Kenneth Cheung
Principal Solicitor
Runs the practice and takes most first conversations. Appears in the Local Courts around Western Sydney and the District Court at Parramatta.
Criminal defence in Parramatta.
Solicitors for police matters, bail, charges and AVOs. Your first conversation is free.
Open until 5pm today. After 5pm, the same number takes custody and police calls.
What’s happened?
- Police want to talk to meGet advice before you agree to an interview.
- I’ve been chargedFind your charge papers: they show the court and the date.
- Someone’s in custodyRing us now. You can call for them.
- I have a court dateTell us the court and the date. Today or tomorrow? Ring.
- An AVOCheck the papers for your first court date.
Custody, police or court soon? Ring.
Don’t wait on an email or a form. A person answers, and you can ring for someone who can’t.
(02) 5550 0823One number, day and eveningWho answers, and when
| When | Who answers |
|---|---|
| Mon to Fri9am to 5pm | Tavita, then a solicitorAny matter. |
| Weeknights5pm to 10pm | The solicitor on callCustody and police calls only. |
| Sat and Sun8am to 8pm | The solicitor on callCustody and police calls only. |
| OvernightOther times | A messageLeave a name and number. We ring back from 8am. |
Answering isn’t the same as attending. The solicitor on call advises by phone. Whether one of us can get to a police station or a bail hearing, and what that costs, we tell you on the call.
Ringing for someone in custody?
You can. It helps to have:
- their full name and date of birth
- the police station, if you know it
- a number we can reach you on
They’re our client, so we speak with them directly and pass things on only with their OK, even when you’re paying.
The first conversation
Free
By phone, up to 20 minutes, with a solicitor.Nothing to sign.
We’ll cover what happens next, who would act and what it would cost. It isn’t written advice: we act for you once we’ve checked we can and you’ve agreed our costs in writing.
Fees, stage by stage
Each stage is priced apart. Starting prices, for a straightforward matter.
Never priced on the result. Success fees aren’t allowed in criminal matters.
-
Bail application
from$1,980
Local Court, including GST
Covers: a bail plan with you or your family, the application and the hearing.
Not included: the charge itself. Supreme Court bail is quoted.
-
Guilty plea
from$2,200
Local Court, including GST
Covers: the police facts, a conference, your references, and up to a day in court at sentence.
Not included: extra court dates, reports, a barrister, travel beyond our courts.
-
Defended hearing
Quoted
After we’ve read the brief of evidence
Quoted in writing before any hearing work starts. It turns on the evidence and the witnesses.
Your costs, in writing first. What’s covered, what isn’t, and what would change the price, before we start.
Instalments. Ask on the first call.
Legal aid, and where we stand
Our position
Cheung Hale acts privately. We’re not on a Legal Aid NSW panel, so we can’t take a matter on a grant of legal aid. If legal aid looks like the better route for you, we’ll say so on the first call.
It may be open to you
Legal Aid NSW decides, using its own tests, which can look at your means and at the matter itself. A concession card or being out of work doesn’t settle it either way, and we can’t tell you whether you’d qualify.
Help on the day at court
A duty solicitor may be able to help with a first appearance, a plea, an adjournment or bail, subject to eligibility. That’s help on the day, not a lawyer who stays with your matter.
AVOs work differently
Legal aid for AVOs follows different rules from criminal charges. Legal Aid NSW can tell you about yours.
Who will act for you
Marnie Hale
Solicitor
Runs most of our bail applications and the Children’s Court work. Usually the solicitor on call on weeknights.
Every solicitor practising in NSW must hold a current practising certificate. Check ours on the Law Society of NSW register.
Tavita Leota
Practice Manager
Answers the phone in office hours, books first conversations and runs the conflict check. He isn’t a solicitor, so he won’t give advice; he’ll get you to someone who can.
No “accredited specialist” here. It’s a title the Law Society confers on individual solicitors, and none of us holds it.
Who appears. We tell you at the first appointment, and if that changes, why.
Barristers. For some hearings we brief a barrister. They aren’t part of the firm, and their fee is quoted to you separately first.
No case results or client stories. They can identify the people involved, and no two matters turn on the same facts.
Where we appear
| Court | Sitting at |
|---|---|
| Local Court | Parramatta, Blacktown, Penrith, Fairfield |
| District Court | Parramatta |
| Children’s Court | Parramatta |
Somewhere else in NSW? Ask. We’ll tell you on the call whether we can attend, and what the travel adds, before you agree.
What we take on
- Police
- Interviews and investigations, before any charge
- Bail
- Applications, and changing bail conditions
- Charges
- Assault, drugs, theft and fraud, drink and drug driving, other traffic offences
- Court
- Guilty pleas and sentencing, defended hearings, conviction and sentence appeals
- AVOs
- Advice and representation, kept separate from any breach charge
- Under 18
- Children’s Court matters. The young person is our client.
After you call
- You ring, or we ring you at the time you chose.
- Tavita checks we can act for you. Names only, nothing about the charge.
- Your free first conversation with Kenneth or Marnie.
- What we’d do, who appears and the fee, by email. Nothing starts until you agree.
- We go through the police facts with you and prepare, at our office or by video.
- Kenneth or Marnie appears with you in court, then explains what happens next.
Questions people ask Tavita
Will I get a criminal record, or lose my licence?
It depends on the charge, the plea and the order the court makes, so we won’t guess here. Once we’ve read the police facts, we’ll talk you through the outcomes open to the court and what each would mean for you.
Is an AVO a criminal conviction?
No. In NSW an AVO on its own isn’t a criminal conviction and doesn’t give you a criminal record. Breaching one can be charged as a criminal offence, which is a separate matter.
Can my partner or a parent pay?
Yes. The person charged is still our client: we take instructions from them, and only share what they’re happy for us to share.
Can you act for my son or daughter?
Yes, in the Children’s Court. The young person is our client and gives us instructions. We’ll work out with you both how a parent stays involved.
What should I bring, and how do I send it?
Your court attendance notice or charge papers, any bail papers or orders, and the police facts if you have them. Please don’t email them before we’ve spoken. Once we’ve checked we can act, we send you a secure link.
Will you leave a message on my phone?
Only if you’ve said we can. A message never says what the call is about, and we don’t discuss anything with whoever else picks up.
Level 3, 10 Macquarie Street
Meet us here, or by phone or video if that’s easier or more private.
- Address
- Level 3, 10 Macquarie Street
Parramatta NSW 2150 - Phone
- (02) 5550 0823
- Office
- Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
- Lift from the ground floor lobby to Level 3.
- Phone or video for any appointment, if coming in is hard.
- An interpreter. Tell Tavita the language and we’ll book a phone interpreter.
Not sure where you stand?
That’s what the first conversation is for. It’s free, by phone, and you don’t have to decide anything on it.