Quick answer
Charged in Tasmania? Start with the simplest fact: everyone in Tasmania can get free legal advice by phone from Tasmania Legal Aid. This video covers that line, the duty lawyer next to Court 5 in Hobart, grants of aid, the Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service, and private lawyer costs on the island.
What this video covers
- Introduction (0:00)
- Charged in Tasmania (0:04)
- Free advice, for everyone (0:24)
- The duty lawyer (next to Court 5 in Hobart) (0:46)
- Grants of aid & the Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service (1:16)
- Island rates, mainland rules (1:39)
- Don't face it alone (2:09)
- Free help, any hour - 1800 577 015 (2:28)
Transcript
Charged in Tasmania with a magistrate's court date on the calendar, Hobart, Launceston, or up the coast. It is a small state, which is mostly a blessing here because help is genuinely close. Here is where to find it in a hurry and what a lawyer costs when you pay for one. Start with the simplest fact in this whole video. In Tasmania, everyone can get free legal advice over the phone from Tasmania Legal Aid. Not everyone qualifies for a courtroom lawyer, but the advice line is for all of us. Ring it before you set foot in court. The number is on your screen.
On the day itself, duty lawyers work the major courthouses. In Hobart, you will find the duty lawyer's office right next to court five at the magistrate's court. They are free, and they can ask for an adjournment, point you to the right service, or speak for you on a simple guilty plea. What they cannot do is prepare and run a contested case. That takes a lawyer of your own organized before the day. For the whole case, you can apply to Tasmania Legal Aid for a grant, which is means tested, and the duty lawyer or the advice line can help you get the application moving.
And if you are Aboriginal, the Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service has offices in Hobart, Launceston, and Boerne with their details in the description. If you go private, the arithmetic on the island is the same as the mainland. Junior criminal lawyers charge roughly two hundred to four hundred dollars an hour, senior people more. Ask whether your matter can be done for one fixed price because for straightforward guilty pleas, it very often can, and the costs must be given to you in writing before the real work starts. That is your right, not a favor. Small state, short distances, no excuse to face it alone.
If the advice line is closed and it is weighing on you at midnight, our own hotline is free to call at any hour, and we can book a fixed price consultation with a lawyer quickly. The number is right there on the screen.
Important
This video provides general legal information for Tasmania. It is not legal advice and does not take account of your circumstances. Laws and court processes change. For advice about your situation, speak with a qualified lawyer.