We can represent and advise you on all types of road traffic offences.
Legal Aid isn’t typically available for motoring offences dealt with in the Magistrates’ Court, but we’re happy to discuss this further on a case-by-case basis.
Our legal fees
We charge based on an hourly rate which varies depending on which expert you work with. Our lowest hourly rate is £280, and our highest hourly rate is £725. The seniority of the lawyer handling your case will depend on its complexity. We’ll discuss this with you when you instruct us.
Please note that VAT is chargeable on our fees at 20%. Your initial call with our team will be free of charge, but if you choose us to represent you, our charges will be as follows:
If you must attend court to enter a plea
Your first hearing
If you’ve received a court summons, our professional fees for your first hearing will be in the region of £1,650-£2,255 plus VAT. Our fees are dependent on the charge(s) you face and the likely plea to be entered.
You'll also need to pay the fee for a junior barrister, who we will organise to represent you in court.
The fees for a junior barrister will be around £500 plus VAT and travel expenses.
Our fee estimate is based on the following breakdown of time:
- One hour to obtain and review the evidence against you
- One hour to take you instructions and discuss the evidence against you
- One hour to advise you on your options and your preparation for the hearing
- Up to 90 minutes to help you with the preparation and finalisation of character references in support of your mitigation (applicable for Guilty plea cases)
- One hour to brief Counsel to represent you at court
If you plead Not Guilty
If you plead Not Guilty at your first hearing, further charges will apply.
Our professional fees for trial preparation will be around £6,000 - £12,000 plus VAT.
Each case is unique, and we can give a tailored estimate for you after discussing your case.
The cost for a case will largely depend on:
- The number of court appearances
- The amount of further evidence which needs to be reviewed
- Whether there are any disclosure issues
- If expert or defence witness evidence is needed.
So, the above costs for pleading not guilty could be much higher than this.
Trial barrister fees will also be payable alongside any other disbursements – for example, the cost of an expert’s report.
If you plead Guilty with Special Reasons
If you plead Guilty with Special Reasons at your first hearing, further charges will apply.
Your first hearing will be adjourned, and a court date will be fixed for a Special Reasons hearing.
Our professional fees for the work carried out in preparation of the Special Reasons hearing will be around £2,000-£4,000 plus VAT. Our charges will depend on the circumstances of your case and what evidence we’ll need to prepare.
Barrister fees will also be payable alongside any other disbursements – for example, the cost of an expert’s report.
Sentencing Pricing
You're likely to be sentenced immediately after entering a guilty plea or if you're found guilty after trial. In some cases, if the court is considering imposing a community order or custodial sentence, the court will adjourn your case. You'll need to attend an appointment with a Probation Officer so that a Pre-Sentence Report can be prepared before being sentenced in a separate hearing.
Our professional fees for the work carried out in preparation of the Sentencing hearing will be around £1,500 plus VAT. You'll also need to pay for the barrister, who we'll organise to represent you.
If you've received a Single Justice Procedure Notice
Initial advice
If you've received a Single Justice Procedure Notice for an offence (for offences associated with drink driving see above), our professional fees to advise you on your options will be around £820 - £1,640 plus VAT. Our fee estimate is based on the following breakdown of time:
Two-to-four hours to obtain and review the evidence against you, take an initial statement of events from you and advise you of your options.
If you plead Guilty and wish to confirm mitigation in writing
If you plead Guilty and wish to confirm mitigation in writing, our work will involve confirming your plea to the court and drafting and submitting written mitigation on your behalf to seek the most lenient sentence from the court.
We estimate being engaged for two-to-four hours to complete this work, equating to fees of £820 - £1,640 plus VAT.
If you plead Guilty and choose to attend court
If you plead Guilty and choose to attend court, our work will involve confirming your plea to the court, helping you to prepare evidence in support of your case, including evidence in support of an argument of exceptional hardship if required, reserving and instructing a barrister to represent you at court.
We estimate being engaged for four-to-six hours to complete this work, equating to fees of £1,640 - £2,460 plus VAT and disbursements.
Disbursement will include Counsel’s fee which will be in the region of £750 plus VAT and travel expenses and any fees in respect of a private speed awareness course, if required.
We can give you a tailored estimate after discussing your case.
If you plead Not Guilty
Our work will involve:
- Confirming your plea to the court
- Taking a full statement of events from you
- Preparing the necessary evidence to support your case. This may include instructing an expert
- Reserving and instructing a barrister to represent you at court.
Our fee estimates for preparing for a trial hearing will be in around £4,000-£12,000 plus VAT and disbursements. Each case is unique, and we can give a tailored estimate for you after discussing your case. Disbursements will include barrister and expert report fees.
Pricing for applications to reduce driving disqualification
For legal work and representation for an application to the court to reduce your driving disqualification, our charges will be around £2,500-£3,000 plus VAT.
Pricing for appeals
Our work will involve collecting and reviewing all documentation related to your case and advising you on your option of appeal. We’ll draft and lodge a Notice of Appeal, prepare the necessary evidence to support your case for your Appeal hearing. We’ll arrange for you to be represented at court.
Each case is unique, and we can provide a tailored estimate for you after discussing your particular case.
Barrister fees will also be payable alongside any other disbursements – for example, the cost of an expert’s report.
Defendant's Cost Orders
In criminal cases, the Defendants’ Costs Orders regime governs how non-legally aided private paying clients may recover their costs from Public Funds if acquitted.
If proceedings commenced in the Magistrates Court after 1 October 2012, they’ll be entitled to recover legal costs. But the amount will be limited to how much would be payable under specified legal aid rates. These are much lower than the how much we charge, so you’ll only be entitled to recover a small amount of the costs you incur with us.
The same applies to cases in the Crown Court as of 27 January 2014, provided the private paying client can establish that they weren’t eligible for legal aid, which is subject to a financial eligibility threshold.
Legal Expenses Insurance
It’s important that you check any existing insurance policies to see if you have any insurance that might cover your legal costs.
We regularly represent clients who have the benefit of Legal Expenses Insurance, and we are instructed under the terms of a legal expenses insurance policy.
Make an enquiry
Call us now for a discussion about your case with a member of our specialist team. If you'd rather, you can contact us online and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
