Melbourne's Most Experienced Criminal Defence Lawyers

If you have been charged you need advice and representation. When facing allegations of criminal behaviour what you do first is vital to the successful outcome of your matter. The first thing to do is to call our criminal law firm for expert practical advice and for an explanation of your legal rights. Findings of guilt, criminal convictions and gaol sentences can impact on all aspects of your life, both now and in the future. Aspects like work, travel, relationships, education and insurance to name a few. You owe it to yourself to be properly advised and represented.

If you are charged with criminal offences, your Court case may run for many months, sometimes years. This is a terribly stressful time for the accused, their family and friends. The Criminal Justice system is often totally unknown to those charged. It is complex and can be difficult to understand. As well as achieving the best possible outcome, our criminal lawyers in Melbourne have the expertise and experience to assist you through that process and to reduce the stress for all concerned.

You may not be under investigation or be charged, but still may require legal advice. When a person dies in unusual circumstances, there will probably be a Coronial Inquest. If they are a member of your family or you have knowledge of the incident you may be asked to make a statement to Police and appear as a witness in the Coroner’s Court. You may have an application for an Intervention Order issued against you. You may have had a working with Children permit refused. VicRoads may have suspended your licence. In these examples, you are not charged with offences, but will benefit from legal advice and legal representation if necessary.

What you say in a record of interview can significantly impact the course of your case. Therefore, before answering any questions, you should always contact a criminal lawyer for advice, regardless of whether you are innocent or guilty.

Depending on the circumstances, a lawyer may advise you to answer questions from the police, provide a written statement or answer 'no comment'.

You will always be given the opportunity by the police to call a lawyer before an interview commences. We highly recommend doing so.

Receiving legal advice will not make you look guilty or be used against you. It is also an opportunity to ascertain what the allegations to be put are before the interview commences.

Read our guide on navigating police interviews to ensure you are prepared.

Once charged by the police, your matter will go to Court. Cases generally go through a number of hearings before reaching the final hearing.

You have a decision to make and should get legal advice. You can:

Plead guilty - Your lawyer will prepare a plea and the Court will sentence you according to the sentencing options set out by the legislation.

Plead not guilty - You fight the charges at a contested hearing / trial. If you 'win', no sentenced is imposed. If found guilty, the court imposes a sentence as above.

If you are charged by the police, those charges will now appear on your criminal record, even before they have been determined by a Court. They will be followed by the word 'pending' indicating that the charges are not yet finalised.

This can have a significant impact particularly for job seekers, as it is common for employers to seek a criminal record check from prospective employees.

The outcomes of criminal matters have significant impacts upon peoples’ lives. At the highest, it may result in a period of imprisonment. In other cases, careers, livelihoods and reputations might be at stake. Whatever the circumstances, sentences will bear upon the accused and often their family and friends for the rest of their lives.

Why is experience important? Even though each case will present its own set of circumstances and issues, it is likely to share some basic elements with other matters which have been previously heard before the Courts. A lawyer who has dealt with similar matters before will be aware how to best navigate a path to a successful outcome. Whilst every client we see is unique in what has occurred, there are very few, if any, offences that we have not dealt with before in over 40 years of criminal defence work.

Complimenting experience is knowledge. Not only is it important to engage a lawyer who has dealt with similar matters, but also one who remains up to date with legal developments such as amendments to legislation and case law. This is particularly important for offences such as digital crimes where the landscape changes rapidly. We are subscribed to a number of law bulletins and receive hard copy legislative updates to ensure that we are fully equipped to deal with any matter

These elements combined means that we are confident in our advice and the decisions that we make, and that we are able to give you a reliable prediction of the likely outcome of a case.

Finally, years in the industry builds rapport with other parties in the system such as the Court, Prosecutors and experts who defence solicitors engage to support their cases. Hiring a lawyer with these networks and connections maximises your chances of obtaining the best result. The experts we use all have strong reputations with the Courts and we share excellent working relationships.

Whilst the outcome of a matter is vital, lawyers are ultimately offering a service to their clients, and this service should extend far beyond the final day in Court.

We find that during their first conference, many clients are extremely anxious, scared and overwhelmed by the prospect of facing charges. The justice system is often completely foreign to them, and part of the fear they experience is usually associated with not knowing what is going to happen.

One of our roles is to minimise the stresses involved, which we do by

• Explaining clearly and in detail, what the court process is
• What all of the available options are
• The reasoning behind our advice
• Dealing with other parties in the matter on behalf of the client
• Being available to our clients through telephone, text and email

From the time you are charged, a criminal case may take many months, and sometimes more than a year to conclude. Engaging a solicitor whom you know is going to be honest, reliable and contactable over the course of the journey are all qualities which will make the process far easier.

We make every effort to see that our clients understand exactly where they stand, what is occurring, and that we have done everything possible to provide a quality service to our clients.

More and more we are finding that clients are willing to shop around to find the right lawyer to represent them, and so they should. Court cases are often significant financial commitments and clients should feel comfortable with and have confidence in their choice of solicitor.

We find that after conducting a free initial conference with us, clients engage our services because we provide experience and service at an affordable up-front cost. Where possible we charge lump-sum fees so that you know exactly how much a case will cost and that there are no hidden costs along the way. We don’t charge in five minute blocks and we don’t charge for 30 second phone calls.

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Given the importance of obtaining the right outcome, choosing a criminal lawyer should never be based on cost alone. We would encourage you to think about these three factors during your search.

Call us or contact us for a free, honest and confidential discussion about your case to see how you can use our services to obtain the best outcome.