BACKGROUND
Legal costs are one of the most important factors to be considered by a person and their family when a family member is charged with a criminal offence or serious traffic offence. The concern can mean that an accused pleads guilty to an offence just to get it over with at little or no cost rather than defending the matter where there is clear evidence of no wrongdoing.
Or it can mean the difference between getting legal representation or going it alone. For the more serious offences going it alone is often not an option and magistrates and judges are quick to point that out to an accused standing at the Bar Table unrepresented.
Obviously the most cost-effective option is for the accused to represent themselves (self-rep) in court. Many do this when the offence is at the lower end of the scale and it’s a plea of guilty. For example, a person fronting the court for the first time ever charged with say Disorderly Behaviour in Public or a first offence of excess 0.08 driving can usually be disposed of by the accused alone without a lawyer doing the work
Although in the examples here the accused will probably want a Spent Conviction for the Disorderly offence so that the conviction does not appear on his or her record and therefore, not show up on a National Police Clearance. If this is the case, it will be wise to at least talk to a lawyer before going to court to go over the factors a court looks at when deciding whether a Spent Convictions is warranted.
As the alleged offence increases in severity it may be the case that the Legal Aid Duty Lawyer present in most courts can assist on the day. The Duty Lawyer service is restricted to remanding matters or assisting the accused for simple offences enter pleas in mitigation. The Duty Lawyer service does not represent accused on pleas of not guilty or at trial. Duty Lawyers also do not remand matters to higher courts such as Trial Listing in the District Court or remand to committal mention in magistrates courts.
When the seriousness of the allegation is such that the starting point for sentencing if convicted is an immediate term of imprisonment, then the accused will need competent legal representation. In the past Legal Aid would most often step in for an accused who could not afford a lawyer. These days budgetary considerations have meant that Legal Aid is restricted to providing grants of aid to the most needy facing the most serious offences.
Having said this it is always in the accused interest to at least apply to Legal Aid for a grant-of-aid – who knows it may be granted and a lawyer appointed.
OUR LEGAL FEES
Our Legal Fee Structure is OPEN and TRANSPARENT, there are no hidden costs.
Our legal fees are highly competitive with other firms in the profession.
FREE ADVICE
When you first telephone us, we provide you with a COST FREE assessment of your case – we don’t charge you even if the call goes on for an hour or more.
FIXED FEES OFFERED
If you want to know more then an appointment will be made for your initial consultation for you to provide us with your instructions and for you to receive our preliminary advice. If you choose to retain criminal-lawyers-perth for further legal representation we will offer you a fixed fee to represent you.
PAYMENT PLANS
At your first meeting with us we will go over the various plans we can offer.
Obviously your total legal cost and timing will depend on factors that at your first meeting will probably not be known to us thus, allowing us to fix your costs and set out the payment plan.
Nevertheless, we can still give you a general idea of costs based on previous cases.
LAW SOCIETY OF WA COSTS AGREEMENT
All law firms in WA are required to provide prospective clients with a costs agreement if the legal costs are greater than the statutory minimum.
We at criminal-lawyers-perth offer clients a Law Society of Western Australia Costs Agreement. This Agreement sets out the maximum costs to finalise your case and your legal rights and obligations in respect of your legal costs.
Call us at criminal lawyers perth NOW to discuss your case on 0422 656 589.
