Garde Wilson Lawyers: Difference between revisions

Garde Wilson Lawyers was founded in 2008 by prominent 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 the vital role she played drawing public attention to the severe breaches of legal ethics at the core of the [[Nicola Gobbo|Lawyer X Scandal]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-12-05 |title=Glamorous gangland lawyer the mastermind behind exposing police |url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/zarah-garde-wilson-gangland-lawyer-informant-lawyer-x-police/06a203a8-b923-4a64-b52f-f7c9bc7ce318 |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=www.9news.com.au}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |last=Flower |first=Wayne |date=2018-12-04 |title=Glamorous gangland lawyer tried to close down a 'dual agent' lawyer |url=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6457365/Glamorous-gangland-lawyer-Zarah-Garde-Wilson-claims-tried-expose-dual-agent.html |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=Mail Online}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-07-17 |title=Lawyers condemn comments from Daniel Andrews over Lawyer X special investigation |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-18/lawyer-x-office-of-special-investigator-closes/102612188 |access-date=2024-06-10 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref>.

'''Robert Karam''': Zarah Garde-Wilson represented Karam in his appeal against a 37-year prison sentence <ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-10-20 |title='Extraordinarily unethical behaviour': Top cops savaged over role in Lawyer X scandal |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-21/lawyer-x-scandal-prosecutor-questions-top-police-officers/11608176 |access-date=2024-06-10 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref> 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<ref>{{Cite web |last=Flower |first=Wayne |date=2018-12-04 |title=Glamorous gangland lawyer tried to close down a 'dual agent' lawyer |url=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6457365/Glamorous-gangland-lawyer-Zarah-Garde-Wilson-claims-tried-expose-dual-agent.html |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=Mail Online}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite news |title=Informer 3838: Royal commission to examine how gangland lawyer turned on her clients, News.com, December 5, 2018. |url=https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/crime/informer-3838-royal-commission-to-examine-how-gangland-lawyer-turned-on-her-clients/news-story/821bdc87297abce011576845c1a7da5e |work=[[news.com]]}}</ref>.

'''Tony Larussa''': Zarah Garde-Wilson acted for Tony Larussa, a cattle breeder from [[Gingin, Western Australia|Gingin]], and successfully argued for his drug trafficking conviction for hiding 10 kg of methamphetamine to be overturned <ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-25 |title=West Aussie cattle farmer a secret meth kingpin |url=https://thewest.com.au/news/court-justice/tony-larussa-gingin-cattle-breeder-sentenced-over-10kg-ice-bust--c-7636976 |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=The West Australian |language=en}}</ref>. Initially sentenced to over a decade in prison, Larussa's conviction was thrown out by [[Supreme Court of Western Australia|Western Australia's highest court]]. This decision came after he had fought the allegations for five years, maintaining his innocence throughout the legal battle<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-22 |title=Cattle breeder meth ‘trafficker’ has conviction quashed |url=https://thewest.com.au/news/court-justice/tony-larussa-gingin-cattle-breeder-has-drug-trafficking-conviction-for-10kg-ice-bust-overturned-c-10404959 |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=The West Australian |language=en}}</ref>​​​​​​.

'''Fadi Haddara''': Alleged Haddara crime family boss, Fadi Haddara faced fresh firearms charges in 2024, including possessing unregistered firearms and handling a stolen [[Glock]] handgun <ref>{{Cite web |last=Morgan |first=Cassandra |date=2024-01-17 |title=Alleged gangland boss poised to fight gun charges |url=https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/8489388/alleged-gangland-boss-poised-to-fight-gun-charges/ |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=The Courier |language=en-AU}}</ref>. Zarah Garde-Wilson represented contesting all charges in their entirety <ref>{{Cite web |last=Juanola |first=Chris Vedelago, Marta Pascual |date=2024-04-12 |title=When the head of a crime family found trackers on his car, he knew the game was up |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/when-the-head-of-a-crime-family-found-trackers-on-his-car-he-knew-the-game-was-up-20240410-p5fimj.html |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=The Age |language=en}}</ref>. This followed a series of raids under [[Operation Skyborne]], which targeted the Haddara family's criminal activities <ref>{{Cite news |title=Haddara clan members arrested in police raids in Melbourne, Herald Sun, April 13, 2023. |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/haddara-clan-members-arrested-in-police-raids-in-melbourne/news-story/7c002d4d0d6a6f8034ea9cb28dfda080}}</ref>​​​​​​​​.

'''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 [[District Court of Queensland|Supreme Court of Australia]] by Zarah Garde-Wilson, the jury acquitted him of all charges after a four-hour deliberation <ref>{{Cite news |title=Truckie charged over alleged 400kg coke smuggling plot found not guilty, The Courier Mail, May 26, 2023. |url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-qld/truckie-at-centre-of-alleged-400kg-coke-smuggling-plot-found-not-guilty/news-story/357b8938537b17c46371436228c5552a}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-26 |title=Truck driver found not guilty over 400kg cocaine plot |url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/truck-driver-found-not-guilty-over-400kg-cocaine-plot/160bc933-7a23-47ca-a58f-5458f2d27965 |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=www.9news.com.au}}</ref>.