the Executor of an Estate requiring a Will to be probated. 

Corporate and Commercial

As a small business ourselves, we understand the challenges and risks facing business owners, which is why we rely on our own business experience to assist clients with all manner of corporate and commercial legal services. Highland Law is pleased to offer, among other things:

  • Incorporation of businesses, partnerships, and limited partnerships;
  • Annual Returns and Minute Book maintenance;
  • Guidance on governance matters, including drafting and reviewing director/shareholder resolutions, partnership agreements, business policies, and codes of conduct;
  • Contract review and drafting;
  • Licensing and royalty agreements;
  • Commercial leasing, including lease drafting and review, guidance on lease disputes; and
  • Corporate restructuring and re-organizing.

Employment

Given the significant amount of time most of us spend at the workplace, the smooth operation of any employment relationship is crucial. Whether an employer or an employee, when something goes wrong at work it can affect every aspect of life, which is why it's important to have legal counsel in your corner protecting your rights. That's why Highland Law is here to help!


For Employers - At Highland Law, we prefer helping clients take a proactive approach to avoid costly delays and unnecessary litigation. In that spirit, we offer a variety of services to help clients protect their businesses. Highland Law offers, among other things:

  • Confidentiality, non-solicitation, and non-competition agreements;
  • Assistance settling wrongful/constructive dismissal disputes;
  • Employment agreements; and
  • Guidance on severance packages, mergers, company reorganization, and more.


For Employees - Employment obligations and the rights afforded to employees can be a difficult area to navigate. Particularly as employee rights are derived from human rights legislation, employment standards, and the Common Law (i.e. judge made law). That's why Highland Law is happy to assist clients navigate this complex area of law. We're pleased to assist employees with, among other things:

  • Review and guidance on employment, confidentiality, non-solicitation, and non-competition agreements;
  • Severance entitlement and termination package review; and
  • Wrongful/constructive dismissal claims against employers.

Veteran's Affairs and Military Matters

Whether you're a Canadian Forces veteran or active military, at Highland Law, we understand the unique legal challenges military members face related to their service. 


Sean, the founding lawyer and managing partner of Highland Law, has nearly two decades of military experience, including operational combat experience and Veteran's Affairs Canada (VAC) claims of his own. Accordingly, he is uniquely familiar with the bureaucratic and legal challenges many members face while dealing with the Canadian military and VAC.


As such, Highland Law is pleased to assist members with navigating the military and VAC's challenging legal framework. Whether that be acting as legal counsel for members to advocate for their rights directly, or by acting in a more limited capacity by reviewing documentation and providing guidance to members so they can retain control over their matter and act for themselves, Highland Law is here to help! 

General Counsel, Summary Advice, and Notary Services

Have a legal problem but you're not sure where to start? Do your personal or professional circumstances leave you wishing you could speak with a lawyer for general legal advice? Highland Law is here to help! Although we generally limit our direct services to specific areas of practice, we have a breadth of experience in many areas of law such as Criminal Law, Civil Litigation, Intellectual Property, Aboriginal Law, Constitutional Law, Human Rights Law, COVID-19/Pandemics, Laws of Armed Conflict, and International Law, among others. 


Highland Law is happy to schedule an hour of summary legal advice with you for a flat fee to discuss your legal issue and point you in the right direction; whether that be opening a file with our firm, referring you to a lawyer in another specific area of practice, or helping you navigate other options to obtain the assistance you require. Likewise, Highland Law is happy to be retained to act for you as "general counsel", meaning you provide a modest retainer to have general legal advice one phone call away. 


Highland Law is also happy to assist with notarizing and commissioning documents. However, depending on the nature and type of document, some document review may be required beforehand which is offered at our standard hourly rates.

Select Litigation

At Highland Law, we bring a breadth of courtroom litigation experience with us to the table. That experience includes Criminal, Civil, and Constitutional litigation, experience winning matters at trial, and appearing before various levels of court. While the current focus of our practice at Highland Law is primarily solicitor work outside of the courtroom, we rely on our prior experience in court to provide select litigation services to clients whose matters start as solicitor files. This gives clients the confidence of knowing we stand by our work and are prepared to support our clients in the courtroom should their legal matter escalate into litigation. Likewise, our aim at Highland Law is to take the strategic and moral high ground whenever possible to help clients avoid costly and time-consuming litigation; however, we're not scared of confrontation and are prepared to appear in court to advocate for our clients when required. 


*Please note: Highland Law's Select Litigation services does not include Family Law litigation. However, we are happy to refer you to trusted and experienced lawyers who practice exclusively in that area should it be required.

Security Consulting and Risk Management

In an ever-uncertain world, the need to protect yourself and your business from threats has never been greater. Sean, the founding lawyer and managing partner of Highland Law, combines his unique background and experience together with his legal education to bring clients dynamic strategic and tactical insights with a mind to the law and legal compliance. 


