Charged in Canberra? One Court, One Duty Lawyer Office, One Clear Path

Transcript

Charged in the ACT. In one way, you are lucky in your geography. This is the only place in Australia where nearly every criminal matter starts in a single building, the ACT Magistrates Court in the city. One court, which means one very clear path to a lawyer. Here it is: Write this down for the morning of court. Level two, next to courtroom one, is the criminal duty lawyer's office. Talking to them is free, and you do not need an appointment. If it is your first appearance and you have no lawyer, they can give you one off help on the day, explain what is happening, and help you ask for time to get proper advice.

Better still, do not wait for the morning of court. Legal aid ACT runs a free helpline and Canberra gets a small luxury here. It stays open until seven at night, Monday to Thursday. So even if the charge landed today, you can still talk to someone about it tonight. The number is on your screen. If you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, the Aboriginal Legal Service covers Canberra as well as New South Wales, with criminal lawyers who do this work every day. Their free line is on screen and in the description below. Money. For a lawyer of your own, Canberra prices look like the rest of the country.

Junior criminal lawyers roughly two hundred dollars to four hundred dollars an hour, senior lawyers more. For a straightforward guilty plea, ask for one fixed price, many firms will happily give you one. And every lawyer must set out their costs in writing before the real work starts. One court, one duty lawyer office, one helpline that stays open late. The path is clear, so take a step on it today. And if you would rather start right now, our own hotline is free to call at any hour, and a fixed price consultation with a lawyer can be booked in minutes. The number is right there.