Curtis De Fehr
Paralegal

Meet Curtis

Curtis De Fehr has spent more than 20 years as a paralegal, supporting BC lawyers in family law, estates, civil litigation, and personal injury. Before law, he spent 14 years at Telus, first as a 411 and long-distance operator, then in credit collections. Thousands of phone calls taught him how to stay calm when the person on the other end of the line is anything but.

That calm is his superpower. When a client calls overwhelmed, Curtis lowers his voice instead of raising it. He listens. Then he gently steers the conversation toward what happens next.

He also loves a good legal treasure hunt. Curtis has tracked down hard-to-find case law to the surprise of BC Court of Appeal justices, acted as agent for counsel at hearings and settlement conferences, and once got RCMP reports in under a week for a trial. In 2001, his first application before the British Columbia Court of Appeal resulted in a decision that the Registrar subsequently recommended for publication in the British Columbia Annual Practice. The decision was ultimately published in the 2005 edition.  

Curtis lives in Chilliwack, where he spends his free time paddling his kayak, singing, and charming cats, dogs, and other animals who supposedly do not like anybody.

What working with Curtis looks like

• Calm on your hardest days. Curtis keeps his voice steady so you can find yours again.
• Compassion that keeps moving. He listens to what you are going through, then helps you focus on the next step.
• A detail detective. Research, evidence, court documents, and deadlines are where Curtis shines. What you believe to be irrelevant, he demonstrates to be quite the opposite.
• Always on your lawyer's team. Curtis works hand in hand with your lawyer. Paralegal support helps keep your costs down, and anything that needs a lawyer goes to your lawyer.

In his own words

You spent 14 years at Telus. What did all those phone calls teach you about talking with people on a really hard day?

Compassion, number one, and fast. In operator services we had about three minutes per call. You learned to recognize a voice and place an accent, and believe it or not, we could even guess how tall someone was from their voice.

In collections, it was compassion to a point. You listen, and then you steer the conversation toward what needs to happen next. That dovetailed nicely into law. I understand your situation, and we still need to move to the next step together.

What pulled you out of Telus and into law?

In 2004, Telus went through a huge round of layoffs, and I was in one of the first waves.  I had to reinvent myself.  Coming out of high school, I had two dreams: airline pilot or lawyer. My glasses ruled out the cockpit.

I went through a full year of career testing, and everything pointed to policing, investigating, and law. In 2005, I successfully completed both my Paralegal Certificate and Legal Administrative Diploma within a single year, an achievement that would typically require at least four and a half years to complete.  Law was where my heart was, and all the stars lined up. 

You have worked in estates, personal injury, and civil litigation. What keeps bringing you back to family law?

It is where I started, and I never lost touch with it.  I spent years in personal injury, working with doctors, surgeons, and specialists to get ready for trials.  That taught me a lot.

But family law has always been my mainstay.  I have been through a separation myself, and I learned the hard way.  I know what it feels like to sit on the client's side of the desk.

A client calls you, overwhelmed and in tears. What do you do first?

I speak softly and keep my tone down.  If they go up, I do not match it.  I tell them, "I hear what you are saying. Now tell me what I can do to help you right now."

My number one job in that moment is to bring them from the ceiling back down to the floor. Then we get things rolling.

People tend to come to you for advice. What is the best advice you have ever received?

My first legal mentor told me: "You have to drain the swamp to see where the alligators are. Then you strategically take the gators out, one at a time." It works for complicated family law matters, and it works for life.

What do clients get wrong about what a paralegal does?

Clients sometimes go one of two ways. Some think I can do everything the lawyer does, at a paralegal's rate.  I can do a lot, and that saves clients money, but some things only your lawyer can do.

Others try to get me to go around their lawyer.  I will not do that.  That is a line I do not cross. Your lawyer and I are on the same team, and we work together for you.

Curtis at a glance