Criminal & Traffic · Canberra
5 drink & drug driving firms in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, including Canberra City, Belconnen, Woden, Tuggeranong.
5 firms
Canberra, ACT · Canberra
Andrew Byrnes Law Group provides legal services in Canberra, ACT. Listed practice areas include Criminal Law, Partner & Family Visas and Drink & Drug Driving.
Penalties depend on the reading, your driving history and the state. A lawyer can check the testing procedure, advise whether to plead guilty, and prepare material such as character references and course certificates to argue for the lowest possible penalty.
Drink driving penalties include licence disqualification and, for many people, loss of work. How the matter is handled in court makes a real difference.
Each state sets its own blood alcohol offences, penalties and interlock rules. Many states require alcohol interlocks after certain offences, and some allow courts to decline to record a conviction for low-range first offences.
Understand the next step
Provide the notice, alleged reading or test information and any licence action. Explain prior relevant matters and the practical consequences you want the lawyer to assess.
A court outcome and administrative licence requirements may need separate explanation; ask about both.
A Canberra address does not automatically mean ACT law is the only law involved. Commonwealth decisions, workplace matters and transactions involving nearby NSW can require different experience and procedures.
For drink & drug driving, ask which parts of the work the firm handles itself and whether it has relevant ACT experience. Let the lawyer know if a property, employer, other party or existing proceeding is outside Canberra. Your home address alone does not determine the applicable process.
Send the charge, summons, bail paperwork and hearing dates through the method requested by the lawyer. Identify whether you are enquiring for yourself or someone else.
Ask what evidence is available and what must be obtained. Decisions about a plea or statement should follow advice on your own circumstances.
Confirm who will attend the next event, where to meet and what preparation is included. Ask how changes in the case would affect the estimate.
One mention, a contested hearing and an appeal are different scopes of work. Ask about preparation, barrister fees and additional appearances.
Ask for a written scope identifying the work you are authorising, the person responsible and when costs will be reviewed. If you only want advice on one step, say so before the firm begins wider work.
Make hearing dates and bail conditions clear at first contact. If the firm cannot assist in time, ask about an available practitioner or the relevant legal-aid service.
In the ACT, the Magistrates Court and Supreme Court share the caseload without an intermediate court. Tenancy, discrimination, planning and guardianship disputes go to ACAT. Canberra also hosts many federal bodies, so public law and Commonwealth employment matters are common. The ACT Law Society regulates practitioners and handles complaints.
Good to know
Most drink driving convictions carry disqualification. In some circumstances a lawyer can argue for a shorter period or a section 10-style non-conviction outcome where available.
Most matters start in the Magistrates Court. More serious cases go to the Supreme Court of the ACT. Family law matters are heard by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
Practising certificates in Australian Capital Territory are managed by the ACT Law Society. You can check a solicitor's status on its public register or by contacting it directly.
Canberra, ACT · Canberra
Hugo Law Group Canberra provides legal services in Canberra, ACT. Listed practice areas include Criminal Law, Traffic Offences and Coronial Inquests.
Gungahlin, ACT · Canberra
Pennicott Weir Lawyers provides legal services in Gungahlin, ACT. Listed practice areas include Criminal Law, Property & Conveyancing and Employer Advisory & Industrial Relations.
Grace Jill G provides legal services in Canberra, ACT. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Criminal Law and Contested Wills & Family Provision.
Paul Edmonds provides legal services in Canberra, ACT. Listed practice areas include Criminal Law and Drink & Drug Driving.
Directory guidance updated 19 September 2026. General information to help you prepare for a conversation with a professional; not advice about your individual matter. Check current requirements with the relevant authority.