17 October

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Tax Offences

On the 1st July 2015 a special prosecutions taskforce was established to deal with the increasing number of cases of tax fraud, the “Serious Financial Crime Taskforce” (SFCT). Up until then most tax related fraud was investigated by the ATO in conjunction with the Federal Police and in some cases the CDPP – (Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions) Since the establishment of the SFCT there has been raised liabilities of over $473 million and $175 million collected. Matters treated as a potential risk to the SFCT are as follows: Failure to keep proper company or business financial records Failure to lodge annual...

17 October

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A look back: Bill Potts featured as guest columnist on Gold Coast Bulletin

Posted by Potts Lawyers

in Criminal Law & Offences

We recently discovered this article from our Founding Director, Bill Potts, while trawling through our archives. Article Transcription Prisoners of Past - by Bill Potts A CONVERSATION I recently had at a dinner party caused me to rethink how to approach my daily grind. The lot of a criminal lawyer is often that of a professional apologist. Every day, having read the police brief and trawled through my client's often incoherent and sometimes incredible instructions, I have to stand in front of a judge and explain the impossible. Saying sorry for the criminal sins of clients requires attention to detail, a liberal dose of under- standing,...

25 September

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Bill Potts comments on overcrowded prisons

Posted by Potts Lawyers

in Criminal Law & Offences, General Law News

Our Founding Director, Bill Potts, was interviewed by the Courier Mail on the issue of overcrowded prisons in Queensland. The article is available here, with an extract below: FRIEND IN THE COURTS Another critic who says community debate has to quickly move beyond punishment and retribution towards crime prevention and rehabilitation is Queensland Law Society deputy president Bill Potts. “Only the very hardened and perhaps cynical people think the current solutions are working,’’ Potts says. “Armchair critics and Monday morning quarterbacks, who decry how soft judges are, don’t know how the system works and don’t see the endless parade of mental illness and...

21 June

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Bill Potts comments on homicides involving balconies, cliffs and other heights

Posted by Potts Lawyers

in Criminal Law & Offences, General Law News

Extract from News.com.au, click here to view the original article. CHILLING new Queensland research has revealed there could be a “dark figure” of people who have gotten away with murder after falls from a height were dismissed as accidents. QUT school of justice senior lecturer Claire Ferguson found the numbers of homicides involving balconies, cliffs or other heights could be higher than reported because determining if a fatal fall was an accident, suicide or homicide was often impossible based solely on medical evidence. The forensic criminologist also found that in a number of cases the death was originally misclassified as an accident before...

01 June

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Ashleigh DoRozario receives commendation from Governor of Queensland

Posted by Potts Lawyers

in General Law News, Litigation

A big congratulations to our litigation team member, Ashleigh DoRozario. Last night Ashleigh was honoured at Government House and named one of the 60 most influential people in the 60 year history of MS Queensland. This is the second commendation Ashleigh has received from His Excellency The Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, Governor of Queensland, having previously been named MS Queensland Young Person of The Year. Ashleigh was diagnosed with an MS-related disease in 2009 and despite becoming legally blind due to the condition, she continues to work at Potts Lawyers and is now entering the final year of her law degree,...

30 May

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Bill Potts comments on funding issues in Queensland’s justice system

Posted by Potts Lawyers

in Criminal Law & Offences, General Law News

Our Founding Director and current Queensland Law Society Deputy President, Bill Potts, was interviewed by Sherele Moody of the Daily Mercury: The State Government needed to invest more money in community and low-cost legal services, said Bill Potts, whose firm represents clients in our region. "We build bridges, we build roads, we build tunnels but why don't we spend that kind of money on the justice system?" the deputy president of the Queensland Law Society said. "We have people being denied justice - they are being convicted or they can't appeal properly because they are being denied access to a system...

30 May

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Bill Potts comments on domestic violence issues in Queensland

Posted by Potts Lawyers

in Criminal Law & Offences, Domestic Violence, General Law News

Our Founding Director and current Queensland Law Society Deputy President, Bill Potts, was interviewed by the Gold Coast Sun on the funding issues exacerbating domestic violence in Queensland. Although he said the Queensland Government had managed some great results and he was aware funding only went so far, former head of the Queensland Law Society and leading criminal lawyer Bill Potts said a lack of focus on DV perpetrators could be exacerbating the issue. “Within that DV area, while a lot of focus is on victim support and specialist courts there is a massive need for diversion programs for perpetrators,” he said. “The...

28 May

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Post-employment Obligations: Restraint of Trade and Non-Solicitation

Posted by Jason Papoutsis

in General Law News, Litigation

Article by Jason Papoutsis, Litigation Lawyer What Employees and Employers should know Quite often, when the employer-employee relationship ends, employees often forget that some of the clauses within their employment agreements often extend beyond the employer-employee relationship. Even in circumstances were no employment contract exists, employees might still owe a fiduciary duty to their employer which may extend beyond the employer-employee relationship. Common issues that often arise in relation to restrain of trade and non-solicitation include: former employees working with one of their main competitors and/or divulging trade secrets to that competitor; former employees opening up a new business which directly competes with their...

18 May

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Bill Potts comments on Aussie Rules player Daniel Lock’s penalty

Posted by Potts Lawyers

in Criminal Law & Offences

Our Founding Director and current Queensland Law Society Deputy President, Bill Potts, was interviewed by Janessa Ekert of the Cairns Post. He commented on the penalty imposed by the Queensland District Court at Cairns on Aussie Rules veteran, Daniel Lock, who plead guilty to causing grievous bodily harm. Former Queensland Law Society president & criminal lawyer Bill Potts said the result was unsurprising and it would have taken extreme gratuitous violence completely outside the play to result in a custodial sentence. He said the precedent for this type of case was set during the '80s and involved former Brisbane Lions coash...

Tax Offences

A look back: Bill Potts featured as guest columnist on Gold Coast Bulletin

Bill Potts comments on overcrowded prisons

Bill Potts comments on homicides involving balconies, cliffs and other heights

Ashleigh DoRozario receives commendation from Governor of Queensland

Bill Potts comments on funding issues in Queensland’s justice system

Bill Potts comments on domestic violence issues in Queensland

Post-employment Obligations: Restraint of Trade and Non-Solicitation

Bill Potts comments on Aussie Rules player Daniel Lock’s penalty

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