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Practice area 01

Criminal Law Advice and Representation

Terra Australis Legal assists clients who have been charged with, or are being investigated for, criminal offences in Queensland. If police have contacted you, get advice before you say anything.

Free call 1300 165 767 Email an enquiry

Terra Australis Legal defends criminal charges in Queensland Magistrates, District and Supreme Courts, from traffic and drug matters to serious indictable offences. Queensland is a code jurisdiction: offences and defences are set out in the Criminal Code Act 1899. If police have asked to interview you, get advice before the interview — a recorded account cannot later be withdrawn or corrected.

The first 48 hours usually matter most.

A criminal charge is not just a court date. It affects your employment, your licence, your ability to travel and — where children are involved — family law and domestic violence proceedings running alongside it. What you say in a police interview, and whether you say anything at all, can shape the rest of the matter.

We provide advice and representation across the full range of criminal law matters, from a first police contact through to summary hearings and indictable trials. Where a plea is the right outcome, we negotiate the charges and the facts, and we prepare sentencing submissions properly — because that is where the real difference is usually made.

Matters we act in
Police interviews and investigations
Bail applications and variations
Assault and other offences of violence
Drug possession, supply and trafficking
Fraud and dishonesty offences
Property and stealing offences
Traffic offences and drink driving
Contravention of domestic violence orders
Plea and charge negotiations
Sentencing submissions
Summary trials in the Magistrates Court
Indictable matters in the District and Supreme Court
What happens next
01

Urgent advice

If you are in custody or due at an interview, we deal with that first — before anything else.

02

The brief of evidence

We obtain and review the police material, then tell you where the prosecution case is strong and where it is not.

03

Plea or fight

A clear recommendation, the realistic sentencing range, and the consequences of each path — put to you in writing.

04

Court

We appear with you. For indictable matters we brief counsel and remain on the record throughout.

Criminal law guides

Detailed guides on the questions we are asked most.

01 →

Drink Driving and Traffic Offences

Alcohol ranges, mandatory disqualification, work licence eligibility and drug driving.
02 →

Drug Offences

Possession, supply and trafficking, police diversion, and how searches are challenged.
03 →

Assault and Violent Offences

Common assault through to grievous bodily harm, and when self-defence answers the charge.
04 →

Bail Applications

The unacceptable risk test, show cause offences, and Supreme Court applications.
Common questions

Straight answers to what we are asked most.

Do I need a lawyer for a first court appearance?

A first appearance is usually a mention rather than a hearing, and you are entitled to ask for an adjournment to obtain legal advice at no cost to you. Pleading guilty on the spot to finish the matter is the most common avoidable mistake, because it can forfeit applications that must be made in the same proceeding as sentencing — a work licence in a drink driving matter being the clearest example.

Will a conviction be recorded against me?

Not necessarily. Whether a conviction is recorded is a separate question from what penalty the court imposes, and in many cases the court has a discretion. That discretion is exercised on material about your circumstances, employment and the impact a conviction would have — which is why it needs to be prepared before the sentencing hearing, not raised afterwards.

Should I answer police questions?

In most cases not before getting advice. The right to silence is real and exercising it is not evidence of guilt. An account given early, before anyone has considered what lawful excuse or defence may be available, cannot be withdrawn and can narrow what is arguable later.

Which court will my charge be heard in?

Summary offences are dealt with by a magistrate sitting alone. More serious indictable offences proceed to the District or Supreme Court, generally before a judge and jury. Because the characterisation of the offence determines the path, it is often the most consequential issue in the case rather than a technicality.

Get in touch

Talk to a lawyer, not a call centre.

Tell us what has happened and we will tell you plainly where you stand, what it is likely to cost, and what the next step is.

Free call
1300 165 767
Post
PO Box 386, Kenmore QLD 4069