Advice Before Court

Free criminal law advice and information to help you prepare for court

Have you been charged with an offence and are due to appear in court? Or is there a problem with your community corrections order?

Advice Before Court is a telephone legal advice and information service offered for criminal and traffic charges in the Magistrates Court.

  • ​​​​If you are eligible for Advice Before Court, the paralegal will make a phone appointment for you to speak to a lawyer before your court date. 

  • The paralegal will get copies of all the relevant documents so the lawyer has everything they need to give you legal advice about your criminal charges.

  • We will need your permission to contact WA Police or Adult Community Corrections to get information about your case. 

  • Depending on your situation, the lawyer may help you prepare for court and a duty lawyer may represent you in court. 

  • If we can’t give you legal advice, the paralegal can still give you legal information or will refer you to another legal service.

If your court date is more than six days away, you can request help through Advice Before Court using this online form or by calling our Infoline on 1300 650 579. 

  • Introduction
  • Your details
  • Your charges
  • Contact preferences

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Disclaimer

Legal Aid WA makes Advice Before Court available so that you can register a request for legal help and provide us with the initial information and permissions we need to consider your request.

Use of Advice Before Court does not automatically mean we will be able to provide you with legal help or represent you at court. We will consider your request and contact you as soon as possible to let you if we can help you.

We try our absolute best to protect your information, but Legal Aid WA does not guarantee, and cannot ensure, the absolute security of information sent through the internet.

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Disclaimer

The information displayed on this page is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have a legal problem, you should see a lawyer. Legal Aid Western Australia aims to provide information that is accurate, however does not accept responsibility for any errors or omissions in the information provided on this page or incorporated into it by reference.