Sean's experience spans various practical and educational backgrounds. This includes: nearly two decades in the Infantry with the Canadian Army where he currently fulfills his obligations as a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (Senior NCO) charged with leading and training platoons of junior soldiers; combat experience in Afghanistan; seven years working as undercover security and a private investigator; obtaining a History Degree which focused primarily on armed conflict, the rise and fall of nations and non-state actors, and the causes of armed conflict; significant research into geo-politics, historical battles, and tactics/strategy, among other things. Accordingly, Sean is able to leverage his significant experience in those areas to identify and flesh out security concerns and risks to you and your business while simultaneously relying on his experience as a lawyer to provide you with practical strategic guidance which focuses on legal compliance. 


So, whatever your security or risk concerns may be, Sean and Highland Law are here to help provide you with strategic and legally compliant solutions to help protect you and your business.

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General Counsel Lawyer

About Highland Law

Highland Law is a dynamic and affordable boutique law firm located in the heart of the Calgary beltline which strives to provide big firm representation while maintaining the personal service and affordable rates generally only available through smaller firms. As a born and bred Alberta firm, we have a passion for serving our clients and our community by providing client focused, cost-effective, practical legal solutions in a manner that suits our client's needs; whatever they may be. We offer a fresh approach to an old profession by leveraging technology and a progressive approach to practicing law to provide clients with modern, efficient, and flexible legal services.


Sun Tzu said in the Art of War that "the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting" and we've taken that and many other strategic lessons to heart to develop the way we practice law. At Highland Law, we understand that the best solution to a legal issue isn't always taking direct legal action. Rather, we've learned that effective practice requires creativity, finesse, and thinking outside the box by exploring all available options to shape and control the situation, while simultaneously setting the conditions for success. With this approach, we understand that clients face challenges that are three dimensional, so we strive to provide solutions that best address our client's holistic needs, rather than treating legal issues as binary problems with single solutions that only address a portion of the whole problem.


Highland Law also understands the unique dynamics driving Albertans and their businesses, including the many challenges they face. We understand the stress individuals can experience when confronted with legal matters and the difficulty they can encounter trying to find effective and affordable counsel; so Highland Law is here to help! 


While the focus of our practice at Highland Law is solicitor work, which generally keeps us out of the courtroom, we are able to rely on our rich courtroom/litigation experience to provide select litigation services to clients whose solicitor files have evolved into litigation matters. At Highland Law, we stand by our work and our clients, which is why we're pleased to offer select litigation services on existing files if required (except Family Law litigation). We believe this provides clients with the confidence of knowing their solicitor matter can be resolved under one roof, regardless of how their matter plays out; while avoiding the costly delays and expenses associated with transferring a file from an exclusively solicitor-based firm to a litigation-focused firm. 


At Highland Law, we also bring a passion for client advocacy together with a sense of integrity to provide clients with honest and genuine assessments of their legal matters. As some matters will inevitably fall outside the scope of our practice experience, lack sufficient merit, or a recognized legal basis to proceed; we'll let you know if we feel we're unable to run your file effectively or that your matter has limited chances of success. In those instances, we'll do our best to direct you to other firms or resources which may help you achieve a resolution.

General Counsel Legal Team

Meet the team

Our Calgary based firm offers a client-focused approach to law which services Calgary, Banff, Canmore, and other Southern Alberta centres. 

Sean Mihalcheon

Sean Mihalcheon

Barrister & Solicitor

As a veteran of Afghanistan with nearly two decades of experience with the Canadian Armed Forces as an Infantry soldier, Sean has a strong devotion to justice and service to his community. Sean brings this same knowledge and devotion with him to his legal career where he takes a progressive approach to passionately advocating his client's interests. Born in Edmonton and raised in Calgary, Sean is familiar with the dynamics which affect all Albertans and is passionate about protecting Albertan's rights. Sean has a rich background in Civil, Criminal, and Constitutional litigation, including acting as defence counsel on a number of high-profile cases related to the COVID-19 pandemic and Coutts Protest of 2022. While continuing to act on several Coutts Protest matters, Sean was able to successfully defend all COVID-19 matters in court for which he appeared, including at trial.* In doing so, Sean was able to protect the rights of his clients, many of whom suffered from medical conditions which required accommodation that was not properly accounted for, or applied, under the various health restriction mandates. While Sean has transitioned away from litigation towards corporate/commercial matters and other solicitor work, he takes that same passion for client advocacy from his litigation days to his current areas of practice to ensure client's interests and rights are protected. Likewise, should a client's solicitor file evolve into a litigation matter, Sean is more than happy to dust off his robes and appear in court to ensure his clients are still able to pursue a resolution for their file under one roof. Sean obtained a History Degree at Mount Royal University in Calgary and a Juris Doctor Law Degree from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Sean is a self-described Scotch and Lego aficionado as well as an avid outdoorsman. When not at the office, Sean enjoys every opportunity he can to get up to the mountains to hike, snowboard, or camp with his family. *Note: Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results and outcomes vary according to the facts of a particular matter.

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Location

638 11 Avenue SW, Suite 200
Calgary, AB T2R 0E2

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