Mandarin-Speaking Criminal Lawyer in Melbourne

If you or a family member has been charged, interviewed by police or served with an intervention order in Victoria, you can get advice from a criminal lawyer who speaks both Mandarin and English. Our practice has been based in Melbourne since 1990.

Why language matters in a criminal case

Criminal cases turn on detail: exactly what police allege, what you said in an interview, and what the evidence can prove. Being able to discuss those details in the language you are most comfortable with reduces misunderstandings and helps you make decisions with confidence. In court and in formal documents we work in English, and the court can arrange an interpreter for you where needed.

In practice in Melbourne since 1990

Melbourne Criminal Defence Lawyers is the criminal law division of Chua Tan Associates, a Melbourne law practice that has served the Chinese-Australian community and the wider Melbourne community since 1990. Our firm has extensive experience in criminal law representation and has represented people charged with criminal offences in Victorian courts for many years, from first mentions and bail applications to pleas, contested hearings and appeals. That experience means we have seen the kinds of matters our clients face many times before, and we have long-standing working relationships with Melbourne criminal barristers, so the right counsel can be briefed for each hearing.

• Established 1990. A Melbourne practice with its office on Queen Street in the CBD, a few minutes from the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.
• Extensive criminal law experience. We have represented clients in criminal matters for many years, in the Magistrates’, County and Supreme Courts, including summary charges, indictable offences and Commonwealth prosecutions.
• Complex financial and sexual offence matters. A large part of our criminal work involves complex financial crime, including fraud, money laundering and proceeds of crime, and sexual offence charges, where the brief is long, the evidence is technical and the consequences are serious.
• Family violence intervention orders and related family law. We handle a large number of family violence intervention order matters, and the related family law issues that often come with them, such as parenting arrangements and property, so the intervention order, any criminal charge and the family law case are considered together.
• Fast response. We aim to reply to every enquiry on the same business day. Urgent matters, such as someone in custody, a bail application or a police interview, are dealt with first, and a priority consultation is available if you need advice quickly.
• Advice before a police interview. If police have asked you to attend an interview, speak with us first. Advice before the interview, about your right to silence and what police are likely to ask, can shape the whole case, and it is often the most valuable time to get legal advice.
• Cross-border allegations and scams. We act in matters with an international side, including cross-border fraud and money-movement allegations and scams, and we work closely with lawyers in other countries to coordinate your representation where a matter involves more than one jurisdiction.
• Across Victoria. Consultations are online, so we can advise you wherever you live, and we travel to courts across Victoria, including regional courts such as Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and the Latrobe Valley. Any travel cost is included in your written quote.
• Advice in English and Mandarin. Your lawyer explains the evidence, your options and the likely consequences directly, without relying on an interpreter.
• Advocacy-trained principal. Justin Chua appears in court himself as a solicitor advocate, with advocacy training through the Australian Advocacy Institute, the Law Institute of Victoria and the law societies of New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia.
• Barristers chosen for the case. We brief experienced criminal barristers we work with regularly, matched to the charge and the court.
• Criminal and immigration advice under one roof. Our firm includes two Law Institute of Victoria Accredited Specialists in Immigration Law, Kin Wee Chua and Chit Thian Chua, so where a charge could affect a visa, the criminal case and the migration consequences are planned together.

Matters we commonly handle

• Drink and drug driving, including for international students and temporary visa holders
• Family violence and personal safety intervention orders
• Money laundering and proceeds of crime, including bank accounts used to move money and informal currency exchange
• Fraud and deception, including Centrelink and ATO matters
• Drug trafficking and other drug offences
• Assault charges and urgent bail applications
• Dangerous and culpable driving

Criminal charges and visas: advice from Accredited Specialists in Immigration Law

For people who are not Australian citizens, the way a criminal matter is resolved can matter as much as the penalty. A sentence of imprisonment of 12 months or more (including sentences added together) can trigger visa cancellation under the character test in the Migration Act 1958 (Cth), and other convictions may need to be disclosed in future visa applications. Chua Tan Associates includes two Accredited Specialists in Immigration Law, accredited by the Law Institute of Victoria. If you engage us, they can advise on the visa side of your matter, including responding to a notice of intention to consider visa cancellation, so your criminal defence and your migration position are handled together. See 刑事案件对签证的影响.

How to get started

1. Send us your charge sheet, police summary and court notice (or the intervention order application) for a confidential review.
2. If you would like advice on your case, arrange a paid online consultation in Mandarin or English.
3. If you engage us, we obtain the police brief, test the evidence and advise you on your options before any decision is made.

Frequently asked questions

Do you have a Mandarin-speaking criminal lawyer in Melbourne?

Yes. Justin Chua, our Principal Solicitor, advises clients in Mandarin and English. He is a native English speaker and works in English in court.

Can my family contact you on my behalf?

Yes. Family members often make the first contact, especially if someone is in custody. We will need to speak with the person charged before acting for them.

Do I need an interpreter in court?

If you are not comfortable following the hearing in English, the court can arrange an interpreter. Tell us early so it can be organised.

Is there Chinese-language information about Victorian criminal law?

Yes. See our Simplified Chinese pages at /zh/ and Traditional Chinese pages at /zh-hant/.