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Domestic Violence Lawyers Melbourne
The Domestic Violence Lawyers at Ondrik Larsen Lawyers understand that relationships can be complex, and so can dealing with domestic violence allegations in a Court.
We represent people charged by police with any assault or domestic violence related charges in all Magistrates’ Court and County Courts in Victoria.
At Ondrik Larsen Lawyers, we will listen, and you will be heard.
If you are facing assault charges, including those involving domestic violence, our experienced domestic violence lawyers will help you achieve the best possible outcome.
Because we believe that your future matters and we will fight for your rights.
Domestic Violence Lawyers Melbourne
At Ondrik Larsen Lawyers, we will listen, and you will be heard.
The Domestic Violence Lawyers at Ondrik Larsen Lawyers understand that relationships can be complex, and so can dealing with domestic violence allegations in a Court.
We represent people charged by police with any assault or domestic violence related charges in all Magistrates’ Court and County Courts in Victoria.
If you are facing assault charges, including those involving domestic violence, our experienced domestic violence lawyers will help you achieve the best possible outcome.
Because we believe that your future matters and we will fight for your rights.
Domestic Violence Charges and Intervention Orders
Domestic Violence (or Family Violence) offences are a type of offending often involving accusations of threats or violence/assault against either a current or former partner or family member.
When a person is charged with a domestic violence offence, there may be multiple charges involved and the police will in most cases apply for an Intervention Order against you. An Intervention Order is not a criminal case, it is a civil case, separate from the criminal charges.
Intervention Orders are orders made by a Court which make it illegal for you to do certain things, such as contacting the complainant/victim, going to their home, work or school, publishing things about them on the internet etc. In many cases, an Intervention Order is made because it is necessary to protect the complainant, but in some cases, the conditions of the Intervention Order do not reflect the wishes of either the complainant or the accused person and sometimes can be impractical – which is why it is important to get our lawyers involved early, so we can ensure that if any conditions are imposed, your voice is heard before any Orders are made.
While an Intervention Order is not a criminal case and is not the same as criminal charges, if you breach (or contravene) a condition of the Intervention Order, you may be charged with a criminal offence. If you breach the order several times within a specified period, you can be charged with a Persistent contravention of the Intervention Order, which is an even more serious criminal offence.
For more information on Intervention Orders, visit our page Intervention Orders.
Penalties for Family Violence matters can range anywhere from adjourned undertakings to jail and this type of offending is always taken very seriously by the Courts. The outcomes will vary depending on the circumstances of the case, but you can rest assured that at Ondrik Larsen Lawyers we will do our best to get you the best possible results.
We have a high success rate in getting charges withdrawn, or even a Diversion in many domestic violence cases.
It is extremely important to get in contact with our domestic violence lawyers as soon as you have been accused of or are charged by police with a domestic violence offence, this way our lawyers will be able to take care of both the criminal charges and any Intervention Order application and work on a case strategy at the earliest opportunity. Every minute counts towards getting you the best outcome. In many cases we have been successful in having all charges withdrawn before our clients have even stepped foot inside a courtroom.
We understand that the consequences of being charged with a criminal offence and the outcome that follows can be life changing, even if you are charged with a relatively minor assault charge. A criminal record can affect your current and future employment, your ability to travel overseas and to obtain insurance etc. It can also affect any current or future firearms licence, security licence or Working With Children Check applications.
We will always provide you with realistic advice, including being upfront and honest about your prospects and assure you that we are here for YOU and we WILL listen.
The key to success is getting in touch with us as quickly as possible, so if police have asked you to “come in for a chat” or a formal interview, or if you have already been interviewed by the police, act fast, put your best foot forward and get in touch with our domestic violence lawyers today.
CASE STUDIES
Domestic Violence Charges NOT Proceeded With
Allegations:
Our client and the complainant were in a serious relationship and intended to marry. They were both living in Australia on student visas.
It was alleged that our client and his partner had gotten into a verbal argument which turned physical with our client allegedly hitting his partner to the back of her head with his fist, causing a lump. Whilst making her statement to police, the complainant stated that similar incidents had happened in the past, including physical violence and choking.
Police wished to interview him in relation to allegations of Recklessly Causing Injury and Unlawful Assault and obtained an Intervention Order against him for the protection of his partner.
Our client had no criminal record and he and his partner were both concerned that criminal charges would impact his student visa and any future travel.
Charges:
Police interviewed our client in relation to charges of:
- Recklessly Cause Injury under s.18 Crimes Act 1958 (Vic). Maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.
