Charged in Victoria? How To Get a Lawyer Fast - Legal Aid, Duty Lawyers & Costs

Transcript

You have been charged in Victoria, the paperwork says the Magistrates Court, and the date is real now. Maybe it is William Street in the city, maybe Dandenong, Broadmeadows, Geelong. And the first thought for most people is money. So let us talk about money. Because there is a myth that goes, No money, no lawyer. In Victoria that is simply not how it works. There are three ways to a criminal lawyer here that cost you nothing up front, and a fourth that costs exactly what you agree to.

Here they all are: Victoria Legal Aid runs a phone line called Legal Help, open eight in the morning to six at night, Monday to Friday. The number is on screen. They can tell you where you stand, and Victoria even runs a service called Help Before Court, so eligible people get advice before they ever walk in. Ring them the day you are charged, not the day you appear. Door to on the day. Duty lawyers work at the magistrates' court, they are free and they normally see people in the order they arrive, so early birds do better. One honest caveat.

For adults, how much they can do for you in the courtroom depends on your income, and people facing the hardest circumstances are seen first. That includes Aboriginal people, people with a mental health issue or cognitive impairment, and people who have experienced family violence. Door three. If you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service has criminal lawyers who do this every day, and at court, bail applications for Aboriginal people are treated as a priority. Details are in the description below. And door four, your own lawyer.

As a guide, junior criminal lawyers charge somewhere between two hundred dollars and four hundred dollars an hour, senior people more. For a straightforward guilty plea, plenty of firms will give you one fixed number for the whole thing. And every lawyer must put their costs in writing before the real work begins, so you are never guessing. Whichever door you take, take one today. Charges do not improve with age. Our own hotline is free to call any hour of the day or night, and if you want a consultation with a lawyer, it is a fixed price, booked quickly. The number is right there on the screen.