Committal Hearing

A committal hearing is a hearing conducted in the Local Court to determine whether or not an accused person should be committed to stand trial.

The importance of a committal hearing, where appropriate, cannot be overstated.

Whether to hold a committal hearing or not is a question that should be left to an accredited criminal law specialist or at the very least a solicitor with considerable experience in criminal law. The question is answered based on experience, the contents of the brief of evidence, and the desired outcome of a committal hearing.

A committal hearing can be used for the purpose of having the charges dismissed and the accused person discharged without the need to go to trial by jury; or to gather evidence so that the accused person gets a fair trial; or to gather evidence to determine whether it is appropriate to continue to defend the matter or alternatively make applciation for a No Bill application to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

If you are charged with a matter that is strictly indictable or a table 1 offence – (or if you do not know what that means!) then you should seek immediate advice about whether application should be made for a committal hearing.

There is no right to have a committal hearing – application must be made that satisfies the legislative requirements applicable.

Contact one of our accredited criminal law specialists – accredited by the Law Society for immediate and accurate advice on your matter. You can contact our urgent advice line or our Sydney office or Parramatta Office.

We attend Courts all over NSW – go to Courts That We Attend for a full list of the courts we attend. We also accept legal aid assignments for criminal trial matters. Even if your matter is in a country or rural location, having one of our experts appear for you could make the difference to the outcome – in addition, you might want a criminal lawyer who is not part of your local community to look after your matter. Call us immediately.