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Victoria's drink
driving laws carry harsh mandatory
licence loss penalties which leave no
room for excuses or second chances.
Getting expert legal assistance is
usually the only way to avoid the
draconian nature of these mandatory
penalties. The lack of court discretion
and no option for drive-for-work
licences means you need to win your case
in court. The chance of winning
without a specialist lawyer is very
remote.
Perhaps you have
received legal advice which suggested
you have to plead guilty because there
is nothing that can be done for you. If
your lawyer has no idea how to win then
you need to see someone who knows how to
help. Your
chance of an acquittal is not affected
by how high the reading is, how many
prior offences you have or your
personal circumstances. Only after
thoroughly investigating the police
case is it possible to determine
whether your chance of winning is high
or low.
Although most of my
work involves defending drivers and
doing everything possible to save their
licence, I also act for people who
decide to plead guilty and want expert
representation to ensure they keep
licence loss periods to a minimum and/or
avoid possible jail terms or community
work orders.
Before
you decide what to do with your case,
you should read the pages on breath
tests, infringement
notices,
penalties
and
legal
advice
because those
pages explain your options clearly.
During
and after a conference I will
investigate your case and advise you
whether defending the charges
successfully is a realistic option -
often it is! We discuss the
cost-benefits, and you then decide
whether or not you wish to go to
trial, enter into negotiations with
the prosecution or plead guilty to
achieve the lightest penalty
available.
Achieving
Your Goals
I
help you to achieve your
goals, including:
- an
acquittal - all charges dismissed
- saving
your licence
- avoiding
jail
- avoiding
community work orders
- avoiding
demerit points
- avoiding
a conviction or criminal record
- avoiding
Interlocks and other relicencing
hassels
- reducing
or eliminating fines
- reducing
and managing any licence
loss periods
- recovering
your legal expenses from the
prosecution
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