Lyons and Lyons is a successful boutique firm of Sydney lawyers. We concentrate our efforts on providing high quality legal services in specialist legal areas. One of our main areas of practice is criminal law.
The law punishes certain activities by imposing penalties on them – fines or periods of imprisonment. These are criminal offences.
There are many categories of offences – offences involving violence, such as assault or murder, sexual offences such as sexual assault or indecent assault, property offences such as theft, dishonesty offences such as fraud, and motor vehicle offences, such as DUI and negligent driving.
The “seriousness” of a criminal offence is commonly measured by the penalty applied to it. Murder for example, punishable by life imprisonment, could hardly be more serious. However for many people, the devastating affect that a criminal accusation can have on reputation is of as much concern as any punishment. This means that some people will feel obliged to defend a criminal charge which others would not consider “serious”.
When a person is charged with a criminal offence there is an inevitable reaction from family and associates. This can create a sense of stigma in the accused person - even when they are fully aware of their own innocence.
In fact, for many of our clients the experience of facing a criminal charge is one of the worst things they have faced in their lives. However, a professional, understanding criminal defense lawyer can help you to survive criminal charges.
It is critical to get legal support from the outset. Subject to certain limited situations where the law requires you to provide specific answers to police questions, our strong advice to our clients is to get legal advice before talking to police. This can avoid misunderstandings that can be very difficult to resolve once charges are laid. Lyons and Lyons criminal lawyers are available to take on criminal matters at short notice and can meet with you at the police station or in prison as necessary to protect your rights.
Legal support is important whether or not you intend to plead guilty to charges. By involving your lawyer, you can ensure that you get the full benefit of a guilty plea, including in relation to grant of bail, the charges laid and the ultimate sentence.
If you are pleading not guilty, legal representation is critical. Police professionals are engaged to build the case against you. Your criminal defence lawyer is there to build your side of the case, investigating and establishing your defence to the charges.
Regardless of whether our client pleads guilty or not guilty, our single concern is to protect your interests. Lyons and Lyons approach all our clients with professionalism, respect and understanding, supporting them through the negative effects of criminal charges.
Lyons and Lyons provide a confidential, highly professional service in the field of criminal law. If you are facing criminal charges and need to find a criminal lawyer, please contact our office on 02 9387 7699 to arrange a free, no obligation consultation with one of our experienced criminal law solicitors.