Why Do I Need A Criminal Defence Lawyer?

Questions you should ask your lawyer

To determine whether your criminal lawyer is the best one for you, you should ask them the following questions. For your convenience, we’ve provided answers based on our criminal law firm, Chambers Legal.

What areas of criminal law do you specialise in?

At Chambers Legal, we are criminal defence lawyers, which means we represent accused persons and do not work for any prosecuting agencies.

Because we practise solely in criminal law, we have been able to hone our skills in this area.

How long have you been practising in criminal law?

The lawyers at Chambers Legal have been practising criminal defence in Perth for more than 20 years combined, with previous experience as law clerks and practical legal trainees prior to becoming lawyers.

What courts do you appear in?

We appear in all courts, such as the Magistrates Court, District Court, Supreme Court, and Court of Appeal.

We can appear both in the Perth Metropolitan area, anywhere from Joondalup to Mandurah, as well as outside of the Perth Metropolitan area, such as Broome, South Hedland, Karratha, and Busselton.

For these courts, we can appear via telephone link, or we can drive or fly out there, depending on what you prefer, what is most cost effective for you, and what the court appearance is for.

Have you dealt with a matter like mine before?

We deal with a variety of Western Australian and Commonwealth charges each week. There is a very strong chance that we have dealt with a matter like yours before, as we have dealt with thousands of matters over the years.

We find that the most common charges we deal with are sex charges, drug charges, assault charges, and burglary, stealing and fraud charges. If you have an unusual or obscure charge, then we can still assist you.

Do you have any good barristers you can recommend for my case?

Yes, we have many good and very experienced barristers, including Queen’s Counsel and Senior Counsel, who we can call on to assist on your case if necessary. We ordinarily brief a barrister and work closely with them for your trial or appeal matters. As we work with them on a regular basis, their fees are often very reasonable and within our estimate or fixed fee.

How much will my matter cost?

We will be able to provide you with either an estimate or fixed fee for your legal costs, which can cover your matter as a whole, or each part of your matter, depending on what is appropriate in your particular matter.

There are no hidden fees, and we are open and transparent about our fees in our Retainer and Cost Agreement. We are happy to answer any questions or clarifications you may have.

Are you easily contactable?

Yes, we are easily contactable. As we are a small firm, it is easy to get in contact with us. The best way to reach us is by emailing [email protected], which will reach all of our criminal lawyers.

You will notice that we send a lot of emails after hours and on the weekend – this is because we are always working on your matters, as they are our priority.

We always return calls if we miss them and you leave us a voicemail. We often take calls outside of normal office hours to assist clients with advice whilst they are at a police station, or if the police are at their house with a search warrant.