Criminal
The procedure for dealing with indictable offences in the Magistrates Court
All indictable offences may be tried on indictment, but some indictable offences may be tried summarily in the magistrates court if the Criminal Code, or another written law, provides for a "summary conviction penalty" for an indictable offence and the accused is...
Criminal Injury Compensation: Your Rights and Obligations as a Victim of Crime
Being a victim of a criminal offence can be a traumatic experience with long-lasting physical and psychological effects. The injuries sustained have the ability to impact not only your career, but also your confidence and life in general. Criminal injury compensation...
A Criminal Defence Lawyer’s Guide to WA Drug Offences
Being involved in criminal proceedings for drug-related offending can be a stressful experience for not only the accused but their friends and family. To ease the burden and anxiety often associated, we suggest you consider the following issues. 1. Your Rights The...
Five Tips to Prepare Yourself for Criminal Proceedings
Being charged with a criminal offence and subsequently having to attend court can be a daunting and stressful experience for all involved. We recommend you consider the following tips to ensure you are adequately prepared for your first appearance.
Meta data retention laws
The contentious data retention laws passed by the Federal Parliament in 2015 allow Telecommunications companies and Internet Service Providers until 2017 to fulfil their implementation plans, at which time the ramifications of these laws will become more apparent. The...
Infringement notices for minor offences under the Criminal Code
From 4 March 2015 it will be possible for police to issue infringement notices instead of prosecution notices for some minor offences under the Criminal Code. Infringement notices will provide for payment of a fine but paying the fine within time will not result in a...
Extraordinary Drivers Licence Legislative Amendments
Changes to the legislation for Extraordinary Drivers Licences (“EDL”), section 76 of the Road Traffic Act, took effect from 4 July 2011. These changes abolish special applications. The changes also direct that a Court shall not make an order directing the grant of an...