- Unlawful Assault under s.23 of the Summary Offences Act 1966 (Vic), the maximum penalty for which is 15 penalty units or imprisonment for three months.
Outcome:
This client contacted our Domestic Violence Lawyers at Ondrik Larsen lawyers before he was interviewed by police where we immediately gave him the right legal advice in relation to allegations of recklessly causing injury and unlawful assault on his partner.
Given that he contacted us before his interview with police, we were able to immediately begin working on a case strategy based on his instructions and our professional experience. The client followed our advice in his interview with police.
After his police record of interview, our domestic violence lawyers immediately prepared submissions to the police as to why he should NOT be charged with any criminal offence.
The complainant provided police with a signed statement setting out her version of the assault against her. She did not understand that by signing the initial statement to police that her partner would be charged. She was initially reluctant to sign the statement because English was not her first language and she was uncertain about some of the language used in the statement, but she signed it, nonetheless. What she had actually hoped to achieve by speaking to the police, was for the police to essentially scare him and persuade him to get some counselling so they can improve their relationship, as that is something that might typically occur in their home country.
She soon after made a statement of no complaint indicating that she wished for the police to take no further action. Whilst this provided the victim with a voice, it is important to note that merely because a victim provides a statement of no complaint, it does not automatically mean that the charges would not be proceeded with or dropped.
Following the strategic thought given to the matter at the outset and our persuasive submissions to the police, our client was not charged by police. The complainant got what she really wanted – for her partner to be taught a lesson, and to engage in counselling. She and her partner continued their relationship and were able to continue with their lives without fear that their futures together would be drastically affected by any criminal charges.
Domestic Violence Charges Withdrawn
Allegations:
Our client, “A”, was engaged to be married to her partner, “B”, of many years. They had gotten into an argument which in turn became physical. There were allegations that they had each hit each other, including slapping and punching to the face. Our client’s partner, “B”, had contacted 000 after our client, “A”, allegedly refused to let “B” leave the premises, and police soon arrived.
The police made an application for an Intervention Order against “B” and was interviewed by police in relation to charges of unlawful assault where he made admissions to hitting our client and also stated that “A” had also hit him several times and refused to let him out of the home.
Our client, “A”, contacted our office soon after the incident occurred, adamant that she did not wish for any Intervention Order to be put in place against her fiancé, nor did she want him to be charged with any criminal offence for what had occurred that evening. They were intending to marry, had a child between them and this would greatly affect their relationship and family dynamic.
Intervention Order:
We provided our client with advice in relation to the Intervention Order police had applied for against her fiancé and assisted with voicing her wishes to the police in relation to the intervention order and potential charges against her partner.
The Intervention Order application by the police was subsequently withdrawn by the Police.
A and B continued with their relationship and planned for their wedding day, believing that the worst was behind them.
Several months after the incident and after the Intervention Order against her fiancé “B” was withdrawn, police contacted “A”, to interview her in relation to allegations of an unlawful assault against “B”. She immediately contacted the Domestic Violence Lawyers at Ondrik Larsen lawyers. This enabled our office to speak with the police before the interview, obtain instructions and develop the appropriate strategy for our client before attending her police record of interview.
Charges:
Several months later, both our client and her partner were charged with unlawfully assaulting one another and summonsed to attend the Magistrates’ Court.
This is a rare but not entirely uncommon situation for both to be charged.
The maximum penalty for Unlawful Assault under s.23 of the Summary Offences Act 1966 (Vic) is 15 penalty units or imprisonment for three months.
Outcome:
With careful and thoughtful planning which began even before our client was interviewed, we prepared thorough submissions as to why the charges against both “A” and “B” ought to be withdrawn.
The prosecution agreed to WITHDRAW ALL CHARGES against each of them, before the first court date. Neither of them had to step foot in court.
This was an outcome that both parties involved genuinely wanted. They never wanted their partner to be charged with what had occurred. They accepted that they had each made a mistake and they had, after the incident, undertaken couples counselling before they married to ensure that they developed better communication strategies. Their futures were preserved, and they were able to maintain a clean criminal record and continue with their professional careers thanks to our experienced Domestic Violence Lawyers.
Diversion for Domestic Violence charges
Allegations:
Our client was the passenger in a vehicle being driven by her partner when they began to have a heated argument. Our client punched her partner in the arm several times and then proceeded to hit him in the head and scratch his eye. Passers by noticed the altercation and called 000. Police arrived and our client was interviewed where she made full admissions to punching him, hitting him in the head and scratching his eye.
