The Criminal Law Team

Lionel Rattenbury - Partner

Lionel Rattenbury has extensive experience as an advocate in the Local and District Courts.

He has completed an extensive specialised Criminal Law Course and is an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law. He is also a co-author of Butterworths Local Court Criminal Practice.

Before opening his firm with partner Peter Magee, Lionel served as a Prosecutor for 9 years and has appeared in extremely complex and protracted cases including:

• A senior barrister charged with possession of child pornography.
• A solicitor charged with indecently assaulting a client.
• A barrister charged with assaulting a solicitor.

He regularly lectures to other solicitors on Criminal Law subjects, organised by the College of Law and at the Traffic Offenders program.

Lionel practices exclusively in criminal defence. His sincere yet formidable style has earned him his strong reputation among prosecutors and judges throughout NSW. His knowledge of the criminal justice system and how best to navigate through it put his clients‘ minds at ease.

John Meadley – Senior Criminal Solicitor

Prior to John joining Armstrong Legal he was a barrister for 25 years specialising in Criminal Law and Common Law litigation. As a barrister John appeared as counsel in hundreds of criminal trials and sentence hearings in the District and Supreme Courts of New South Wales.

Many of these matters involved representing people accused of very serious criminal offences including attempted murder, armed robbery, sexual offences and culpable driving (now known as dangerous driving occasioning death).

 In 2001, John worked as an acting crown prosecutor in Sydney and country District Courts. In 2002, John defended a man accused of a importing a large commercial quantity of drugs. The trial of the accused lasted 8 months and involved the cross examination of many crown witnesses.

Michal Mantaj - Senior Criminal Lawyer.

Michal Mantaj is a senior lawyer with 6 years experience in criminal law.

He has represented clients in a wide variety of matters, ranging from speeding and drink driving to million dollar fraud and child sexual assault.

Additionally, Michal has been asked to deliver a lecture on traffic law to the legal profession.

Michal’s approach to his work is founded on the principles of competence, a thorough knowledge of the law and respect for each client in their time of need.

Michal’s advocacy and strategic thinking skills have also been honed through his experience in civil litigation where he has represented some of Australia’s and the world’s largest corporations.

In his private life, Michal’s competitive spirit is evident in his pursuit on martial arts. Michal has achieved a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Andrew Tiedt - Criminal Lawyer.

Andrew started his career working in major government litigation. There he developed an ability to process complicated and confidential material and evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of cases.

Andrew brings a passion for advocacy to the team at Armstrong Legal. His strong work ethic and attention to detail allows him to confidently and thoroughly present a case in court. His excellent research skills mean his clients can rest assured that they are receiving only the best advice.

In his spare time Andrew enjoys refereeing soccer.