Cara Lebenzon

First Year of Call

Areas of Practice
Criminal Law

Description
I am a criminal defence lawyer at Strategic Criminal Defence, a full-service criminal defence law office, with central offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Victoria, Saskatchewan, and Toronto.

My practice is based in Lethbridge.

Being criminally charged is one of the worst crises someone can experience, and accused persons may feel helpless and alone in trying to navigate the complexities of the Criminal Justice System. Because of this, I assist all of my clients with a compassion-forward approach, while fiercely protecting their rights and interests against the power of the state.

Credentials & Associations
I completed my Articles and have practiced law in Lethbridge and the Southern Alberta region for 4 years, dealing with a diversity of cases involving property crime, fraud, domestic violence, manslaughter, sex assault, child pornography, impaired driving, drug and weapons offences and more.

I’ve developed a keen interest in helping people navigate the nexus between mental health, addiction and criminal justice both in Court and at the Review Board stage. I have a particular interest in assisting young people, who are exceptionally vulnerable, in navigating their charges in accordance with the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA). Being located next to the largest Indigenous Community in Canada, I’ve been fortunate to connect with members of the Kainai and Piikani First Nations to gain a better understanding of restorative justice, healing and reconciliation from an Indigenous perspective.

I currently sit on the board of the Southern Alberta Defence Lawyers’ Association (SADL) as the Communications Director and volunteer regularly for Lethbridge Legal Guidance, providing pro-bono legal advice to members of the community.

Education
I received my Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Ottawa, steps away from the Supreme Court of Canada where I studied Mental Health & Criminal Law and took several Trial Advocacy courses. I competed in a Moot Competition in my first year and completed 3 internships with local criminal defence lawyers.

I earned a Master of Arts degree at Tel Aviv University in Political Science, and lived abroad for 6 years working at global tech start-ups.

Before that, I received my Bachelor of Arts at the University of Calgary in International Relations, with a focus in Middle-East Security Strategy and a minor in Political Science.