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I will definitely be using your company in the future if needed. Lisa kept me at ease also there were no grey areas with great advice. Helana is a great front of house.

- Client

My legal matter concerning an application for a Domestic Violence Order was managed by Mr Thomas Allen. I am grateful for the outcome he obtained. Without Mr Allen and his ongoing support, I would be certain of a different result. It has been an extremely stressful period. Mr Allen’s astute ability to liaise on my behalf and his expertise was invaluable and for which I am grateful as I am now able to move forward. Thanking you

- Client

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Armstrong Legal and specifically Mr Thomas Allen for representing me in my recent case. At the outset, I would like to thank Mr Allen for the very professional delivery of his legal service. From the first time that I met Mr Allen, I was very impressed with his demeanour and delivery as he made me feel at ease knowing the severity of my case. Mr Allen not only gave me the possible positive outcomes of the case but also the realisation of the worst-case scenario as far as sentencing goes. … I will certainly be recommending Armstrong Legal to any of my friends or family needing representation in criminal matters. Thank you so very much.

- Client

Thank you for your representation and help. Fingers crossed for the next step and parole. I just want to say that from the first phone call to your office, your service has been outstanding and have put my mind at ease. I am glad I picked your number to ring.

- Client

Thank you Armstrong Legal, the lawyers that have helped over the past 3 years but more importantly, thank you to Thomas Allen for the major part you and Mr Buckland played. Cannot thank you enough. Cheers.

- Client

Hi all. I would like to thank Ms Lisa Riley for all her help with my legal issues this past month. It was the most harrowing experience of my life and thanks to her expertise, professionalism and knowledge of the law, I came out almost unscathed. I have no hesitation in recommending Lisa Riley and Armstrong Legal if you need help. The service is amazing and the cost was very minimal for the great outcome. Thank you Lisa for helping me in the most difficult time.

- Client

I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. My whole life I was thrown away, you made me feel like I did mean something. I could not have asked for a better lawyer. Your compassion and love for your job is inspiring. Your upfront and honesty were muchly appreciated, you are a beautiful person. Thank you for not giving up on me and thank you for all the work you put in. I wish you all the best for the future and I will be recommending you to everyone I know. You're amazing!!!!

- Client

I just wanted to thank you for representing me on Monday, I was overjoyed & relieved with the outcome. I don’t think it could have gone any better. All the best, I hope you got to celebrate this one instead after work, you forever made a difference in my life.

I know I thanked you before we parted company but please allow me to reiterate in writing my sincere deepest thanks for defending me in court today. … Armstrong Legal certainly has a great Lawyer you are a credit to the company and I'm quite sure you will secure a very successful future! … My Kindest Regards and Thanks

- Client

Throughout Angela has been the consummate professional. She maintained a calm, yet strong demeanour remained informative and completely open in her communication and took complete ownership of the situation. We felt confident we finally had an advocate to steer us out of the nightmare we were in, and she did so with great respect and sincerity. I cannot speak more highly of Angela. She has literally rescued our family from what looked very much like a hopeless future.

- Client

Words can’t describe how grateful I am to Trudie Cameron being my solicitor and to Andrew Tiedt presenting my case in the court. They both have been very supportive and amazingly professional and effective. I’ve got an absolutely fantastic outcome I couldn’t even dream about.

- Client

Soon after meeting Andrew I knew he was the solicitor I wanted to handle my matter. He immediately sprang into action which brought me stability and hope during a tumultuous time in my life. Andrew was never afraid to give me straight answers to my tough questions which is a true mark of integrity. He is clearly at ease in the court environment and I believe his calm and measured demeanour went a long way to helping me secure the best result from my day in court. I would certainly recommend you approach Andrew if you need assistance.

- Client

"Andrew Tiedt was very professional and considerate to personal circumstances and gave sound advice that resulted in the best outcome possible. Highly recommended."

This article was written by Fernanda Dahlstrom - Content Editor - Brisbane

Fernanda Dahlstrom has a Bachelor of Laws, a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. She has also completed a Master’s in Writing and Literature. Fernanda practised law for eight years, working in criminal defence, child protection and domestic violence law in the Northern Territory and in family law in Queensland.

Jury Service (Vic)

Victoria uses juries to decide most criminal and some civil trials. If you are summonsed to come to court for jury service, you must make efforts to attend. If you are unable to attend because of a reason such as an illness or carer’s responsibilities, you must apply to the court for a deferral or apply to be excused from jury service, using the form on the back of the summons.

Juries in Victoria are governed by the Juries Act 2000.

Composition of juries

Civil trials in Victoria are determined by a jury of six, while criminal trials use a jury of 12. In some cases, the court may make an order for the empanelment of additional jurors – there may be up to two extra jurors in a civil trial and up to three extras in a criminal trial.

All adult citizens who are on the electoral roll in Victoria are qualified to be jurors. However, persons are disqualified from jury service if they have been sentenced to certain terms of imprisonment for certain offences.

A person is ineligible to be a juror if they have worked in certain roles such as lawyer, judicial officer, police officer or governor or if they have served in certain other public official roles.

Being excused from jury duty

A person can request to be excused from jury service in Victoria for the whole or part of a jury period for a reason, including:

illness;
incapacity;
the distance they would have to travel to court;
substantial hardship that performing jury service would cause them;
carer responsibilities; (Section 8)

A person may apply to be permanently excused under Section 9 of the Act.

Empanelment of juries

When a panel of jurors is required by the court, a sufficient number of people must be selected from the jury pool. The panel members must then be informed of the type of action or charge that is to be tried, the names of the parties involved, the names of the main witnesses and how long the trial is expected to take.

Any person who will be unable to consider the matter impartially must be excused from jury service. This may be because they know one of the persons involved. Any person who will be unable to serve for any reason must also be excused.

Civil trials

In civil trials, each party may challenge two panel members without a reason.

Each party in a civil trial may challenge as many jurors as they like for a reason.

Criminal trials

In criminal trials, each party may challenge three panel members without a reason if only one person is standing trial and two panel members if two or more co-accuseds are standing trial.

Each party in a criminal trial may challenge as many potential jurors for a reason as they like.

Remuneration and allowances for jury duty

Jurors are entitled to payment for their attendance for jury service if they have attended court after being summonsed whether or not they actually served on a jury.

If a juror is in paid employment and misses work because of attending court for jury service, their employer must pay them the difference between the amount received as remuneration for jury service and the amount they would have received for working during the period of jury service.

Offences relating to jury duty

There are a number of criminal offences under the Juries Act. These include supplying false or misleading information so as to avoid jury service (Section 70), failing to attend when summoned doe jury service without a reasonable excuse (Section 71) and publishing the contents of the deliberations of a jury (Section 78).

After trial

After a person has completed their jury service, they are paid and receive a certificate of exemption from jury service for a period that depends on the duration of the trial.

Jurors must not disclose to others how the jury reached its verdict or what was said during deliberations even after the trial is over. Jurors must not reveal the identity of the other jurors.

If you require legal advice or representation in any legal matter please contact Armstrong Legal.

Sydney Office

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201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney NSW 2000

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575 Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

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91 North Quay
Brisbane QLD 4000

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Nishi, 2 Phillip Law Street
Canberra ACT 2601

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22 St Georges Terrace Perth