Fees

Free Consultation

We always offer a free consultation at the outset of a case. If you contact us with a legal query, you can do so confident that it will not cost you a penny. In fact the majority of the enquiries we receive are dealt with in this way. For example, many people contact us, worried, after receiving a Notice of Intended Prosecution for a relatively minor speeding matter but ultimately choose to accept a fixed penalty and therefore do not require to formally instruct us.

If you have received a citation to attend court we are happy to review your papers, consult with you and offer an assessment of the case free of charge. You will only be charged a fee if you decide to instruct us, in which case we shall send you clear and transparent Terms of Business.

Fixed Fees

In the vast majority of our cases, we will operate on a fixed fee basis. This is a genuine fixed fee with no hidden costs such as travel and accommodation. As we are a limited company, any fixed fee is subject to VAT of 20% and this will clearly indicated in your Terms as “Fee + VAT”.

Our fixed fee will include:

• reviewing your initial case papers and consulting with you thereon
• obtaining full disclosure from the Crown, reviewing this and meeting with you thereon
• all court representation on your behalf by, or instructed by, our firm. Whether your case requires one court attendance or numerous court attendances, the fee remains the same
• all telephone calls, meetings (whether virtual or in person) and written correspondence in relation to your case
• our own expenses in respect of the case – typically postage, travel and accommodation costs incurred

It does not include:

• expert witness costs: sometimes cases can benefit from an expert witness. Typically there would be two costs involved here – the preparation of an expert report and then, if required, the attendance cost for the witness at your trial. Certain types of case will almost always require an expert report, such as a “drunk in charge” case where your defence is “nol likelihood of driving” or a drink driving case where your defence is “post-incident drinking”. Less than 10% of our cases, however, involve expert witnesses.
• Counsel’s fee: if you wish for us to instruct Counsel, or (as a High Court case) your case requires Counsel then a separate fee will be payable. Less than 1% of our cases involve Counsel.
• appeals: if you wish to appeal any verdict if the court and wish for us to represent you, new Terms of Business will require to be agreed
• outlays in respect of court fees: these are very rare but, for example, if you wish to apply for the early restoration of your driving licence, there will be a court fee to pay

How do we arrive at our fixed fees?

There are number of factors involved, based primarily on the complexity and location of the case together with an estimate on how long it will take to conclude. Typically, therefore, a Guilty Plea will cost significantly less than a Trial. All fixed fees are payable over the lifetime of your case, therefore the cost of taking a case to trial can often be spread over several months. This can be discussed at a free consultation.