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Costs for Representation at the Police Station

Representation at interviews under caution, at the police station is always covered by public funding, and we will not charge you for such attendances.

Costs for Representation at Court – Legal Aid

If you require representation at court will advise you at the outset of your case whether you are likely to qualify for Legal Aid, but to qualify you must satisfy the means and merits tests if you are an adult. Youths will usually qualify for legal aid regardless of the means and merits tests.

The means test is a financial test which examines your household income and assets.

The merits test is a consideration of the seriousness of the charge that you face, likely sentence, or some other significant factor, such as some complicated point of law, your health or ability to present your own case, or if it is in someone else’s interests that you are represented. All cases to be dealt with in a Crown Court will satisfy the merits test.

The means test for cases dealt with in a Magistrates Court is stricter than that for cases dealt with in a Crown Court. In some instances, in the Magistrates Court, your case may pass the merits test, but your means may place you outside the scope if qualification. In such cases you would be required to pay us on a private paying basis (see below) to receive representation from us throughout your case.

In the Crown Court, you may have higher income but still qualify for Legal Aid assistance, albeit that you may have to pay a contribution towards it.

Costs for Representation at Court – Private Costs

For those that do not qualify for Legal Aid we offer, wherever possible, a fixed fee arrangement in respect of our costs, rather than an hourly rate, so that you know up front the cost of your case, including our fees, VAT and the likely amount of any disbursements.

Disbursements are fees that are not our ‘fees for undertaking legal advice and representation, such as mileage fees, expert’s fees, barrister’s fees etc. Those may be subject to VAT also.

In many less serious motoring cases (those not imprisonable, for example speeding or driving without insurance) Legal Aid will not be available, and these fees would, in the absence of some other arrangement between us, apply to you.

Our fixed fees include:

  • Considering evidence
  • Taking your instructions
  • Taking statements
  • Providing advice as to prospects of success/appropriate plea/likely sentence
  • Attendance and representation at court
  • Travel time (time spent travelling to court for example)
  • Instruction of any third parties such as expert witnesses or barristers
  • Advice regarding any prospect of appeal
  • Mileage disbursements (that is, any mileage costs this firm incurs in connection with your case).

Our Fixed fees do not include:

  • VAT (unless otherwise stated) which will be charged at the prevailing rate from time to time (currently 20% of the fixed fee)
  • Third party fees, such as expert witness fees and barrister’s fees.
  • VAT on third party fees

As a guide, our fixed fees for cases dealt with in the Magistrates Court, such as simple motoring offences are usually in the region of:

  • £500 for cases dealt with as a guilty plea at the first hearing, necessitating one hearing only, where no special reasons or exceptional hardship arguments are advanced.
  • £900 for cases where a guilty plea is entered at the first hearing, but the case involves two hearings, such as where the sentence is adjourned to be dealt with upon a later date.
  • £1500 in a case where a guilty plea is entered at the first hearing but where a special reasons or exceptional hardship argument is required.
  • £3000 for a case going to trial following a not guilty plea being entered.

VAT to be charged on all fees above.

 

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