Key points
- You can ask for a lawyer in Ringwood today. Call 1800 577 015 at any hour: the free line gives general legal information straight away, and a 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in Victoria is a fixed $295, by phone, video or in person. Urgent requests are taken at any hour; how soon the lawyer can see you depends on who is free, so a particular time cannot be promised.
- What lawyers cost near Ringwood: none of the Ringwood firms we checked publishes its prices. Firms nearby offer free first consultations, and Melbourne firms publish family law rates of $350 to $500 an hour and Magistrates' Court guilty plea fees of about $2,200 to $3,750 (read on the firms' own websites, 23 October 2026). Our consultation is $295 for 60 minutes, and the lawyer tells you what any further work would cost before you commit.
- Free legal help: Victoria Legal Aid on 1300 792 387, 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, with an office at 23 Ringwood Street ((03) 9259 5444, by appointment); and a Victoria Legal Aid duty lawyer at Ringwood Magistrates' Court (free, but not everyone is eligible and not every day).
- Due in court? Ringwood Magistrates' Court is at 39 Ringwood Street (not Maroondah Highway), (03) 9087 5720, 9am to 4:30pm weekdays. It is one of Victoria's 13 Specialist Family Violence Courts. Children's cases from Melbourne's east are heard at the Melbourne Children's Court.
- In danger now: call 000. Family violence: Safe Steps on 1800 015 188 and 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, both free and 24 hours.
Ringwood Magistrates' Court, at 39 Ringwood Street, Ringwood ((03) 9087 5720), hears criminal charges, intervention orders and civil claims up to $100,000 and is one of Victoria's 13 Specialist Family Violence Courts; Go To Court Lawyers arranges 60-minute consultations with Victorian lawyers for a fixed $295, with requests taken at any hour on 1800 577 015.
Ringwood Practice Areas
Our Ringwood lawyers cover all major areas of law. Select your area for local information, court details and immediate help.
Lawyers in Ringwood
Go To Court Lawyers is a national legal service, running since 2010, that connects people with lawyers who practise in their state. In Ringwood and across Victoria that means lawyers who practise in Victoria and appear in the courts listed below. Ringwood is in Melbourne's outer east. Call 1800 577 015 at any hour and Jen, our AI legal information assistant, gives general legal information about your situation and takes your details. Jen is not a lawyer and does not give legal advice about your case. If you want advice, request a consultation on the call or at the booking page: your request goes to lawyers in our network who practise in your area of law and location, the first to accept it contacts you to set a time, and our team steps in if nobody does. The consultation is 60 minutes for a fixed $295, by phone, by video, or in person where the lawyer you are matched with offers it. In the twelve months to 22 October 2026, people in Victoria came to us most often about family law (373 matters), criminal charges (324), civil disputes (255), traffic offences (194), domestic violence (128), property (87), employment (87), wills and estates (63), compensation (59) and drink driving (57).Local Courts in Ringwood
Checked against each court's own website on 23 October 2026. Where your matter is heard depends on the charge or the amount in dispute; the court named on your paperwork is the one to attend. Forms and daily court lists for the Magistrates' Court are on its own website, mcv.vic.gov.au.
| Court | What it hears | Address | Phone | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ringwood Magistrates' Court | All summary offences, some indictable offences and committal hearings; civil disputes up to $100,000; personal safety and family violence intervention orders; bail support. It is one of 13 Specialist Family Violence Courts, which can hear intervention orders together with bail applications, criminal pleas, family law parenting matters and related victims of crime applications | 39 Ringwood Street, Ringwood (car park behind the courthouse, entered from Bourke Street) | (03) 9087 5720 | 9am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday |
| Melbourne Children's Court | Since 10 November 2025, children's criminal and intervention order cases are listed by where the child lives, and cases from Melbourne's east (which, on the court's map, includes Ringwood) go here. Ringwood is not on the Children's Court's list of locations | 477 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne | (03) 8638 3300 | Office 9am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday |
| County Court of Victoria | Most serious criminal charges (except treason, murder and related offences), appeals from the Magistrates' and Children's Courts, and civil claims of any amount. It has no venue in the eastern suburbs | Registry counter: ground floor, 250 William Street, Melbourne | (03) 8636 6888 | Registry 9am to 4pm; phones 8:45am to 5pm; Monday to Friday |
| Supreme Court of Victoria | Murder, attempted murder, treason and other major criminal cases, civil cases of any amount, and civil appeals on a question of law from the Magistrates' Court | Main entrance 210 William Street; registry counter 450 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne | (03) 8600 2000 | Enquiries 9am to 4:30pm on business days; registry counter 9:30am to 4pm |
| Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Melbourne | Family law: divorce, separation, children and property | Commonwealth Law Courts Building, 305 William Street, Melbourne | 1300 352 000 | Family law counter 8:45am to 4:30pm; phones 8:30am to 5pm |
| Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Dandenong | Family law for Melbourne's south-east. Refurbishment limits ground-floor access until the end of the year; filing is at Level 1 reception | 53-55 Robinson Street, Dandenong | 1300 352 000 | Counter 8:45am to 4:30pm |
| Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) | Legal disputes and cases across Victoria; a tribunal, less formal than a court. It has no venue in the eastern suburbs; the nearest are in Melbourne, Oakleigh and Bundoora | 308 La Trobe Street, Melbourne; Level 1, 20 Atherton Road, Oakleigh | 1300 018 228 | Phones 9am to 4:30pm weekdays; Melbourne venue 8:30am to 4:30pm; Oakleigh 9am to 4:30pm |
Victoria Legal Aid lists Ringwood Magistrates' Court among its duty lawyer locations, for adult criminal matters, serious traffic matters, family violence matters and intervention orders, and some infringement matters. The service is free, but not everyone is eligible and it may not be available every day; whether you can get advice or representation depends on your situation and income, so ring Legal Help on 1300 792 387 first. Victoria Legal Aid says to arrive when the court opens and ask the court staff whether a lawyer is on duty; if your court date is 14 days or more away, you can ask it for help before court. If you want a lawyer of your own before the day, request a $295 consultation or call 1800 577 015.
