Author Archives: Paul

Tougher drink driving penalties were today announced by the Victorian government. New legislation will soon be introduced to force all persons caught drink driving over the limit of .05% to have an alcohol interlock installed in their car for at least 6 months. Previously drink drivers who blew between .05% and .07% only lost 10 demerit points and paid a fine. Now all drink drivers in Victoria will have to have the interlock installed in their car. Also drivers in Victoria of taxis, trucks, commercial vehicles, tow trucks and buses who have more than .00% will also be forced to install the alcohol interlock. About 12,500 to 13,000 drink drivers are caught on Victorian roads every year. About 2500 of those are between 0.05 and 0.07. If you have been caught drink driving in Victoria then you need drink driving legal advice as the cost of the alcohol interlock can run into thousands of dollars over a year. If you have been charged with drink driving in Victoria call me on 0412 407 577 for legal advice.

How do you find good legal advice for a drink driving case? Firstly, choose a lawyer who has lots of experience. Ask the lawyer how many years have they been giving legal advice in drink driving cases. I have been giving advice to drink drivers for over 26 years. Secondly, try to speak to the lawyer personally before you book an appointment. This way you will know if you have a rapport and can communicate with each other. If you only get to speak to a secretary hang up! Secretaries are not legally trained. You can call me on 0412 407577 and I will speak to you. My secretary does not take my calls. When you meet the lawyer is he or she listening to you. If they are waxing on how great they are then you should be suspicious. Finally, free legal advice is worth what you pay for it. I offer a free assessment of whether you need to engage a lawyer. Some lawyers will advertise they offer free legal advice. The reality is they will charge you more for services later to cover the cost of the so called free legal advice. What you should ask is what will be the TOTAL legal cost of completing my case. I always advise all my clients at the first opportunity what the total cost will be to complete their case. This is both fair and transparent and avoids any doubt. It creates certainty and both parties know what to expect from each other. In my view trust and respect is the basis of a good relationship and that will result in good legal advice.

The short answer is because you will receive the best result possible for you. This is because the skill of your lawyer has a major affect on the result you achieve at court. I see many persons at court being represented by lawyers who are not experts in the area of drink driving or drug driving. When your licence is so important to your employment and family it is essential you use an expert like me to minimise the licence disqualification. An extra 6 months off the road could cost you many thousands of dollars in lost income. The extra fees you pay for an expert lawyer like me are far outweighed by the extra income you will earn by getting your licence back sooner.

The traffic law in Victoria is very complex and long. It is over one thousand pages! I have specialised in drink driving law for over 25 years. I have a detailed knowledge of traffic law. I have appeared in the Supreme Court, County Court and Magistrates Court in major drink driving cases. I am in court always representing persons charged with drink driving, drug driving, driving suspended or driving disqualified. This practical on the ground experience means I know how to achieve the best result for you. I keep up to date with all the latest developments in traffic law.

Use an expert! Call me on  0412 407 577  for expert advice.

NO. We have mandatory sentencing in Victoria for drink driving and drug driving offences. Mandatory means compulsory. There are no exceptions for anyone. There is an Act of Parliament called the Road Safety Act which all Magistrates must obey. That Act makes it compulsory for the Magistrate to cancel your licence and disqualify you from driving in Victoria for the minimum period stated in the Act. There are no exceptions for anyone. The minimum period is determined by your reading. If you are .11% it is 11 months, .12% it is 12 months, .13% it is 13 months and so on. If you have a prior offence within 10 years then the minimum period is doubled. So if you are .11% it is 22 months, .12% it is 24 months, .13% it is 26 months and so on.

Drug drivers face a mandatory 3 month disqualification for a first offence and six months for a second offence. There are no exceptions and no compassionate grounds.

The only drivers able to avoid mandatory licence disqualification are first offenders under .070% and subsequent offenders under .05%. Call me if this applies to you and I can help you avoid licence disqualification.

You may face hardship but that will not reduce the minimum period. You may lose your job. Again that is not going to reduce the minimum disqualification. You may have a sick or dying family member or loved one. Again that will not reduce the minimum period. It is a very strict law that has harsh and difficult consequences for many persons and I know many persons believe the law should have more flexibility to take into account your personal circumstances. But it doesn’t. The best you can achieve is to keep your disqualification to the minimum period. This is where I can help you. You might wish to offer to pay a higher fine and then receive a lower disqualification but that is not possible in Victoria. Also you might wish to offer to have the interlock device on your car for longer if your licence is not disqualified but again that is not possible in Victoria. There is literally no way to avoid the mandatory compulsory licence disqualification for the minimum period unless you defend and beat the charge in court. To beat the charge oin court you will need an expert lawyer like me to represent you.

Call me on  0412 407 577 for expert advice.

NO is the answer if you are found guilty of drink driving, drug driving or refusing a test. There is no such thing as a work licence in Victoria for persons found guilty of drink driving or drug driving offences. There are persons driving in Victoria on work licences but they were guilty of other types of driving offences such as speeding, careless driving or mobile phone offences. What is confusing to many is they see TV reports of work licences being given but they are not drink drivers or drug drivers. Also the reports are often drivers in other states where it is possible to obtain a work licence. So dont be misled.  There is no such thing as a work licence in Victoria for drink driving or drug driving.

YES is the answer if you are charged with driving suspended, driving disqualified or a low reading under .05% then I may be able to obtain a work licence for you. Please call  0412 407 577  for expert legal advice if this is you.