I made the biggest mistake of my life, which i will regret forever and I paid the price: A four year prison sentance.
I had run my own business for thirty years and had never been in any trouble with the law. Then I was charged with providing my business banks with misleading documents — a bank fraud charge that would change everything. A friend referred me to a criminal defence lawyer. I was so relieved to have a lawyer, any lawyer, in my corner, that I skipped the due diligence I'd normally apply to any major decision. That was my own fault, but who has a criminal defence lawyer on speed dial, and how do you know if they are the right lawyer for you? I went into sentencing full of false hope. I came out with four years in a tough prison.
In prison I was surrounded by people convicted of every crime you can imagine — prison is an alien, dangerous environment. I was terrified and completely out of my depth. I was put to work as a clerk in the prison office and slowly learned to cope.
My conviction was a white collar financial conviction, which was unusual in prison and because of — my business background, my education, and maturity — I became a mentor for the other inmates. The other inmates would spend endless hours discussing and sharing accounts of their numerous battles against criminal charges over the years. Being naturally curious, I must have listened to thousands of stories regarding criminal defence cases. I couldn't stop asking why inmates with near-identical charges and criminal histories, sentenced in the same courts, were serving completely different sentences. So I spent my time interviewing other inmates and mentally documenting their criminal defence experiences — I had to set aside my own feelings and opinions — to understand what separated the ones who walked away with an acquittal or a light sentence from those who didn't. What I found from the other inmates was a depth of hard-won, real-world knowledge about which lawyers actually deliver results — knowledge you simply can't get anywhere else. I mentally documented it all: the lawyers, the outcomes, the patterns. It became apparent that the same type of law firms and lawyers were the ones that achieved outstanding results.
One inmate I worked alongside was serving five years on drug charges, yet had been acquitted of a separate murder charge carrying a life sentence. He was adamant the result came down to his innocents but also the type of lawyer he had.
After my release, I couldn't sit idle. My conversations in prison clearly demonstrated that just because a lawyer has a good website, a local office, a friend's recommendation, a high price tag, or tells you what you want to hear, does not mean they are the right expert lawyer for you. So I set out to build something an organisation with no in-house lawyers to push that recommends lawyers based on their track record. That's why Goodwin Power exists.
Goodwin Power doesn't offer legal advice, it is not a law firm. It has simply identified a very small number of criminal defence lawyers with genuinely outstanding track records — We believe so much in the integrity and ability of our lawyers that we are confident enough to provide marketing services for them. We recieve a fee from the lawyers however we believe in the lawyers we refer peolpe to. Past results are not a guarantee of future outcomes, and every case turns on its own facts — but a proven track record is a far better starting point than a guess.
Everything until you engage a lawyer is free.
Talk to a real person. A confidential call so we understand your charges and circumstances.
Get matched fast. Within hours (or immediately, if bail is at stake), we put forward a specialist lawyer suited to your case.
Meet them for free. Discuss your case, hear or see real testimonials from past clients, and get an honest cost estimate.
Decide on your own time. No pressure, no obligation to engage.
The lawyers we refer you to cover every jurisdiction across NSW and even interstate, from minor charges to the most serious. If you choose to go ahead, you deal directly with the lawyer.
If an organisation like Goodwin Power had existed when I needed it, my life could have gone very differently. Don't leave it to chance — your next call could be the most important one you ever make. You have nothing to lose, and possibly everything to gain. Call us for a free, confidential conversation.
— William, Sydney
