When choosing Murray Torcetti Lawyers to assist you with criminal matters there are 4 stages, below are the stages so you know what to expect from us.
Stage 1 – Initial phone consultation
Cost: Free (but only if you promise to do something good for someone)
You don’t know us. We don’t know you. The free 15-minute phone consult is where we change that.
Stage 2 – Full Analysis Conference
A Full Analysis Conference might be at the very start of the process (right after you have been charged) or after you have been to court a few times and have decided that seeing a lawyer might be a good idea. A review of the police paperwork is conducted (before the conference if you can send it to us) to get a big picture of what the charges are and how they might proceed. An example of the Full Analysis Conference document can be found here.
- What is your side of the story?
- What are the strengths and weakness in the charges against you?
- What are the risk factors for you?
- What are the possible outcomes at court?
- What can you do to place yourself in the best possible position moving forward?
- What we will do to protect you and advance your interests.
Cost: $120
Stage 3 – Plan, Prepare and Progress (the longest stage, made up of number of smaller steps taken with your lawyer)
After the Full Analysis Conference, we prepare how to best defend your charges.
You will have a better understanding of the process and what to expect as your matters go through the courts. We will have a list of tasks for our lawyers to action and you might be given some homework (such as collecting witness details or collecting letters of reference).
Most of the time, instead of you taking time off work to come to court our lawyers will appear in court for you to progress your matters and advise the Magistrate or Judge about how your charges are progressing.
Your lawyer will be reviewing the police materials, conferencing and negotiating with the prosecution to work towards achieving your instructions.
This stage might be relatively brief or could take place over a number of months, it will depend on how you want to proceed and the type of charge you have.
An example of the steps we might take to get the best result are:
- Negotiating with the prosecution on the facts or the charges
- Writing submissions on the law about the charges
- Preparing an outline of argument for the court
- Preparing your statement
- Drafting legal documents to progress the matter
- Seek directions from the court for disclosure
- Reviewing personal references
Cost: Each matter is assessed depending on the charges and your instructions, you will be provided a costs assessment at stage 2 and a costs agreement for your matters. Where possible we prefer to use ‘fixed fee’ billing instead of ‘hourly rate’ so that you know what to expect.
Stage 4 –Trial or Plea (or a mix of both)
The groundwork has been laid and now it is time to execute your plan. This is the last stage of your matters. It could be a trial or a sentence depending on your instructions. This is where all the planning, preparation and advocacy come together where we work with you to get the best possible result.
