John Amiradakis is an experienced solicitor with over 20 years of experience in various fields within the legal profession, working abroad in South Africa and locally within Australia now for 8 years.

He obtained his law degree from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa in 2003 and was admitted as an Attorney in the High Court of South Africa in 2006. He later did his law conversion through the Legal Profession Admission Board of NSW in 2016. His years of experience as a legal professional both abroad and locally, enables him to provide sound legal advice and deliver exceptional results to all his clients.

John’s experience in litigation has allowed him to use his skills in various areas of the law which include commercial law, liquidations, employment law, criminal and traffic law. He has practiced exclusively in criminal and traffic law for several years of late and has a passion in this field.

John strives to achieve excellent outcomes for all his clients as he is a good communicator and gives honest and upfront advice, so clients feel at ease and there is a “no surprises” approach. He is both professional and personable at the same time.

He is able to relate to people from a wide variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. John understands that when people are charged with criminal offences that this causes them stress, anxiety and uncertainty in their lives. He is thorough and diligent and goes out of his way to make his clients feel comfortable, well informed and prepared. He is with them every step of the way.

John’s extensive experience has made him an effective and fierce cross examiner and his success in conducting Local Court Hearings and District Court all grounds appeals and severity appeals is testament to his strong work ethic and dedication to his clients and his work. His experience and preparation, no matter how big or small the matter is, is key to him achieving fantastic outcomes.

John has conducted numerous Local Court hearings all over Greater Sydney and NSW. In the last few years he has a achieved a win ratio of 85% of all defended hearings. He is meticulous and analyses briefs of evidence thoroughly. His attention to detail is exceptional and this allows him to carefully absorb and dissect his cases, identifying both strengths and weaknesses in every matter he deals with.

Where a prosecution case is strong and the evidence is not in favour of the accused person, he negotiates the charges and the facts with the police and/or the Director of Public Prosecutions to ensure that the most lenient outcome can be achieved for his clients.

He also conducts numerous sentencing hearings, mental health applications and release applications. He instructs both psychiatrists and psychologists in matters where mental health is an issue and ensures that psychological reports are used effectively as and when required. His matters range in various complexities and types and he has dealt with inter alia domestic violence matters, including defending of Apprehended Violence applications, drink driving and drug driving, assaults of all nature, affrays, drug possession and drug supply, aggravated break and enters, driving whilst disqualified and suspended and license appeals.

John’s passion for people and the law and obtaining outstanding results for his clients is testament to his strong work ethic and communication skills.

An example of one of John’s successful outcomes was a case where a father was charged with assaulting his son of 8 years of age causing actual bodily harm. The bruising to the child was extensive and a court would generally find that a term of imprisonment would be warranted. This is because domestic violence offences are of a serious nature. The offence was committed in the home of the child, a place where he is supposed to feel safe and secure and due to the vulnerability of the young child. Upon taking instructions from the father, it appeared he may have significant mental health issues which have been ignored and pushed aside for a number of years. John instructed a psychologist to prepare a psychological report and it transpired that the father had complex PTSD along with depression and anxiety. The father was himself subjected to physical, verbal and emotional abuse as a child at the hands of his step father. Whilst his actions to his son were unlawful and could in no way be regarded as lawful chastisement, the court placed great weight on the psychological report of the psychologist as a mitigating factor in his sentencing. This enabled the father to commence counselling to address his mental health issues and complete a domestic violence programme. In the absence of the psychological report, the father would almost have certainly be sent to a term of imprisonment. This was avoided and he essentially received a good behaviour bond.

Another example is where a person was found guilty at the conclusion of the local court hearing. An advice was given to the client to lodge an all grounds appeal which John did. John argued that the complainant in the matter was not an accurate, honest and reliable witness. John pointed out all the contradictions and inconsistencies in the complainants evidence including her prior inconsistent statement. The District Court agreed and upheld the appeal. The final AVO was further dismissed by the Court. The client was relieved and could apply for his Australian citizenship and his good character was maintained.

Outside of work, John is a devoted family man and his focus is on his two sons, his wife and his beloved sausage dogs. He is an avid golfer and has represented his golf club at a scratch league level for a number of years.