We have noticed recently that employment lawyers and immigration lawyers, often come across cases where a business or employee is faced with a lawsuit and their first reaction is "But I followed my immigration consultant's or hr consultant's advice!" When asked why they chose to use the services of a consultant rather than a lawyer, they often indicate that the main reason was that a consultant would be cheaper than a lawyer. Often, this is an untrue assumption; some consultants will charge their clients $50,000 for a single immigration matter or over $80,000 for providing employment contracts and templates (which may or may not in fact even be enforceable).

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Of course, there are many very cost-effective (and competent) consultants out there. However, there are also many cases where a consultant is in fact more expensive and less reliable/effective than a lawyer. This is due in part to the fact that as lawyers, we are governed by our provincial law society and owe a duty of loyalty and honesty to our clients. We are also obligated to address any conflicts of interest and cannot, for example, give conflicting advice to both sides.

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My suggestion would be to at least consider speaking to a lawyer before engaging a consultant. A good lawyer will be able to give you a realistic estimate of their fees (at least, to the extent possible) and outline the process/steps that are needed during the course of an initial consultation.

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