CRIMINAL LAW
At North Law, we will strive to deliver you the best possible outcome in your criminal law case. We provide services for:
- Drug offences
- Assault/violence offences
- Fraud
- Theft and property offences
- Appeals
- Commonwealth offences
- Sexual offences
- Domestic violence
- Traffic offences
- Drink driving offences
- Weapon offences
Advocacy & Defence for ALL Criminal Charges
North Law offers defence and support for all police charges. We can help with any offense that’s being dealt with in Queensland Courts. We also provide advice and representation during the investigation stage for regulatory offences. Whether you’re an individual or a business, we’re here to provide skilled and knowledgeable representation.
We understand that going to Court can be scary. The criminal justice process can feel overwhelming if you’re not familiar with it. That’s why we make it a priority to explain everything and guide you through each step. Our experience with the Court process allows us to give clear explanations.
Although we’re familiar with the process, we thoroughly assess each case. Criminal charges can have significant consequences. Therefore, we recognise that these matters must be treated seriously.
Get Legal Advice Early
It’s a good idea to talk to a lawyer as soon as possible, even though you can seek legal advice at any point.
If the police are looking into you or plan to charge you with a crime, one of these things might happen:
- Police will ask you to come to a police station for an interview.
- Police will charge you and give you papers telling you when you have to go to court.
- Police will arrest you and try to stop the court from giving you bail.
If You're Contacted by Police
If the police have talked to you, it’s smart to talk to a lawyer before saying anything. In our legal system, you have the right to stay quiet and not make things worse for yourself. This means you don’t have to:
- Answer any questions about the supposed crime.
- Join in an interview.
- But, you might have to give the police your name and where you live if they think you’ve broken the law. Sometimes, you might have to tell them your birthday and where you were born. And they might want to take:
- Fingerprints
- Photos
- DNA samples
- The police should warn you if not giving certain information is against the law.
Usually, you shouldn’t give extra information when they’re asking questions at first. Instead, you can learn what they want to know and then talk to us about:
- Your rights
- What to do next
- You should know that anything you say to the police can be used by them, and they might even record what you say, even if you’re just talking on the street.
If you don’t want to answer questions but aren’t sure if you can say no, you can ask to talk to a lawyer first.
Unless you’re arrested, you don’t have to go to a police station. And you don’t have to give a statement. Usually, doing these things won’t help you, no matter what you’re told.
Remember, the police can’t give you legal advice.
If you’re not sure, ask to see a lawyer.
We can go with you to the police station or give you legal advice before you talk to them. We might even be able to talk to the police for you and help you make a statement if you want to.
Applying For Bail
If you’re arrested and put in custody, the most important thing to do first is usually to:
- Apply for bail
- Learn about what’s going to happen next
- Maybe someone you care about got arrested, and you want a lawyer to ask for bail for them.
We know how important these requests are, and we know they need to be done right. We can prepare and ask for bail quickly. We can also get a barrister to ask for bail in court quickly, if it’s needed.
We’ll tell you if there’s anything else you should do to have the best chance of getting bail. Usually, you can only ask for bail once in the Magistrates Court. But, if things change a lot, you might get another chance. If you can’t get bail in the Magistrates Court, you have to ask the Supreme Court. This needs more work and planning. But sometimes, the Supreme Court is more likely to give bail. If you’ve tried before and failed, we can help in the Supreme Court. We can also help people in a tough situation where they have to “show cause.”
We’ll talk about your chances, choices, and what to expect when asking for bail.
We often ask for bail for a set price, so you know how much it will cost.
Our goal is to make sure you, or your friend or family member, don’t stay in custody any longer than necessary.
If you need help asking for bail, call us to talk to a lawyer.
Going To Court
When you go to court, you usually have these choices:
- Admit you did the thing you’re accused of.
- Talk with the prosecutor to try and change parts of what you’re accused of.
- Say you didn’t do it and defend yourself.
These choices might change depending on how serious the accusation is.
For smaller problems, there might be other ways to solve them without going to court. But for bigger problems, you’ll need to make other decisions as things go on.
We’ll help you understand what you can do at each step, so you know all your options.
Attending Court
Pleading Guilty
If you decide to admit you did the thing you’re accused of, your case will go to the Court for a decision.
Your lawyer will talk to the Court for you. Their job is to explain things that might make the punishment less severe. They’ll talk about your background and any reasons why you did what you did. We want to get the fairest punishment for your situation.
Before you’re punished, we’ll talk about what might happen, so you’re ready.
It’s important to get ready before your punishment day to get the best result. The Court will look at what you’ve done to get ready, and this might mean you get a lighter punishment. We’ll tell you what you can do, like:
- Getting letters from people who know you well
- Getting counseling
- Taking courses that might help
- Getting a report from your doctor or another expert
- Getting a special report for the Court from a psychologist or another expert
We can:
- Tell you where to find the right courses
- Talk to other people who can write reports
- Help you write the documents you need for the Court
Options for Punishment:
The Court has many ways to punish people.
The Court has to think about certain things when they decide on a punishment, like:
- Punishing the person who did the wrong thing
- Stopping the person and others from doing the same thing again
- Helping the person get better
- Keeping the community safe
But the Court can also look at:
- The most and least severe punishments they can give
- How bad the thing was that the person did
- How old the person is, what their background is like, what their character is like, and how smart they are
- If the person cooperated with the police
- If the person helped the police
- What punishment the prosecutor thinks is fair
- What the person’s lawyer says about what punishment they should get
That’s why it’s important to tell the Court about anything that might help you.
There are different ways the Court might punish someone.
If you want to talk about what might happen to you, get in touch with us.
Pleading Not Guilty
If you want to say you didn’t do what you’re accused of, you or your lawyer will tell the Court.
If it’s a small offence, it will go to a “summary hearing” in the Magistrates Court. A summary hearing is like a trial in front of a Magistrate.
But if it’s a serious offence, it has to go to a higher Court before the trial. In District and Supreme Court trials, there’s usually a Judge (or Justice in the Supreme Court) and a jury. The jury, which is made up of regular people, decides if you did what you’re accused of. The Judge or Justice decides the rules of the law.
What Should You Consider When Selecting a Criminal Defence Lawyer?
A criminal conviction can impact your life for a very long time. It can impact your current employment and future employment, but worst of all the results can severely impact your family. You should select a Criminal Defence Lawyer that has subject matter knowledge and can explain your situation and the process in simple terms. Lawyer sometimes sound like they are speaking a different language, but our solicitors at North Law will not do this. We take the time to explore all option with your needs and instructions at the centre of what we do.