Appearing at Ringwood Magistrates' Court? Our partner service AllCourts has a practical guide to Ringwood Magistrates' Court — address, daily court lists, and what to expect on the day.
Free and low-cost legal help in Ringwood: who answers, and when
Numbers, hours and addresses checked against each service's own website on 23 October 2026. Most of these services help people who meet a means test or fall into a particular group, and they run in business hours. For general legal information at any hour, our free line is 1800 577 015.
| Service | Who it helps | Contact | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria Legal Aid, Legal Help | Free legal information and help, and the way in to a grant of legal aid | 1300 792 387; Legal Help Chat online | 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday |
| Victoria Legal Aid, Ringwood office | The outer-eastern suburbs; appointments | 23 Ringwood Street, Ringwood; (03) 9259 5444 | Hours not published; it says to make an appointment before visiting |
| Women's Legal Service Victoria | Women, including cis and trans women, and non-binary people | 1800 133 302 | No after-hours or weekend service. It says it contacts you within 2 weeks of applying; with a court date in the next 2 weeks, call Victoria Legal Aid |
| Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people | 1800 064 865 | Office hours not published; its custody notification service, for people in police custody, runs 24 hours a day |
| Youthlaw | Young people in Victoria aged under 25 | (03) 9113 9500 | 9am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday |
| Community legal centres | Free help from community legal centres across Victoria, each with its own area and areas of law | Find your nearest through the Federation of Community Legal Centres Victoria's website | Varies by centre |
| Law Institute of Victoria, Find Your Lawyer Referral Service | Anyone looking for a private lawyer: referrals to lawyers who offer a free first meeting of up to 30 minutes, in which no legal advice is given | (03) 9607 9550 | 9am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 4pm on business days |
| Tenants Victoria, Renter Support Line | Victorian renters: free legal information, and advice if eligible | (03) 9416 2577 | 9:30am to 12:30pm and 2:30pm to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday; Tuesdays until 6:30pm |
| Family violence help | Anyone affected by family violence, and men who want to change | Safe Steps 1800 015 188; Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491; 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732. The Orange Door (outer east), Croydon (4-16 Devon Street) and Belgrave, 1800 271 150, no referral needed | Safe Steps, Men's Referral Service and 1800RESPECT 24 hours, every day; The Orange Door 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday |
If you are not eligible for free help, or you need an answer tonight, call 1800 577 015 for free legal information at any hour, or request a $295 consultation with a lawyer.
What a lawyer costs near Ringwood
None of the Ringwood firms we checked on 23 October 2026 publishes its prices on its own website. A defence firm with an office in Nunawading that says it appears at Ringwood Magistrates' Court offers a free first consultation and fixed fees, without publishing amounts. In central Melbourne, a family law firm says its hourly rates range between $350 and $500, that non-contentious matters may start from $5,000 and that contested cases can cost $20,000 to $30,000 or more; and a criminal firm's 2026 guide says a standard guilty plea often falls within $2,200 to $3,750. A Victoria Legal Aid duty lawyer may be able to help at Ringwood Magistrates' Court on the day, if you are eligible. Our 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in Victoria is a fixed $295, by phone, video or in person. If you decide to go further, the lawyer sets out the cost of any further work before you commit.
Why Go To Court Lawyers for Ringwood?
Go To Court Lawyers does not have a Ringwood office. Consultations are by phone or video, or in person where the lawyer you are matched with offers it, and the lawyers in our network who practise in Victoria appear in its courts in person. For many people that is quicker than finding a firm, because you can make the request at any hour, including weekends, and you know the price before you start: $295 for 60 minutes. The service has run since 2010 and our reviews are published on ProductReview and Trustpilot.Common Legal Situations in Ringwood
Based on our own records for the twelve months to 22 October 2026, the matters people in Victoria most often come to us about are family law (separation, children and property), criminal charges, civil disputes such as debts and contracts, traffic offences, family violence and intervention orders, property, employment, wills and estates, compensation, and drink driving. Each practice area above has its own Ringwood page.Fast Lawyer Matching in Ringwood
When you request a consultation, lawyers in our network who practise in your area of law and location are notified, and the first to accept your request contacts you to arrange the time. If nobody accepts it, our team follows up personally. Requests are taken at any hour; appointment times depend on which lawyers are available, and urgent matters are given priority.Frequently Asked Questions — Ringwood Lawyers
How quickly can I speak to a lawyer in Ringwood?
How much does a lawyer cost near Ringwood?
Where is Ringwood Magistrates' Court?
What cases does Ringwood Magistrates' Court hear?
Where do children's cases from Ringwood go?
Can I get free legal help in Ringwood?
Where do appeals and serious cases from Ringwood go?
Need a Lawyer in Ringwood?
Call our information service any time. Jen is an AI assistant, not a lawyer. If you need advice about your circumstances, request a $295 consultation with a suitable qualified lawyer; availability depends on your matter, location and requested time.