Get help with traffic offences
How can Legal Aid WA help?
If you are going to court for a traffic offence, the Duty Lawyer Service may be able to help you if:
- you are appearing in a Magistrates Court outside the metropolitan area
- you are appearing in the Children’s Court (in any location)
- the duty lawyer is assisting you with other criminal charges at the same time, or
- you are in a general arrest/remand court list and a sentence of imprisonment is a possible maximum penalty for one of your traffic offences.
If you are not sure, you can ask to see the duty lawyer on the day. Please understand that the duty lawyer might not be able to help with your traffic charges.
Grants of aid for a lawyer to represent you are generally not available for matters in the Magistrates Court, unless there are special circumstances and your offences are serious.
Contact us
Call the Infoline or contact your nearest Legal Aid WA office to find out what help we can give for your situation. If we can’t help, we may be able to refer you to someone else who can.
Please let us know if you need an interpreter.
Where else can I get legal help?
There are many private lawyers who offer advice and representation for traffic matters. The Law Society of WA has a directory of its members you can use to find a lawyer that works in this area. You can also use this list of private lawyers who do work for Legal Aid in the Magistrates Court.
Can I represent myself?
It is not uncommon for people to represent themselves in the Magistrates Court on traffic matters, especially if the offence will not result in a serious penalty or consequence. For many traffic offences, being convicted results in you being disqualified from driving for a period of time. For some offences, imprisonment is a possible penalty that can be imposed.
If imprisonment or another serious consequence is an option for the court when dealing with your charge, you should get legal advice before you enter any plea to the charge and it may be best to have legal representation in court.
The information on the other pages in this section and in the detailed information sheets below, can help you decide how serious your offence is, what the penalties and other consequences of conviction could be, and whether or not you should get legal advice or representation. They also explain what to do if you receive an infringement notice for a traffic offence, instead of being prosecuted in court.
Resources from Legal Aid WA
Reviewed: 9 September 2026