We strongly believe that access to high quality representation in the criminal justice system should be for the many, not the few. For this reason your initial consultation with us will be completely free of charge. We will help you explore every funding option open to you, including whether you are eligible for Legal Aid.

Free consultation

You, or someone you know may need advice:

• About an interview at the police station (under arrest or as a volunteer)
• About a magistrates’ court hearing (whether after charge or receiving a summons)
• About a Crown court case

Please feel free to get in touch using our contact us by email at info@smartcriminaldefence.com page or call us on 0333 200 8581. We will arrange for a free consultation to advise on the best way of moving the matter forward.

Legal aid

Representation at the police station is always free of charge.

In order to qualify for criminal legal aid at court, there are two tests you must pass:

• Means test (i.e. are you financially eligible) and
• Interests of Justice (IOJ)

The tests are quite complicated and we are happy to fully advise whether you are likely to qualify. We will also complete the application on your behalf, so there is no need to worry about that. We do advise, however, that you contact us as soon as possible because sometimes the Legal Aid Agency take a long time to consider applications and may ask for further information. Please use our contact us info@smartcriminaldefence.com or call us on 0333 200 8581

Private funding

Should you be ineligible for legal aid, or should you decide that public funding is not for you, you can always opt to fund your case privately.

At Smart Criminal Defence we provide a completely flexible approach to private funding. For example, we have links with barristers of all levels of qualification and with a rich variety of skills.

At your free consultation we will be happy to discuss the different options with you, explaining the pros and cons of each choice on offer. Most importantly, we will be completely transparent with the cost associated with each, so there are no surprises in store for you.

With the emphasis firmly on flexibility, we can put together a fixed fee package for your case. This means you know from the beginning precisely how much you will be paying for your full defence package. This option gives our clients peace of mind, so they can stop worrying about money, and focus fully on building the strongest case possible.

Please feel free to get in touch using the contact us at info@smartcriminaldefence.com should you wish to discuss private funding, or call us on 0333 200 8581.

Motoring offences

Motoring offences are the most common cases heard at the magistrates’ but the least likely for which legal aid will be granted. However, we understand that sentences for these offences often impact our clients’ lives the most, usually because of driving disqualifications, which frequently prevent people working.

To make things as simple as possible, below we provide a range of likely costs for the most common scenarios when it comes to motoring offences:

Owing to the complexity of the pricing, we offer a free consultation to all clients who would like to discuss their motoring case with us. You can contact us by email at info@smartcriminaldefence.com at any time or ring us on 0333 200 8581

Speeding offences (Guilty plea)

• Drafting written representations – from £200 – £400
• Representation at court (including an initial meeting beforehand) – from £300 – £600.

Totting up penalty points (guilty plea) / Exceptional hardship argument (to try and keep your licence even if you’ve reached 12 penalty points or more)

• Representation at court (including an initial meeting beforehand) from £500 – £1200

Drink driving/drug driving/Failing to provide a specimen

• Guilty plea – from £300 – £500
• Guilty plea and special reasons – from £500 – £1200
• Not guilty plea and trial – from £1000 – £2000

What do these prices include?

Guilty plea:

• Initial meeting with your representative
• Analysis of the evidence
• Obtaining your instructions
• Advice on the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence
• Advice on plea
• Explanation of the court procedure
• Meeting prior to the court hearing
• Representation in court
• Any necessary post hearing advice

Not guilty plea:

• Initial meeting with your representative
• Analysis of the evidence
• Obtaining your instructions
• Advice on the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence
• Advice on plea
• Explanation of the court procedure
• Meeting prior to the court hearing
• Representation in court for your first appearance
• Full preparation for trial, including obtaining any further instructions from you, taking witness statements from relevant witnesses, sending pertinent correspondence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) or any other relevant party
• Representation at your trial (fees based on typical one day’s trial)
• Any necessary post hearing advice

Please note the estimated fees do not include any outlays known as disbursements (such as travel costs or expert reports).

As explained at the beginning of this section, we offer a free consultation to anyone who would like to discuss their motoring problem further, please contact us at info@smartcriminaldefence or telephone us on 0333 200 8581.