The consequences of being convicted of a criminal offence can be among the most challenging obstacles in our lives. As criminal lawyers, we treat every case with the care and detail they deserve.

GET IT RIGHT FROM THE START

Obtaining expert advice about your criminal law matter at the outset is imperative. Unlike general practice or multi-disciplinary law firms, we solely focus on criminal law. This means we can dedicate all of our time and resources to understanding the complexities of criminal law and leave no stone unturned when fighting for our clients.

Criminal law isn’t just about advocating in the courtroom before a jury or magistrate. Expert advice starts during the investigation, where your interactions with police can potentially determine the outcome of your matter. First and foremost, we always advise our clients to exercise their rights to silence and decline any police interview until they obtain advice from a criminal lawyer.

 Apart from questioning, it’s important you understand your rights and obligations when it comes to searches, warrants and bail conditions. This advice should be obtained at the earliest possible time.

The importance of negotiation

A common pitfall of inexperienced lawyers is taking client’s matters to trial or sentence when they shouldn’t have been there in the first place. As expert criminal lawyers, we understand evidence and the law to identify where a person shouldn’t be charged or a lesser charge is more appropriate.

Negotiations with police prosecutions and the DPP are entirely confidential and generally without any risk. At Hans Legal, we have negotiated countless matters leading to charges being reduced or withdrawn altogether. Aside from the obvious benefits in the legal outcome and penalty for our clients, successful negotiation usually results in less costs and delay than if the matter were pointlessly drawn out in court.

MAKING YOUR BEST CASE IN COURT

Sometimes going to court can’t be avoided. When it happens, you’ll want a criminal lawyer who is experienced and skilled in advocacy. We regularly act for clients in sentences, trials, bail applications, committal hearings and appeals.

Advocacy is all about persuasion. Having appeared in court thousands of times, we can quickly identify the issue in question from a jury, magistrate or judge. Whether the issue is about a conviction being recorded or a person being sent to prison, we have dealt with them all countless times and have learned what to say and what not to say.

When it comes to sentences, actions often speak louder than words. An expert criminal lawyer can advise you at an early stage about the things you can do to assist in getting the best possible outcome. For drug offences, that might mean undertaking rehabilitation and obtaining clean drug tests. For property related offences, that might mean making your best efforts to make early restitution towards any loss caused.