One of the main concerns that clients have prior to engaging a criminal defence lawyer for their criminal matter is: how much is it going to cost me?
A proper assessment of your case needs to be made before an estimate of fees can be given. At Chambers Legal, we offer an affordable and obligation free initial consultation at a fixed price of $99 for one hour. This consultation can be done face-to-face at our conveniently located Subiaco office, by telephone, or by Skype/Zoom if that is more convenient to you. You can read more about our criminal law services here.
So, how much is a criminal defence lawyer going to cost?
After your initial consultation, your criminal defence lawyer will then be in a position to let you know how much your matter is going to cost by providing either an estimate or fixed fee.
In some circumstances, we will provide you with a fee for a certain portion of your matter, whilst in other circumstances we will be able to provide you with a fee for the entirety of your matter.
The fee for trial can vary due to a number of factors, including:
- Whether you have one charge or multiple charges;
- Whether your trial will be heard in the Magistrates Court, District Court, or Supreme Court;
- How many court appearances are required;
- How many witnesses there will be for the prosecution;
- How many witnesses there will be for the defence;
- How much disclosure there is in your matter;
- How complex your matter is;
- What your defence is;
- How long the trial is likely to take;
- What disbursements are likely to be incurred in your matter (e.g. for expert witnesses and subpoenas);
- Whether you instruct us to brief a barrister for trial.
The fee for sentencing can vary due to a number of factors, including:
- Whether you have one charge or multiple charges;
- Whether your matter will be sentenced in the Magistrates Court, District Court, or Supreme Court;
- Whether any adjournments are required (e.g. for legal advice or to obtain reports for sentencing);
- How complex your matter is;
- What the penalty options are;
- Whether you want to apply for a spent conviction;
- How long the sentencing is likely to take;
- Whether you instruct us to brief a barrister for sentencing.
What can criminal lawyers charge for?
Many different variables affect legal fees. We understand that hiring a criminal defence lawyer can carry a big cost. At Chambers Legal, we strive to keep our costs competitive and as low as possible for you when calling us to represent in you in Perth or wider Western Australia.
If you decide that you want to engage us for your matter, we will provide you with a Cost Agreement, which will set out the scope of the work to be done for you, how much the estimate or fixed fee is, and the terms and conditions.
As with most criminal defence law firms, we operate a trust account, which means you deposit funds in advance for us to work on your legal matter. We will then complete work on your matter, and issue you with an invoice on a periodic basis. The invoice will be paid for from funds already deposited into our trust account.
If for any reason your matter is likely to exceed our initial fee (e.g. due to additional unplanned court appearances), then we will provide you with an Updated Cost Notice.
In some circumstances, we can offer payment plans, and we are happy to discuss this option with you.
Get in touch with our criminal defence lawyers
If you want more information on how much a criminal defence lawyer is going to cost you, you can book your obligation free $99 initial consultation with Chambers Legal now via the contact form on our website, by calling us at our Perth office on (08) 9500 8915, or by emailing us on [email protected].