Charges:
She was charged with 1x charge of unlawful assault under s.23 of the Summary Offences Act 1966 (Vic), the maximum penalty for which is 15 penalty units or imprisonment for three months, and received a summons to appear in the Magistrates’ Court.
Outcome:
After engaging our domestic violence lawyers to act on her behalf after receiving the summons to appear in court, our lawyers began to work on her case immediately to gather supporting material to use to assist us in persuading police to agree to recommend Diversion.
Our client had no criminal history and was a professional who stood to lose her licence qualifications if she were to receive a criminal record.
After assessing the material put to the police prepared by our domestic violence lawyers, including detailed written submissions, police and the prosecution were persuaded to recommend Diversion which was ultimately approved by a Magistrate.
Our client avoided getting a criminal record for domestic violence charges and her career and her future were both preserved.
What our client’s say about us:
“Olinka and Ashlee are great team, knowledgeable and took my case like theirs. They successfully negotiated my criminal charges to diversion order and further reduced the timeframe of my diversion plan to only 14 days while i was previously advised by another lawyer diversion is not possible in my case. I glad that i made the quick decision to switch my case to Ondrik Larsen Lawyers with favourable outcome and save my career and future. Many thanks to them !!!”
“I am so glad I found them after going through a whole list of criminal lawyers on google. They had the best reviews and really did come through for me. My partner was charged because of my misunderstanding on him and my lack of knowledge with regards to how the whole legal and police process works. I never thought that it was possible to have the case completely dismissed with no criminal record on my partner. However, Ashlee was very professional right from the start of the process and gave a very clear fixed fee arrangement so I know what I am up for in terms of legal fee. The case was adjourned at mention hearing and Ashlee was able to liaise with the prosecutor to dismiss the case completely to avoid having to show up at court again which would incur another court fees on our end. This is an outcome that I never thought would be possible without a professional criminal lawyer’s assistance. Ashlee was also very friendly and made sure to keep us posted with the whole process and progress of the case and truly care about us, not purely as the client. I would highly recommend them for any criminal law matters!! Thank you so much for all your assistance!!”
“Last year i had 5 count of charges pressed against me by the police , I was really in some hot waters , very stressful time and extremely difficult when it’s the police I was going against . I knocked on a few lawyers doors they all were really pecimist they
couldn’t give me a glimpse of hope on the outcome of going to court but one thing was sure expensive they were $$$$ .But my luck will change when I come across onlinka at ondrik and Larson it was a game changer she approached me and my case with respect and professionalism second to none I felt that I was in good hands
Her level of expertise is amazing her experience and commitment to get me out of this trouble paid off big time , she manage to do what others could not today all five charges has been withdrawn thanks to Olinka , I cannot thank her enough she is definitely the best and will be highly recommended”
“When I called her for the first time before the interview with police, she gave me a legal advice without cost issue and I can’t explain how relieved I felt at that time. Since then, Olinka was very nice and her instructions were always clear and helpful.
As a student, cost was one of the concerning issues, but Olinka always explained about the cost in detail beforehand and the cost itself was also friendly.”
“Ashlee and Ondrik are legendary, as they helped me to have my unlawful assault charge fully withdrawn! I had a unlawful assault charge back in Feburary 2020 when I had an argument with my partner one night and I stupidly called the police who had the body cam to record everything I said against me. I was sooo worried about this charge and so did my partner. We actively searched online and booked quite a few consulting sessions with some lawyers, among all of them, we chose Ondrik’s team, and it turned out that our choice is absolutely right! I want to address here that Ondrik’s team are very professional and with reasonable charge. Before contacting them I consulted one lawyer with relatively higher cost and he even told me that this case is no big hope and there would be big cost if I kept going, and I could actually leave it aside and it would not affect my future career! Hopefully and luckily, we then contacted Ashlee who was very patient and try her best to calm me down from the overwhelmed stress. After that, Ashlee and Ondrik were carefully taking care of my case, Ashlee even replied me promptly and detailedly when she was on her pregnancy leave. And finally, after almost one year of time, the charge against me was formally and fully withdrawn today! All the process was exactly going through like they have planned at the very beginning. Huge thanks to Ondrik and Ashlee from my bottom of my heart, I do not even know how to go ahead with my life if this case was still hanging there, and I am actually studying and pursing a teaching career at this moment, this means a lot to me! Definitely recommend their service to guys need it!”