Can I avoid a Criminal Conviction?

Drug offences often come with steep penalties including fines, imprisonment and a criminal conviction, which can hinder your future travel and employment prospects.

Depending on the nature of your offence, there is a way to avoid getting a criminal conviction – a non conviction order.

Getting a non conviction order for a drug offence, no conviction

Non conviction order means that you are guilty but the magistrate does not record a criminal conviction against you.

We believe that our law firm obtain a higher percentage of ‘non conviction orders’ than any other firm, and that we obtain section 10 dismissals and conditional release orders in cases where other criminal lawyers are unable to do so – see our drug case results published on this website.

If we believe that asking for a non conviction order is appropriate in your situation, there are a number of steps we will take, including:

• • Taking detailed information from you in conference, including how a criminal conviction could affect your job, your travel prospects and your future
  • Advising you to obtain up to three character references, and in some cases, a letter of apology to the court
  • If you are charged with ‘drug supply’, we can write a detailed letter to the local area commander of police requesting withdrawal of the supply charge in cases where there is no specific evidence of supply, or little or no circumstantial evidence of supply, and the client is a drug user rather than a supplier
  • Using our vast experience in drug cases to effectively and persuasively argue your case in court

While a non conviction order is not always possible, our drug lawyers will give you the best chance of avoiding a lifelong conviction and a criminal record.

What is a Non conviction order?

A non conviction order is used when there is an admission of guilt, but the magistrate chooses not to convict or penalise the guilty person.

Non conviction orders are available for a number of offences, including drug offences. Sydney Criminal Lawyers® has an excellent track record of obtaining non conviction orders for relatively serious drug offences.