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Conferences
Conference between 3PM and 5PM Monday to
Friday are $400.00 for up to one hour.
Conferences at other times are
$450.00. How
to book a conference.
Pleading
Guilty
The
cost will vary depending on whether or
not your licence is at risk, or whether
you are at risk of jail, or you are in
breach of a Community Corrections Order.
The range is $1,600 for the simplest of
cases, and over $3,500 for more
complicated cases, including the initial
conference fee.
Defending
charges
The
total cost of defending a charge all the
way from initial conference to the end
of a contested hearing is usually in the
range $7,500.00 to $10,000.00. The more
complicated and demanding a case is the
more it is going to cost.
Resolving
a case at a contest mention (prior to a
contested hearing being allocated) can
cost from $3,500 to $7,500 depending on
what is involved.
In
the months prior to a contested
hearing date there are always
preliminary steps which require
court appearances. This work usually
costs between $1,000 to $2,500.
Preparation
for the contested hearing – all the
research and preparation, dealing with
the prosecutors, the court and the
client etc which done prior to the
contest – typically costs about
$1,600. The contested hearing day itself
typically costs between $3,500 and
$5,000 depending on the type and number
of charges that are being defended.
Please
read about the court
process to understand the
different types of court attendances
that are required. Defending a charge
takes many months and requires a minimum
of 2 appearances at court, and often it
requires between 3 and 5
appearances.
In
many cases, if you are successful in
your defence, the court can order that
the prosecution pay all or some of your
legal costs.
Typical
Legal Costs
Examples of legal costs you might incur
are:
- $400 for a one hour conference and
advice (at this point you will find out
if there is a reasonable chance of
successfully defending the charges, what
strategy will work best, and look at
what alternatives are available).
- About $2,800 for conference and
advice, plus appearance at court for the
Summary Case Conference to negotiate a
resolution to the case, then
presenting a plea of guilty in
mitigation of penalty if the case
resolves.
- About $7,500 for
conference and advice, plus
completion of a Summary Case Conference,
plus appearance at court to defend minor
traffic charges at a hearing, including
all preparation as well as presenting a
plea in mitigation if any charges are
found proved.
- About $10,000 for initial conference,
summary case conference with
prosecutors, contest mention hearing,
preparation for a contested hearing,
attendance at court at contested hearing
to defend serious traffic offences that
carry a lengthy licence loss period.
Extra
expenses
Extra
costs can occur if your case involves:
- unusual
adjournments
- expert
witness reports
- lengthy
legal research and written submissions
- dealing
with multiple charges laid by multiple
informants
- travel
and accommodation
- subpoenas
or affidavits
- written
memorandum of advice
- interlocutory
applications
- recovery
of legal costs from the prosecution
- attendance
at police stations
- transcription
of tape recordings
- excessive
photocopying, photography, printing or
courier costs
- Lodging
an appeal and seeking permission to
drive pending appeal.
The above fees are for a barrister
representing you in court, not a solicitor.
Legal costs do not include witness expenses
if you are engaging expert witnesses to give
evidence or advice in your case.
Payment
Options
All legal
fees must be paid by credit card, cash or
bank transfer as each step in the
proceeding is completed.
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