Do you want to know the Legal Rights and Procedure In South Australia?

Contact Woods & Co Lawyers in Adelaide

We are a specialist Criminal Law firm with decades of experience and a great reputation.

Bail and Breach of Bail

Bail is a legal process that allows individuals accused of a crime to be released from custody while awaiting trial or other court proceedings.

Powers of Police to Search

Traditionally, police require a drug search warrant to search your premises. In South Australia we are unique in that detectives in the police force are issued General Search Warrants

Spent Convictions & Police Clearances

When sentencing for criminal offences, courts have a discretion as to whether or not to record a conviction. When no conviction is recorded, or when a sufficient time period elapses after sentencing,

Want to learn more about legal rights and procedure in South Australia?  Contact our legal team today

  • We have over 20 years of experience in delivering great results in criminal and traffic law cases in Adelaide

    We listen! We help! We deliver

  • Our client reviews support the high level of satisfaction we achieve for you.

    We have over 100 5-star reviews across Google & Facebook

  • We specialise only in Criminal and Traffic law matters. Our expertise, reputation & knowledge is second to none.

    We protect your rights!

Ralphtiley Tiley
Ralphtiley Tiley
21/03/2024
I hadn't had much experience with lawyers and I found Hugh to be very experienced in my matter.He kept me advised through the whole process and I was very happy with the outcome he obtained.I would recommend them to anyone needing legal help
Mandy Sheer
Mandy Sheer
25/02/2024
I used Hugh on a traffic matter, very stress free, informative and great results! Highly recommend 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
ferruccio cardellini
ferruccio cardellini
08/02/2024
I contacted woods and co lawyers with a matter that I was not convinced could be resolved. After my meeting with Vivian Ngo, I was assured that she would do everything she could to help. Vivian was successful and my matter resolved quickly. I think Woods and Co , especially Vivian Ngo, are worth their weight in gold! Thank you again Ferruccio Cardellini ( Fish )
Chloe Sampson
Chloe Sampson
21/01/2024
Vivian is an amazing lawyer! She was reassuring the whole time and made me feel comfortable throughout the whole process. Highly recommend
priscilla cher
priscilla cher
05/01/2024
Thank you to the wonderful team at Woods and Co for the professionalism, care, time and effort and excellent service delivery. Thank you from our family to yours. With joy and grace, Priscilla & family
David Ndura
David Ndura
17/12/2023
A big thankyou to Vivian Ngo and her team for her professionalism, knowledge & fast response in achieving a fantastic outcome for my case. I would definately recommend Woods &co for legal advise & representation
Adam Matthews
Adam Matthews
18/11/2023
I would like to draw attention to the excellent and professional conduct of Ben chehade at woods and co, he worked tirelessly, and communicated with my partner and I every step of the process, After hours included to put together a genuine supporting argument to secure me a favourable result on a criminal matter, I will make it clear that breaking the law will always draw a penalty I know this first hand, And all people make mistakes, I'm not proud of it. But with a energetic, confident lawyer like Ben on your side he will secure you a fantastic and fair result !!!!! To Ben I say thankyou!!!
Hayder Al Hamdany
Hayder Al Hamdany
25/10/2023
They are reliable, honest and operate with integrity. I recommend them to anyone who is looking for some great legal advocacy and support. Ben always takes the time to answer any questions I may have, and provides me with all the options available. As a new with a legal matter, it can be difficult to find a suitable lawyer. I was lucky to be connected to Ben. On another note, their charges were also very reasonable to the services they provided.
Google rating score: 4.9 of 5, based on 86 reviews

We protect your rights!

At Woods & Co lawyers we advise  you to speak with a lawyer before speaking to the police.

Normally, you are required only to provided your name and address but there are some offences where you are obliged by law to answer certain questions.

Call our team today on 08 8311 3111 in order to protect your rights.

If the police arrest you and have charged you then provided they have reasonable grounds to believe it is necessary to identify you (or identifying you as the person who committed an offence), then they have the have the power to;

  • take your fingerprints
  • photograph you
  • make a voice recording of your voice
  • request you supply a sample of your handwriting

Otherwise, they need an order of a Magistrate.

Reasonable force can be used to photograph you or take your prints.  Force cannot be used to take a handwriting or voice recording but you commit a criminal offence if you disobey a reasonable direction.

To learn more about this please call our team on 08 8311 3111.

When can police search your person?

  • Under the  Controlled Substances Act 1984 if they believe on reasonable grounds you are possessing an illegal drug.
  • If you have been arrested.
  • If a police officer has reasonable grounds to suspect you are in possession of a firearm subject to seizure.
  • Police can ask you to empty your pockets but unless they have proper grounds to do so they may commit an illegal search unless you agree.

When can police can search your house?

  • If they have a General Search warrant.
  • If they have obtained a valid drug warrant for a premises.
  • Without a warrant, if they reasonably believe there is a firearm or ammunition subject to seizure. 

Can police search your vehicle or vessel?

  • If they have reasonable cause to suspect that there are stolen goods, or you are in possession of an object which constitutes an offence, or there is evidence of an indictable offence. 
  • Similarly if the police suspect on reasonable grounds that you are in possession of illegal drugs then they can search your vehicle or vessel. (They need to meet a higher test of belief to search your person

The above should not be relied upon for legal advice.  Each circumstance can change.

Call our friendly and experienced team to protect your rights.