Criminal Lawyers Cairns

Who Are We?

“Our service is backed by decades of experience.”

With a wealth of knowledge and experience we pride ourselves in our ability to provide a high level of service to produce outstanding results. Our highly respected team will represent you in a professional and courteous manner utilising our extensive knowledge and expertise in criminal law.

Tom Eckersley and Peter Haarsma, as partners of E&H Law, will maintain complete control of your legal defence from start to finish which provides you with the confidence that you will be receiving the best legal representation throughout your matter, whether in the Magistrates Court, District Court or Supreme Court.

Court Locations We Attend
Cairns, Innisfail, Rockhampton, Bowen, Atherton, Tablelands, Mackay, Tully, Mareeba, Thursday Island, Townsville, Sunshine Coast, Mossman, Cooktown, Bundaberg and Brisbane

“Engaging an experienced legal representative on even a minor matter can have a dramatic effect on the outcome.”

It is crucial to have a strong and articulate legal professional providing the best advice and representation from the initial consultation to the subsequent court appearances, through to the completion of the matter, and at E&H Law we will ensure you receive the best possible outcome.

Matters in which we are experienced include:

Bail applications
Domestic violence matters
Drink driving / Disqualified driving / Work licences
Murder
Assaults and other violent offences
Rape
Supplying / Producing / Trafficking Dangerous Drugs
Possession / Importation of Dangerous Drugs

Tom Eckersley

Tom has around 25 years experience in criminal law having been admitted to practice as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 2003. Tom is a Cairns local. He was a student at St. Augustine’s College and gained his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degree at James Cook University. He has practised exclusively in criminal law since his admission.

Tom has significant experience having previously worked for firms in Cairns and Brisbane.

Tom’s experience has included cases where people have been charged with murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, drug offences, serious sexual offences including rape, as well as offences of stealing and fraud. He is also very experienced in all aspects of cases that involve traffic offences, including drink driving and driver’s licence issues.

Tom will give you honest and frank advice about how your matter should proceed. He is an experienced and passionate criminal lawyer whose interest is to ensure that every possible advantage available to his client is maximised.

Peter Haarsma

Peter has been working in the area of criminal law for around 15 years. He is admitted as a solicitor to the Supreme Court of South Australia, the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia.

Peter initially practised in Adelaide and then moved to Cairns, first of all working in commercial law then moving to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (Qld) Ltd practising in solely in criminal law.

Peter has extensive experience encompassing all forms of criminal defence law and has defended matters from murder, robbery and arson down to minor offending such as public nuisance. He has represented clients at coercive hearings and appeals.

The law can be a complex and confusing area. One of Peter’s strengths is his ability to analyse and explain these complex legal issues in a simple and easy to follow way to keep you informed every step of the way.

Peter is highly respected with a natural ability to ensure you will receive the best defence available.

Assault offences

Assault is a broad category that refers to the use or threatened use of force by one person against another which is not authorised, justified or excused by law. They can be categorised into 5 main areas.

Drug offences

Drug offences cover charges such as possession, production, and trafficking of controlled substances. The charges will vary based on the amounts and type of drugs, it is serious and can have lasting consequences.

Driving offences

In Queensland, all drivers need to be aware of the complex rules and requirements when driving any vehicle on any road. These laws and any traffic charges are strictly enforced as are drink driving or driving under the influence of drugs.

Dishonesty offences

Dishonesty offences and can cover a broad range of circumstances where a person can obtain property, take advantage, gain a benefit, or cause detriment to another person. These types of offences can be quite minor to extremely serious.

Sexual offences

Sexual offences are normally associated with, rape and attempted rape, sexual assault, possessing child exploitation material, unlawful carnal knowledge, sexual offences against children and indecent acts and are serious.

Domestic violence

Domestic violence is behaviour in a relationship that is physically, sexually, emotionally, psychologically or economically abusive, threatening, coercive or in any other way controls or dominates the second person.