Darren Richards, originally from Saskatchewan (yes - of course he's still a Rider's fan!), has called Alberta and Edmonton home since before we had the NHL (yes - of course he's an Oiler's fan). He started the firm Richards Wood Toogood (which over the years became Richards Hunter, Richards Hunter Toogood, and now: Richards + Company).

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A graduate in science from Liberty University in Virginia and of law from the University of Alberta, he was admitted to the Law Society of Alberta Bar in 1993. 

 

He has primarily limited his practice to Real Estate (both residential and commercial) and is now viewed as the premier Real Estate Lawyer in Edmonton. Corporate/Commercial Law is another specialty serving both small, medium and large owner-managed business in the Edmonton and surrounding region.

 

Darren has taught the Law Society of Alberta Bar Admission Course in the Real Estate Law Section and currently carries on a busy corporate, commercial and real estate practice. He is an advisor to REIN (the Real Estate Investment Network). 

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He is a past-president and board member of the South Edmonton Business Association and currently represents hundreds of businesses (corporations, sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited partnerships, and joint ventures) with respect to their wide range of legal needs. Mr. Richards also acts for major banking institutions and other lenders in relation to their commercial loan facilities and for large and small Franchisees.

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Darren played some college hockey way way back in the day - and has enjoyed coaching his kids in hockey (atom through midget) and coaching some basketball as well. He is a former Elder at previous Baptist churches he attended. He has one married daughter who's a nurse now and married to a guy that played junior hockey and now plays college hockey at Liberty University just like Darren did. How cool is that!? He has two more kids in college  and his youngest is in high school. Oh -and did we mention he's a Roughrider fan?  Contact Darren HERE.

Chad's our veteran rookie - he has a huge long list of degrees to his credit - he's a theology junkie and former senior pastor of an evangelical church in Calgary. He has a wonderful wife and 3 cute kids. He works out and can bench way more than you. He worked for us for a couple of summers, loved us so much that he articled with us (that's the year after graduating with a JD where we get to really really boss him around). And now he's working for us as our newest "Barrister and Solicitor" (those are fancy terms for a 'lawyer: or more to the point,  a litigation guy and a keep you out of litigation guy).  He's an amazing guy and you can  CONTACT HIM HERE - here's some more amazing stuff about Chad: 

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Chad graduated from the University of Alberta School of Law with his JD in 2019. As a student he:

• played for the faculty’s western Canadian champions Golden Bearisters rugby team; Litigators hockey team (with Steven - see below); and the Learned Foot soccer team, managing to (largely) keep up with the 20-somethings;

• was elected VP and then president of the Christian Legal Fellowship University of Alberta Student Chapter;

• cohosted annual panels with Law Dean Paul Paton on “Faith and Practice” (2L), and” Faith and Legal Ethics” (3L) for the Faculty of Law;

• volunteered for Student Legal Services criminal (1L) and civil (2L) programs; and

• completed a year-long clinical placement at Legal Aid Alberta’s Family Law Office, assigned to make weekly family chambers applications and/or Emergency Protection Orders though EPOP.

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Chad came to law school after a previous career in Christian ministry, spending ten years as a Minister in a Calgary. During law school he began to assist at Christ the King Anglican Church, where he serves as a non-stipendiary associate on the pastoral team. 

 

Chad’s previous education includes:

• BA (Taylor/U of Alberta);

• Master of Divinity (Briercrest Seminary);

• MA and Master of Sacred Theology (Liberty University, summa cum laude);

• Graduate Certificates in Hebrew and Greek (Asbury Seminary); and

• Doctor of Ministry, where he wrote on ethics-based leadership training (Southern Seminary, with distinction).

 

Chad is currently a member of:

• the Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association; 

• the Christian Legal Fellowship; 

• the Evangelical Theological Society;

• the national board for Christianity Explored Ministries Canada, and 

• the national board for Malachi Dads Ministries Canada (“MDMC”) A nationwide recognized program within Corrections Canada, focused on generational recidivism, MDMC provides spiritual guidance, education, support, career training, and mentorship to incarcerated fathers. 

