Margaret Cunneen: Barristers Are Not an ‘Old Boys’ Club’
Top criminal law barrister Margaret Cunneen SC is used to having the finger pointed at her. Last year, she found herself the subject of an ICAC inquiry after she allegedly advised her son’s partner, Sophia Tilley, how to influence a...
When Can Police Impound Cars?
Police can seize property for a variety of reasons, including when they suspect it is the proceeds of crime, or for use as evidence in a case – but the main way that cars are impounded in NSW is under...
Sleeping Killers: What Does the Law Say?
The criminal law is called upon to deal with all kinds of bizarre and unlikely scenarios, including situations where people kill while asleep. Although it may sound like a horror movie plot, homicidal sleepwalkers have been well-documented for centuries –...
Mental Health and Criminal Law: The Benefits of Psych Reports
Have you been charged with a criminal offence while you were struggling with a mental health problem? Sometimes, you can raise a mental illness defence and be found ‘not guilty’ on that basis. In other situations, a ‘mental condition’ can...
Legal Aid Pays Criminal Defence Lawyers Peanuts
For years, criminal defence lawyers have been highlighting the unfairness of a well-resourced prosecution - equipped with Senior Barristers and seemingly endless experts - prosecuting defendants without access to funds for top-notch lawyers or their own experts. The case of...
10 Tips on Starting Your Own Criminal Law Firm
I established my own law firm 14 years ago - less than three years after being admitted as a lawyer. I made many mistakes along the way, but the firm has grown exponentially because – unlike the firms I worked...
Predicting Crimes in Advance
Technology is constantly evolving in all walks of life, including law enforcement. CCTV footage, telephone intercepts, DNA profiling and GPS tracking have all become an integral part of the police force’s crime fighting artillery. And starting this October, Japanese giant...
Treatment of Prisoners Worse than Zoo Animals
Justice Action is a “community-based advocacy group targeting abuse of authority”. The organisation recently released a report comparing the treatment of prison inmates to animals being kept at Taronga Zoo. Their conclusion? That animals are treated better. Some might argue...
The Lawyer Won’t Release My Property! Getting Your Stuff Back
If the relationship between a lawyer and client goes downhill, one party may decide to terminate the agreement altogether. Clients can do this at any time, but will usually have to pay for work done up until the date of...
Judge Slams DPP’s Incompetence
Delays are an ongoing issue for many NSW Courts, but a Supreme Court Justice has labelled the DPP as “incompetent” for repeatedly misinforming the court about cases, leading to unnecessary delays in court proceedings. The Case of Hamzy Mohammed Hamzy...
