According to the report, out of the 16,393 private law practices registered across Australia, sole practitioners make up 82 per cent.

One of the key drivers behind this upward trend is the increasing number of females entering the legal profession. Figures published in June this year show there are now 44,581 women in law in Australia and 39,052 men. Over the past decade, two-thirds (67 per cent) of those entering the profession have been women, while just 26 per cent of those becoming lawyers have been men.

For many women, the traditional career path in a mid-size or large law firm, has been pretty demanding, making it very difficult to balance career and family. Firms are changing their out-dated structures, but for many, rising to the top still requires long hours and heavy caseloads.

And it’s for this reason predominantly, that women are starting their own practices in droves — because working by themselves gives them much more flexibility to manage their own hours.

Regional coastal and rural areas benefit

It should be noted that regional Australia has really benefited from the rise in solo practitioners too, with talented lawyers embarking on sea-changes and tree-changes, moving out of the big cities and bringing their expertise with them.

Technology, of course, makes this all possible. Lawyers can still stay in touch with peer groups if they want to peer review cases, or simply obtain a second opinion. A lot of seminars and webinars which keep practitioners up to date with changes to the law, or other information that’s important to the profession as a whole, are also available online.

For clients seeking legal advice, there are significant advantages of this increase in solo practitioners.

Firstly, it makes access to legal advice easier. Whether clients are looking for an employment lawyer, a family lawyer, a criminal lawyer or a specialist local court lawyer to represent them in court, clients can easily search the internet and find what they need quickly and easily.

Secondly, generally speaking, the person who answers the phone when you make an initial inquiry will be the lawyer actually working on the case, which speeds up the process in many instances too (where there isn’t a reliance on other factors, such as dates set by the courts). With fewer people involved in the workflow process, clients benefit from a streamlined service.

More choices when it comes to getting the right legal advice

The final benefit for clients is financial. Because these small practices are cheaper to run than the big firms (they have lower overheads), savings can be passed onto clients via way of lower fees. Increasing competition means that service fees become standardised across practice areas.

In many cases, lawyers are beginning to offer fixed fees for straight forward legal matters, but they’re also in a better position to negotiate if they choose to and the circumstances require it.

It has to be said that although cost shouldn’t be a factor when you’re accessing specialist advice of any kind (medical, technical, legal) most lawyers are aware that it is a consideration for many who find themselves inadvertently in trouble with the law or suddenly needing legal advice.

While it is possible to represent yourself in local court, and there is a proliferation of resources available for free on the internet including template contracts and agreements, the right legal advice for your personal circumstances should never be under-rated.

There are plenty of people who have tried to go it alone, only to end up realising they did need legal advice after all.

The law, no matter what area: commercial, criminal, copyright etc – is incredibly complex – to turn your back on professional knowledge and expertise can be to do so at your peril.

This post is informative only. It is not legal advice. If you have a specific legal matter you’d like to discuss, please contact us. 

If you have a specific legal matter you’d like to discuss, please contact us. We service the area from Coffs Harbour to Byron Bay, Ballina and Tweed Heads regions on the Far North NSW Coast. We also represent children and juveniles in the Children’s Court as well.

To learn more about The Local Court Lawyers, see our What We Do page.

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To buy alcohol, or supply alcohol to a minor, is an offence.

If you are a minor (under 18) and caught buying alcohol, you will be fined (at least $220) or forced to face a court (where you could be fined $2,200).

The bottle-shop, and the person, at the shop, selling you the alcohol may also be fined. That is why it’s not in their best interest to sell you alcohol.

Using fake ID is also an offence.

Drinking alcohol at a private house can be lawful, if your parents have permitted it, and you are supervised by a ‘responsible’ adult.  But the person who gave you the alcohol to drink may still have committed an offence.  Even at a private house party, if a minor is very drunk, or very young, or given too much alcohol, then their parent, or the supervising adult, can be taken to court.

It’s illegal to drink in a public place (eg beach, park) – whether you’re a minor or not.

Drug possession

The NSW Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act keeps the local police busy during schoolies!  Just one or two pills, a joint, or as little as the remnants of a gram in the bottom of a baggie, can see you charged with a drug possession offence.  Fines, and a permanent drug conviction on your record, are highly likely if you end up in the Byron Bay or Tweed Local Court.  (Gaol is possible too, especially if you’ve been caught a few times).

Disorderly conduct offences:

Being a public nuisance, making excessive noise, offensive language, abusive or insulting behaviour, being abusive to others, smashing bottles…there is a raft of non-violent offences that usually stem from excessive alcohol consumption.  Some are considered minor and result in an on-the-spot fine, while others (particularly if the minor offence is one of several offences with which the person is charged), will see you sober-up, and come before the Tweed or Byron local court explaining the situation and hoping for a minor sentence.

