Derek McManus, MA (Econ), LlB., has been practising law since 1975, first in Alberta, and since 1981 in Salmon Arm. He is married with two boys. Derek has numerous interests in addition to law.
Roselyn Phare has lived in Salmon Arm since 1955, having grown up and attended public school here. Except for a few years away to raise her family, Roselyn has worked in law offices since graduation, and has advanced from on the job training, to Legal Secretary, to Legal Assistant. Roselyn has taken numerous courses on law, computer training, accounting, management and organization. She is married with two children. Roselyn has a wide range of interests, including crafts, flower arranging, skating, boating, reading, promoting healthy lifestyles, her church, and community outreach programs.
Derek and Roselyn have been working together since 1987.
We strive for three characteristics in our practice. First, we are friendly. We know that coming to a law office can often be intimidating, and that using lawyers is often in a stressful or unhappy situation. Without diminishing our empathy for that, we strive to make your time with us as friendly and enjoyable as possible. Second, we make the legal process understandable. We work very hard to explain everything in a non-legal language, and will not allow you to be uninformed or confused. Third, we are efficient. We know that using the legal system is expensive, and we do everything we can to minimize the cost. This is one of the reasons, for example, that we produce and distribute, free of charge, a series of reports on Common Legal Questions, and why we encourage the use of Flat Rate Legal Plans.
Our practice covers all areas of business and personal affairs. This includes such things as companies, societies, wills, incompetency matters such as powers of attorney and court applications to help with someone's personal or financial affairs, conveyances and mortgages, real estate development, buying and selling businesses, general commercial matters such as leases and contracts of all kinds, and assisting with problems of a personal or business nature that if not settled would lead to some kind of litigation. If litigation or matrimonial work does become necessary, we have a long and well established working relationship with lawyers who do that work If the assistance you need involves accounting and tax management, we also have a long and well established working relationship with accountants who will work as a team with us in those areas.