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Garde Wilson Lawyers

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Garde Wilson Lawyers
Founded2004
FounderZarah Garde-Wilson
Headquarters
Melbourne
,
Australia
Key people
Mitch Fraser, General Manager.
ServicesCriminal Defence Law
Websitegardewilson.com.au

Garde Wilson Lawyers is a criminal defence law firm based in Melbourne, Australia, founded by Zarah Garde-Wilson. The firm is renowned for its expertise in handling complex criminal cases and representing high-profile clientele.

History[edit]

Garde Wilson Lawyers was founded in 2008 by Australian criminal defence attorney Zarah Garde-Wilson, known for her rise to prominence during events surrounding the Melbourne gangland killings between January 1998 and August 2010 and her vital role bringing public attention to the severe breaches of legal ethics at the core of the Lawyer X Scandal[1] [2] [3].

In 2019, she was joined by Mitch Fraser, who became the firm’s General Manager in 2021. The following year the firm expanded, opening its first interstate office in Gold Coast, Queensland.

Notable Clients[edit]

Tony Mokbel: Zarah Garde-Wilson's connection with Mokbel has been notable throughout his legal battles and she has represented him in various legal proceedings [4] [5] [6].

Robert Karam: Zarah Garde-Wilson represented Karam in his appeal against a 37-year prison sentence [7] for his role in a large-scale drug smuggling operation. Karam's case was complicated by the "Lawyer X" scandal, where his former lawyer, Nicola Gobbo, acted as a police informant, compromising his defence[8] [9].

Tony Larussa: Zarah Garde-Wilson acted for Tony Larussa, a cattle breeder from Gingin, and successfully argued for his drug trafficking conviction for hiding 10 kg of methamphetamine to be overturned [10]. Initially sentenced to over a decade in prison, Larussa's conviction was thrown out by Western Australia's highest court. This decision came after he had fought the allegations for five years, maintaining his innocence throughout the legal battle[11]​​​​​​.

Fadi Haddara: Alleged Haddara crime family boss, Fadi Haddara faced firearms charges in 2024, including possessing unregistered firearms and handling a stolen Glock handgun [12]. Zarah Garde-Wilson represented contesting all charges in their entirety [13]. This followed a series of raids by Victorian Police under Operation Skyborne set up by Taskforce Santiago [14], which targeted the Haddara family's criminal activities [15]​​​​​​​​.

Osman El-Houli: Osman El-Houli, a truck driver, was found not guilty of attempting to possess a border-controlled drug after allegedly being hired to drive 3,000 km from Melbourne to collect 400 kg of cocaine in Queensland. Represented at trial in the Supreme Court of Queensland by Zarah Garde-Wilson, the jury acquitted him of all charges after a four-hour deliberation [16] [17] [18].

Practice Areas[edit]

The firm specializes in a range of criminal law areas, including but not limited to:

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Glamorous gangland lawyer the mastermind behind exposing police". www.9news.com.au. 2018-12-05. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  2. ^ Flower, Wayne (2018-12-04). "Glamorous gangland lawyer tried to close down a 'dual agent' lawyer". Mail Online. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  3. ^ "Lawyers condemn comments from Daniel Andrews over Lawyer X special investigation". ABC News. 2023-07-17. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  4. ^ "Lawyer appeals to Supreme Court over licence". ABC News. 2008-03-19. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  5. ^ Petrie, Selma Milovanovic, Tony Wright and Andrea (2011-04-19). "King without a crown". The Age. Retrieved 2024-06-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Flower, Wayne (2022-01-23). "Gangland kingpin 'Fat' Tony Mokbel continues fight for freedom". Mail Online. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  7. ^ "'Extraordinarily unethical behaviour': Top cops savaged over role in Lawyer X scandal". ABC News. 2019-10-20. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  8. ^ Flower, Wayne (2018-12-04). "Glamorous gangland lawyer tried to close down a 'dual agent' lawyer". Mail Online. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  9. ^ "Informer 3838: Royal commission to examine how gangland lawyer turned on her clients, News.com, December 5, 2018". news.com.
  10. ^ "West Aussie cattle farmer a secret meth kingpin". The West Australian. 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  11. ^ "Cattle breeder meth 'trafficker' has conviction quashed". The West Australian. 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  12. ^ Morgan, Cassandra (2024-01-17). "Alleged gangland boss poised to fight gun charges". The Courier. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  13. ^ Juanola, Chris Vedelago, Marta Pascual (2024-04-12). "When the head of a crime family found trackers on his car, he knew the game was up". The Age. Retrieved 2024-06-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Melbourne police raids target Middle Eastern gangs". ABC News. 2014-03-17. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  15. ^ "Haddara clan members arrested in police raids in Melbourne, Herald Sun, April 13, 2023".
  16. ^ "Truckie charged over alleged 400kg coke smuggling plot found not guilty, The Courier Mail, May 26, 2023".
  17. ^ "Truck driver found not guilty over 400kg cocaine plot". www.9news.com.au. 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  18. ^ "Vic crime gang head jailed for ice - 9News". www.9news.com.au. 2015-09-17. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
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