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Chad is now seeking to develop a mixed solicitor and litigation practice at Richards + Company, working with entrepreneurs, small businesses, and non-profit organizations. He continues to publish and to speak on law and faith and to conducts seminars on ethics-based leadership for various organizations: (eg recently keynote speaker for the RCMP Provincial Traffic Program AGM and upcoming Christian Medical & Dental Association). He coaches multiple youth sports and plays recreational hockey and soccer.

 

Here's a few words from the man himself:

While law can be abstracted, it has a fundamental impact on the lives of every person. My faith, my family, and my firm have helped me to appreciate how true this is. The law--particularly, the rule of law that we enjoy--is a beautiful inheritance.

 

My faith inspires me to love justice, and to seek the good of all people. As a Christian minister, I saw the impact that the law has on individuals of every background, and on churches, charities, and non-profits as they seek to make life better for those they are called to serve. 

 

As a child I learned the nature of justice and people’s need for a legal system from my parents, especially my father, an RCMP officer. As a University student, I saw the passion my uncle always had for helping people fulfill their dreams, what he calls, “happy law.” My wife, Karmyn, and our children Abi, Titus, and Jonathan have walked with me on this journey. Karmyn was recently appointed Administrator of her aunt’s Estate, showing how valuable a good lawyer can be in a difficult time! My passion for the law is motivated by these experiences and by envisioning the future of my children made better by the preservation of the core legacy we all enjoy and by the changes in the world I want to see in the future. 

 

Helping establish and navigating challenges with entrepreneurs, small businesses, non-profit societies, and young families under my principal, Darren, and with all the staff (my co-workers at Richards + Company who contribute so much to me) has been and I trust will continue to be immensely rewarding. 

Caleb Selders is our Articling Student this year. He recently graduated with a Law Degree (JD) from Dalhousie University in Halifax. That’s important by the way (or he couldn’t Article with us) – and even kind of cool (who wouldn’t want to live in Nova Scotia?) - but honestly, that’s not why we hired him.

 

We hired him was because he claimed he could get us discounts on golf stuff at Sportchek (he worked there selling golf equipment). But that hasn't quite worked out. It also turned out that he hails from Okotoks (meaning he grew up a Flames fan). As you can imagine, that would normally be a huge problem for us. So no discounts and a Flames fan. Not looking good. 

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But we overlooked all that. First, we’ve figured out a way to assign him client-files where being a Flames fan doesn’t become a big issue (it’s worked well so far but we’re thinking he will be pretty bored during playoffs). Second, Caleb has an absolutely wonderful and lovely wife (Lauren) - she not only golfs far better than him, she’s also an accomplished volleyball player -  and (this is the great part) she’s from Edmonton! In fact, Caleb and Lauren met at U of A and they chose to move back to Edmonton from Halifax so Caleb could start a law career here – and Lauren has promised us that Caleb is very close to being an Oilers fan now.

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Another reason we overlook Caleb's 'issues' is his work ethic. In addition to the Sport Chek gig, he’s worked an amazing assortment of other jobs; he’s Managed a DQ, framed houses, landscaped, and washed dishes. Yes: that last one caught our eye in particular.

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It should be noted too that Caleb is an accomplished U of A athlete – he competed as long jumper and sprinter for the University of Alberta Golden Bears. In fact, he loves all things sports, but football holds a special place in his heart. He played of course, but apparently he’s also an NFL fantasy football superstar. In his spare time (spare time – as an Articling Student – oh that is so cute) he loves to read theology books and biographies.

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So there you have it: former Flames fan, lovely wife, hard worker, U of A Athlete, well read . . .  a pretty good catch overall. We’re super glad to have him on our crew!  CONTACT HIM HERE  

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