As part of a Red Cross and YMCA initiative I am going to be donating blood today and voting for Forster YMCA as the gym with the best and most generous members! GO FORSTER!!!

As part of a Red Cross and YMCA initiative I am going to be donating blood today and voting for Forster YMCA as the gym with the best and most generous members! GO FORSTER!!!

I recently acted for a man that was charged with a total of 5 breaches of Apprehended Domestic Violence Order. All of these breaches were of a non-violent nature and (in my view) as a result of a totally unwork...

I recently acted for a man that was charged with a total of 5 breaches of Apprehended Domestic Violence Order. All of these breaches were of a non-violent nature and (in my view) as a result of a totally unworkable clause in the ADVO that should never have been implemented.
The breaches of ADVO were also breaches of a section 9 Good Behaviour Bond. The history of his relationship with his wife, the person in need of protection, was tumultuous to say the least, with each being charged with assault against the other (the wife on two occasions and our client on one) and each being the person in need of protection on reciprocal ADVOs. They had 3 children together who were also listed as PINOPs on the father’s order against the mother.
The father first sought my advice when he had been charged with just 2 breaches arising from one incident. The day before we were set to go to Court for these 2 offences he was charged with another breach and was arrested. He was refused bail by police and remanded to appear before the Local Court the next day. We were able to get bail and we had the fresh matter set down for sentence on the same day as the previous 2 matters so that they could all be dealt with together and he did not have to re-appear before the same Magistrate with a ‘further’ breach. At this stage, given the number of offences and the fact that he was on a GBB at the time, my client was understandably concerned that he would be in custody over Christmas and would not be able to see his children. I remained hopeful that we would get the benefits of the Court’s discretion and was aiming for a s. 12 suspended sentence.
Then again on the day before the 3 matters were set down for sentence my client telephoned me from custody: he had been charged with another 2 breaches of ADVO. He was refused bail by both police and the Court. I sought to have these 2 matters set down for hearing at the same time as the previous 3 matters for the aforementioned reasons. At this stage both he and I were preparing for the worst. However, after an extended plea before the Local Court Magistrate, my client was sentenced to a further s. 9 Good Behaviour Bond for the period of 2 years with supervision by Probation and Parole Services. Needless to say, he was extremely happy and relieved and gave me a bottle of one of the finest Penfolds red wines as a token of his gratitude! I have no doubt that he would have received a much more severe penalty if I had not had all of the matters listed for sentence at the same time.

I have recently been appointed to the Legal Aid Criminal Law (General) Panel and Stacks/Forster is on the Duty Roster for Forster Local Court starting in March 2012. So come and see us for all of your criminal ...

I have recently been appointed to the Legal Aid Criminal Law (General) Panel and Stacks/Forster is on the Duty Roster for Forster Local Court starting in March 2012. So come and see us for all of your criminal law needs!

Digby Dunn, Michael Laurence and I recently worked together on a matter involving both workers compensation and motor vehicle accident claims. the MVA claim was fraught with difficulty, and it seemed that the w...

Digby Dunn, Michael Laurence and I recently worked together on a matter involving both workers compensation and motor vehicle accident claims. the MVA claim was fraught with difficulty, and it seemed that the workers compensation scheme would provide the client with a better and quicker result in his circumstances. This advice was given and the client elected to pursue the workers compensation claim rather than the MVA claim. I saw this client at the local shopping centre yesterday. He made a point of coming up to me and telling me that he has turned his life around following the accident; had recently gotten married and bought a house, and had just gained well-paying employment. He said: "I just wanted to thank you for everything that you all did for me. You were fantastic and I really appreciate it. It was the beginning of a bright new future for me." It was great to see such a happy client.