General Legal Advice

I have been charged with an offence in rural or regional Queensland. Can you represent me?

Our criminal lawyers represent clients all over Queensland. In fact, a significant portion of our work is representing clients in regional and rural areas. There are over 120 Magistrates Court locations across Queensland and our criminal lawyers can appear in every one. This article will explain how we act for clients in regional and rural areas. We are extremely experienced in this area and will achieve the best possible result regardless of the court location. Some of our most common regional and rural court locations include: Toowoomba; Mount Isa; Longreach; Emerald; Townsville; Bundaberg; Dalby; Gladstone; and Roma Do I need a local lawyer? The...

What is a QP9?

By Erin Mitchell What is a QP9, where do I get it from and what do I do if it contains incorrect information? What is a QP9? A QP9 (also known as a Court Brief) is a document prepared by the Queensland Police Prosecutions when a person is charged with an offence. It outlines the exact charge/s against you and a summary of the alleged facts of the offence. It is also usually accompanied by a copy of your criminal and/or traffic history. It can contain other important information such as a summary of what other evidence might exist (eg. CCTV footage);...

Legal Costs: How much will my matter cost?

Legal Costs We are regularly asked by clients for an estimate of what their case will likely cost before the client is engaged. This video with managing director Rob Franklin answers how we deal with the costs involved with your legal matter. https://youtu.be/HN0aSV_256A We'll Provide Costs Upfront Each case is individual, and costs will be discussed in our free initial consultation before the client is engaged. When it comes to costs, we are committed to being absolutely upfront with clients about what their matter is going to cost. In some cases, we're able to provide a fixed fee. In most cases, though, given the uncertainty of what...

Why you need legal representation whether your matter is big or small

Sufficiency of evidence and public interest factors                     Two matters on my desk were finalised in the past week and they gave me cause to think about just how important it is to have sound legal advice and representation, whether your matter is a minor charge or a serious one. The ramifications for both sorts of criminal charges can be extremely damaging and long lasting. Matter #1 In the first matter, I had been sitting in the traffic court when a colleague from a court assistance program asked me if I could help out a clearly...

Facebook used for evidence in court

Bill Potts talks to the Gold Coast Bulletin about the increasing use of sites like Facebook as evidence for both the prosecution and defence. “…don’t put anything online that you don’t want thrown back at you in court…”

Judge Blasts Absent Jurors

Bill Potts provides comments to the Gold Coast Bulletin surrounding juror obligations to the court and community;

A Southport judge has demanded to know why potential jurors who failed to front jury duty should not be prosecuted.