Legal Aid Information
The Legal Aid Process
Once your grant of Legal Aid has been approved, we will obtain all relevant material from Legal Aid and/or the Police Prosecution.
After reviewing the material, we will contact you to discuss the allegations, explain the evidence, and obtain your instructions regarding the conduct of your matter.
If you are currently in custody, we recommend adding our office telephone number to your approved call list as soon as possible to minimise any delays in communication.
In most cases, an initial grant of Legal Aid funding covers the provision of legal advice, negotiations with the prosecution, and representation in court for plea and sentencing proceedings.
If you wish to plead not guilty and proceed to trial, we will obtain all available disclosure material from the investigating officer and undertake a detailed assessment of the evidence. We will then apply to Legal Aid for further funding by submitting a merit report demonstrating that the matter has a reasonable prospect of success.
Should Legal Aid decline to approve additional funding, we will contact you promptly to discuss the decision and advise you of the options available moving forward.
If further funding is granted and the matter proceeds to trial, we will prepare your case thoroughly and provide representation throughout the trial process.