Assaults

People get drunk and get into fights – it happens every year. Schoolies, toolies, regular punters and venue security… clash in the most ugly of circumstances. If charged and convicted, an assault will stay on your record as a criminal offence.  Assaults come in 3 types: (i) common assault (pushing, shoving, minor assaults); (ii) assault occasioning actual bodily harm (bites, punches, scratches, kicking, shoving and injuring) –these are more serious than common assault; and (iii) assault occasioning grievous bodily harm (broken bones, more serious injuries involving loss of blood, head injuries)….the more serious the assault, the more likely gaol will be a consequence – especially if alcohol or drugs are involved, and/or it’s not your first offence.

Don’t forget, there may be a defence to an assault, such as self-defence.  It’s beyond the scope of this blog, but it’s often a viable defence.

This is NOT legal advice.  This is designed to take some of the mystery out of the law for ‘google-lawyers’.  I repeat – it is not legal advice.  But we hope it helps.

If you want us to represent you, the Local Court Lawyers are experts in all local court matters. We work on the north coast: Coffs, Grafton, Lismore, Kyogle, MacLean, Ballina, Byron Bay, Mullumbimby, Murwillumbah or Tweed local courts.

This is NOT legal advice.  I repeat – it is not legal advice.  But we hope it helps you have a great schoolies.

We’ve got a 24/7 hotline during Schoolies: 0413 310 008

If you need a Lawyer and want us to represent you, the Local Court Lawyers are experts in all local court matters. We come to you, anywhere in NSW, but our head office is on the north coast: Coffs Harbour, Grafton, MacLean, Ballina, Byron Bay, Mullumbimby, Murwillumbah or Tweed local courts.

See What We Do as Local Court Lawyers

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2: Law Society search tool: the NSW Law Society is the administrative body that oversees all lawyers in NSW. The Law Society has a search engine on their website that will assist you to find a lawyer in the area of law you require.  Here is a link to the relevant page on the Law Society website: https://www.lawsociety.com.au/community/findingalawyer/findalawyersearch/index.htm

3: “Accredited Specialists”: There are some areas of law where a lawyer can undertake extra training, and become a Law Society Accredited Specialist. Some of these areas are: family law, property law, employment law, immigration law, and many more.  Lawyers can only use the word “specialist” in their marketing and website if they are Accredited Specialists in that area of law.  Here is a link to the page of Accredited Specialty areas: https://www.lawsociety.com.au/community/findingalawyer/SpecialistAccreditationScheme/index.htm

There is no specialist accreditation available in some areas of law (such as local court lawyers).  We are experts in local court matters, but we are not allowed to use the word “specialist” because there is no specialist accreditation available from the Law Society. If you see the word “specialist” in a lawyer’s advertisement or website, you can assume that lawyer is an Accredited Specialist.

4: Word-of-mouth: when it comes to assessing the reputation of a lawyer, word-of-mouth is the best resource. Find out from someone who has instructed that lawyer what they think of that lawyer’s work; or ask the lawyer about their successes in your type of matter/issue.

5: Compare: using different search terms, you should compare various lawyers. We suggest you search using the area of law in which you need advice (e.g. “employment law”) and the closest major towns/cities (e.g. “employment law Byron bay”, then try “unfair dismissal Ballina”).  Compare the websites, call the lawyer, narrow down your options based on their experience, reputation, fees and how they make you feel. Some lawyers can feel intimidating, or judgemental.  If you don’t feel comfortable with the lawyer, then keep looking until you find a lawyer who makes you feel comfortable.

6: Often lawyers will give you a free initial appointment. Consider asking if you can meet with your potential lawyer, before deciding.

If you are facing a Local Court Appearance in the Northern NSW region and need a good lawyer Contact us .  We are experts in all local court matters.

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1.  Bring your GOOD VIBES: leave your bad vibes with your ex-.

An alcohol and drug induced bad attitude wrecks SPLENDOUR for you and those who have to put-up with you – know when to stop.  Watch the 15 sec video below – he didn’t get it… at first!

2. Like puppies? Good.  Because if you try and bring DRUGS into the event, a cute puppy is going to sit down, at your feet, right before you’re searched and charged.

3. ‘Don’t gimme no lines and keep your hands to yourself’ – if it’s not yours, or your’re not asked or invited to touch or take it, then don’t.

Whether it’s someone’s stuff, or someone’s flesh: theft, assault, harassment, (whether or not it’s sexual), drink-spiking…  GET YOUR HAND OFF IT if it’s not yours.

4. Hey, what are you doing here?… I don’t mean ‘on this planet’.

Did you jump the fence?  Got someone else’s wrist band? Mistakenly think the event security are decorative?  If you’re told to get-going, then do it.

5. The morning after... the driver of your vehicle should expect to be drug and alcohol tested, as you come or go from the festival.

Pot and other drugs can stay in your saliva for days, and alcohol (even after a sleep) can still result in a drink-driving offence next-day.

If you, or a mate, make a mistake at Splendour in the Grass, Contact us for legal advice.

-Effective, Experienced and Affordable Byron Bay lawyers. We can represent you for ANY matter in the Byron Bay Local Court. 

We don’t recommend you do this at Splendour  – view video:

For more information about the Byron Bay Local Court Lawyers and how we can help you, see our ‘What we do‘ page.

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