Advice Before Court
Free information to help you prepare for court
Have you been charged with a criminal offence or traffic offence?
Are you due to appear in the Magistrates Court at Perth, Joondalup, Midland, Armadale, Fremantle, Rockingham, Mandurah, Northam, Merredin or Moora?
Advice Before Court is a telephone information service offered for criminal and traffic charges in the Magistrates Court.
You will speak to a paralegal who will help you prepare for court and, depending on your situation, may be able to organise a duty lawyer to represent you.
The paralegal may help you in one of the following ways:
- Provide legal information related to your charge/s;
- Complete an intake process ready for you to see a duty lawyer at your next court date;
- Request a copy of the statement of material facts and your criminal record so that the duty lawyer has everything they need to give you advice about your criminal charge/s;
- Make an appointment for you to speak to a lawyer before your next court date (complex matters only and subject to availability);
- Complete an application for a grant of legal aid if you are charged with an indictable offence.
If we cannot give you legal advice or represent you in court, the paralegal can still give you legal information and will try to refer you to another legal service.
You can request help through Advice Before Court using this online form or by calling our Infoline on 1300 650 579.
To help you, we will need your permission to:
- contact WA Police or Adult Community Corrections to get information about your case;
- access your court records, including any Children's Court records, from eCourts Portal.
If you are due to appear in the Magistrates Court in a regional location, please contact the local Legal Aid WA office for help: Our offices | Legal Aid WA