Perth’s Trusted Criminal Defence Lawyers

If you have been charged with a criminal offence, our criminal defence lawyers are here to advise and guide you through the legal process.

At Chambers Legal, we have a proven track record in helping our clients achieve the best legal outcome possible – whether it’s getting charges downgraded or dropped, or helping you avoid a costly trial or time in prison.

With a diverse team of defence lawyers who are experienced across a wide range of criminal charges, call us for a consultation with the best lawyer in Perth for your case.

 

Criminal Law Firms Perth

Our Criminal Law Services

Our team can provide legal assistance, advice, and representation for the following criminal charges:

Assault Charges

Our team has extensive experience working with assault charges, including common assault, assault causing bodily harm, grievous bodily harm, and act or omission causing bodily harm or danger. If you find yourself facing an assault charge, get in touch with our experienced criminal lawyers immediately for legal advice.

Sexual Offences

If you’re found guilty of a sexual offence, you are likely to face imprisonment and will be deemed a reportable offender for years to come. Our criminal lawyers can advise you on how best to defend your criminal charge.

Drug Charges

If you’re charged with a drug offence, you may face a simple possession charge, possession with intent to sell or supply, or drug trafficking. Speak to a criminal lawyer immediately for legal advice on your situation to avoid facing imprisonment.

Stealing Offences

You can face high fines and imprisonment if convicted of a serious stealing offence. Our team of criminal lawyers can advise you on a suitable legal approach and what penalties you may face if found guilty.

Fraud Charges

The penalty for fraud charges can vary greatly depending on the severity of the criminal charge. Get in touch with our criminal defence team immediately for advice on your fraud charge.

Burglary

Our criminal defence lawyers are experienced in burglary law and will provide you with advice on dealing with a burglary charge and what may be involved. Call us or contact us through our website today.

Robbery

Robbery refers to stealing using violence or threats of violence. The charge may also be for armed robbery. For serious offences, robbery can result in life imprisonment. Talk to our criminal lawyers as soon as possible to get advice on your robbery charge.

Unsatisfied with the outcome of your court hearing? In some cases, there may be grounds to appeal against a criminal conviction, sentence, or both. Our defence lawyers also can provide advice and assistance with the criminal appeals process.

Contact us on (08) 9500 8915 or at [email protected].

How Can A Defence Lawyer Help Me?

Our criminal defence lawyers can help with:

  • Advising you of your rights.
  • Applying for a spent conviction, so that a conviction does not come up on your police clearance.
  • Negotiating with the prosecution to withdraw or downgrade your charge.

We can also represent you:

  • For a bail application.
  • At sentencing if you are pleading guilty.
  • At trial if you are pleading not guilty.

We can appear in all Western Australian Courts, both metropolitan and country. If your matter is being heard outside of the Perth Metropolitan area, we can travel to you to appear in person or appear via an audio or video link, where allowed.

Learn more about when you should contact a defence lawyer.

What Happens During My Legal Consultation?

After contacting Chambers Legal, we will arrange for you to have an initial consultation with one of our defence lawyers. This consultation will run for up to 1 hour, for a fixed fee of $99.00.

Your criminal lawyer will discuss the charge(s) with you, hear your side of the story, and provide you with advice on your available options, such as potential defences and sentencing outcomes for similar cases.

With every case, we understand that time is of the essence. To help us help you as quickly as possible, please bring the paperwork you received from the police, which usually includes documents such as:

  • Statement of Material Facts;
  • Prosecution Notice;
  • Bail forms or Prosecution Summons or Court Hearing Notice; and
  • Your criminal record.

Preparing your own notes and questions about your case beforehand will also help you make the most of your time with your lawyer.

What are my legal rights when speaking to the police?

The police have contacted me about an allegation that someone has made about me. Do I have to speak to them?

When contacted by the police, you only have to provide your personal identifying details: that is, your full name, date of birth, and your address.

The police may contact you and ask you to participate in an interview in relation to an investigation. They may ask you to come in voluntarily, without placing you under arrest first.

Alternatively, they can arrest you and take you to the police station.

Speak to a lawyer. The police will give you the opportunity to speak with a lawyer before speaking with them. If you do not know the number for a specific criminal lawyer, the police will call someone for you, usually from a Google search. 

You should store our number in your phone contacts in the case that you need a criminal lawyer. The number for Chambers Legal is (08) 9500 8915, and we can be reached after hours if needed. 

Don’t answer police questions, other than to provide personal identifying details. A criminal defence lawyer will generally advise you not to answer any police questions, other than to provide your personal identifying details.

The reason why criminal lawyers will generally advise you not to speak with police is for a number of reasons, including:

  • The police won’t always act in your best interest.
  • You do not know what evidence the police may have against you.
  • The police may not have enough evidence to charge you.
  • You are under no obligation to answer any questions other than identify yourself.
  • The police cannot pressure or coerce you into answering their questions.
  • You may explain yourself in a way that will hurt your defence.
  • Not answering questions cannot be used as evidence to prove that you are guilty.
  • Your interview can be used as evidence in court, but if you do not answer police questions, it is unlikely to be used.

You can tell the police that you do not wish to participate in an interview and that you have spoken to a criminal defence lawyer for advice.

You can tell the police you intend on exercising your right to silence and that you will not answer their questions. You can remain silent when the police ask questions or you can answer their questions with “no comment”.

If you decide to exercise your right to silence, it is best to exercise that right for all questions, and not just some questions. That is, you should say “no comment” to everything (except for providing your personal details).

Will the police think I am guilty because I have called a lawyer and refused to answer their questions?

No. Someone who is suspected to have committed an offence and is under investigation by police is fully within their rights to contact a criminal defence lawyer and seek advice.

A criminal lawyer will generally advise you not to answer police questions outside of providing personal identifying details. This is because you may say something that will damage your defence and a lawyer will be concerned about preserving your position and keeping all options open.

The police are aware of an accused person’s rights and they are obligated to give you a caution before speaking with you. They will tell you, as part of the caution, that you do not need to answer any questions.

The police will ask you to confirm that you understand the caution by asking you to explain it in your own words and will ask you a question such as: “If I ask you ten questions, how many do you need to answer?”

It is not a sign of guilt to exercise your right to silence.

The police have asked me to provide a statement about an incident I was involved in. Do I have to provide a statement?

Before providing a statement, you should consider whether:

  • The police are asking you to provide a statement because they think you did something illegal and are under investigation
  • The police are asking you to provide a statement because you were simply a witness to an incident and you are not otherwise suspected of any wrongdoing.

If you are under investigation and suspected of having committed a criminal offence, you do not need to provide a statement to police and can exercise your right to silence. In this case, you should call a criminal lawyer if the police have accused you of committing an offence.

If the police want you to provide a statement about an offence that you witnessed, similarly there is no obligation on you to provide a statement. There may also be no harm to you in doing so. If you are unsure, you should contact a criminal defence lawyer as soon as possible and discuss the options.

A criminal lawyer can also assist you in providing a statement to the police, by drafting the statement with your instructions and providing it to the police.

Get In Touch

Suite 4, 12-20 Railway Road, Subiaco WA 6008
(08) 9500 8915
[email protected]