On Sunday 17th September, Amanda Perrins took part in a very wet Memory Walk to raise for the...
Thank you for looking at our services for Motoring Offences. These types of allegation can affect just about everyone who drives, and the penalties can be serious, with potential outcomes including fines, disqualification or in some cases imprisonment. Loss of employment and other hardship caused by a driving ban will often be an unwelcome side effect of a conviction.
Most people charged with motoring offences have never been to a Court in their lives and this can be a daunting experience. If you have been charged with a motoring offence, such as speeding, driving without due care and attention or driving whilst under the influence, you will require professional legal advice to help limit any possible consequences.
The prices set out below apply only to motoring offences that can be dealt with solely in a Magistrates Court. Some more serious offences, such as dangerous driving, can also be heard at the Crown Court. Should you need advice in relation to such cases then please contact us – Legal Aid may be available.
Why Us
We have an experienced team who can assist you at what is likely to be a stressful time for you and your family. We will provide advice on what happens next and represent you at each stage of the process.
You will have the confidence that you are our priority, with our aim being that any member of the team is available to speak with you when you need some clarity and certainty at any stage leading up to, during and after your hearing.
We are proud to hold Lexcel and Criminal Litigation Accreditations, issued by the Law Society. We have also been awarded a status of “Excellence” by the Legal Aid Agency for the quality of our advice and legal work. These Accreditations involve us undergoing rigorous independent audit processes which ensure we maintain the highest levels of client care.
Pricing
Our fees for dealing with motoring offences at Court can vary depending on whether the plea is Guilty or Not Guilty, the complexity of the case, the number of hearings involved, and the location of the Court where the case is to be heard. We will need to obtain all the facts and details of your personal circumstances and will liaise with the Court and the Crown Prosecution Service in advance and on the day of any hearing.
It is important to note that if you have not been charged with an offence but are to be interviewed in the police station about an offence, then we do not charge you for this as free legal aid is available for police station interviews regardless of your financial circumstances
Our fees for Court representation will typically include:
- Considering evidence
- Providing advice in relation to the plea and likely sentence
- Discussing with you whether there may be exceptional circumstances, or whether a special reasons argument should be made to the court to avoid disqualification from driving
- Representation at one or more hearings
We offer fixed fee prices in all cases, which means that from the very start of the case, you will know how much our service will cost (subject to any Exclusions set out below).
Please note that our fixed fee structure is based upon our prices for representation in Courts in Gwent. A 25% increase applies if the case is to be heard outside Gwent. In these cases, mileage will also be charged at 45p per mile or alternatively the actual cost of public transport to get to the Court. Any car parking costs incurred will also form part of our bill. We will of course discuss these additional costs with you at the outset of your instructions.
Our fixed fee charges are detailed below:
Initial Advice at our Office
Initial advice about your case at our office before you decide on the need for representation at court.
Fee includes up to 1 hour’s attendance, considering any papers, taking your instructions and advising on your options.
Fixed Fee: £149 VAT: £29.80 Total: £178.80
Fixed Fee – Guilty Plea – case to be concluded within a single hearing
Fee includes up to 2 hours’ attendance, preparation (considering evidence, taking your instructions, advising on plea and sentencing options, attendance at court and representation at the hearing.
Fixed fee: £400 VAT: £80 Total: £480
Fixed Fee – Guilty Plea – case to be concluded at a second or later hearing.
Some cases are not concluded at the 1st hearing as the Court needs to set aside additional time to hear legal argument, typically as to whether a driving disqualification should be imposed. A client may, for example, seek to avoid a penalty points disqualification on the grounds of exceptional hardship or a client may seek to avoid a disqualification in a drink drive case on the grounds that his or her drinks may have been laced or for other special reason such as emergency or shortness of distance driven.
It is not possible for us to fix a uniform fixed fee for this group of cases as they can vary so much from case to case in their complexity. We will, of course, agree a fixed fee for these cases, rather than charging an hourly rate, but the fee will depend on an assessment of factors such as complexity and likely length of hearing. We are happy to discuss the likely fee with you on a no obligation basis.
The fee typically includes up to 2-5 hours’ attendance, preparation (considering evidence, taking your instructions, seeing potential witnesses, advising on plea and sentencing options, instructing experts and advising on their reports), attendance and legal representation at hearings.
Fixed fee range: £650 - £1,970 (Inclusive of VAT)
Fixed Fee – Not Guilty Plea
Cases where the client has pleaded Not Guilty can range from relatively straightforward matters, where there is a single factual issue to resolve, to highly complex matters where there is a need to commission expert evidence to support the client’s defence. As a result, it is not possible for us to offer a uniform fixed fee for Not Guilty plea cases.
We will, of course, agree a fixed fee for these cases, rather than charging an hourly rate, but the fee will depend upon a whole range of factors including the type of offence, the complexity of the evidence, the likely length of any court hearings, the number of witnesses to interview and the need to consider expert evidence. We are happy to discuss the likely fee with you on a no obligation basis.
The fee typically includes up to 2-8 hours’ attendance, preparation (considering evidence, taking your instructions, seeing potential witnesses, advising on plea and sentencing options, instructing experts and advising on their reports), attendance and legal representation at hearings.
Fixed fee range: £950 - £2,450 (Inclusive of VAT)
Exclusions
Our fees are fixed and include the items detailed above, however there may be factors which would typically increase the cost of the fees involved in your case. Where there is likely to be any additional cost, we will make sure you are informed of this at the earliest opportunity and a clear estimate of those extra costs will be provided.
Factors that may lead to an increase in cost include:
- Instruction of any expert witnesses (who will charge for their services)
- Taking statements from any witnesses not initially identified at the time of initial instructions
- Providing advice or assistance on appeal
- Case unexpectedly extends in to an extra day or days
- Additional court hearings required which were not foreseen at the time of initial instructions
Time Scales
We are not always able to provide timescales of when your hearing will take place as this will depend on the court fixtures and court listing for any particular day. We will make every effort to keep you up-to-date on any issues affecting the time it will take to deal with your case.
Key Milestones
There are key milestones, which may vary according to individual circumstances. They may be as follows:
- Meeting with your Solicitor to provide instructions
- Disclosure – where we will consider the initial disclosure provided, with any evidence and provide advice on that basis
- We will go through the court process with you, so you are fully aware of what to expect on the day or your hearing
- We will discuss the sentencing options available to the court
- We will undertake any preparatory work within the time frame of the fixed fee and obtain your instructions
- We will attend court on the day and meet you before being called to be before the court. We would allow half a day for this.
- We will discuss the outcome of the court hearing with you, next steps and any additional costs.
