Experience: Michael Vo, Criminal Defence Solicitor

I've practised in criminal law for over sixteen years, across both defence and prosecution. Between 2013 and 2016 I worked as a Prosecution Solicitor at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions NSW, running Local and District Court matters and instructing Crown Prosecutors in serious District and Supreme Court trials.

That means I've sat in the room where charging decisions get made, seen how briefs of evidence are assembled, and learned firsthand where a prosecution case is strong — and where it isn't. It changes how a defence is built: testing the evidence the way the other side will, and knowing which battles are worth fighting.

I've been Principal Solicitor at Austere Legal since 2016, appearing regularly in the Local, District and Supreme Courts of NSW, as well as the Children's Court and Coroners Court. You're not just getting a defence lawyer — you're getting someone who has stood on both sides of the bar table.