Road Traffic Offences

LB Solicitors is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). In line with the SRA Transparency Rules here are details of some of the services we offer, and the typical costs attached. The prices given are fixed costs. If the fixed cost is likely to be higher this will be communicated to the client and reasons given for this.

I contracted to work with the Legal Aid Agency for Legal Aid work.

Examples of offences covered are:

  • Driving with no insurance
  • Driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence
  • Speeding
  • Driving without due care
  • Driving with excess alcohol
  • Drunk in charge of a motor vehicle

1. Law, procedure and advice meeting - 1 hr - £220-£320 + VAT (@ 20%)

The services included in the price displayed follow these key stages:

  • Meeting will be with me personally
  • Go through the law and how it relates to your case
  • Advice on how to handle the procedure
  • Discuss any defences you may have
  • Explain likely sentencing options if appropriate
  • Identify if exceptional hardship or special reasons argument should be made

2. Law, procedure and advice plus help to prepare evidence for your hearing - £440-£640 + VAT (@ 20%)

The services included in the price displayed follow these key stages:

  • In addition to the law, procedure and advice meeting outlined above
  • More detailed advice and additional support to gather evidence
  • Assistance in preparing written documents and set out your case so you can then argue it in court

3. Law, procedure and advice meeting, plus preparation and representation at your court hearing

The services included in the price displayed follow these key stages:

  • In addition to work carried out under headings 1 and 2 above, given a court appearance can be overwhelming and intimidating, I can attend with you
  • There will be an appointment to discuss law, procedure and advice either in advance, or, if necessary, on the day of court
  • I will speak for you and present your case in court
  • If you plead guilty I will seek to persuade the court to impose the most lenient sentence possible
  • If you are at risk of disqualification, either under discretionary powers of the court, or as a totter (due to current points you may already have on your licence putting you at risk of disqualification) I will seek to avoid this if the law and your circumstances allow, or keep any ban from driving to a minimum.
  • Attend with any potential witnesses, take statements from them in readiness for any hearing

The issue of a ban/disqualification may have an additional impact on you and cause you what is termed in law as "exceptional hardship" in terms of loss of employment, impact family life or care for others, loss of income or other factors.

For this my fees will depend on how many hearings are required to conclude the case:

If you plead Guilty and the case is concluded in one hearing £700-£850 + VAT (@20 %)

This would apply where you plead guilty and the case is simple - enabling the magistrates to conclude and sentence in the single hearing. This is unlikely to be possible if we are pleading additional impact or what is referred to as exceptional hardship or special circumstances.

If you plead guilty but we argue additional impact or what is referred to as exceptional hardship or special circumstances £850-£950 + VAT (@ 20%)

Disqualification is a possibility for many motoring offences. If disqualification is likely, magistrates will take into account any circumstances that would impose ‘exceptional hardship’. I will help you prepare documents and present arguments in court to outline any additional impact or exceptional hardship in terms of loss of employment, impact on family life or care for others, loss of income, or other factors.

Even when you plead guilty it may still be possible to minimise the penalty to avoid endorsement, reduce the number of points imposed on your license, and avoid or minimise the period of disqualification.

Typically these cases will require more than one hearing to allow us to gather and present evidence. This fee includes our dedicated help in  two hearings.

If you plead not guilty and we represent your case at trial - £1500-£3500 + VAT (@ 20 %)

Pleading not guilty will definitely require additional hearings as evidence will need to be given and witnesses called.

The fee will depend on the number of witnesses, pages of evidence and location of the hearing.

The second hearing will be a trial where evidence will be presented and examined by both the prosecution and defence. For this option I will meet with you initially for the law, procedure and advice meeting, represent you at the first hearing and help you gather and provide evidence and witness statements for me to present on your behalf at trial.

In the event of unforeseen circumstances where a case is additionally complex or requires the instruction of Counsel/Barrister, the fixed fees may be higher or be charged on an hourly rate of £220-£320 + VAT (@ 20%) dependent on experience. If this is the case, a full discussion will take place before any additional costs are incurred.

Additional services not included in the above fixed fees

Disbursements

There is also a potential for disbursements which are not included in the above fixed fees. These may include:

a) Toxicology report

b) Expert forensic reports, include road traffic collision

c) CCTV experts

Driving Courses
The court may provide you with the opportunity to participate in a driving course. Typically this is offered to shorten the length of any driving disqualification imposed. Please note that the cost of the course is not included in the fixed fee mentioned above and it is your responsibility to schedule the appointment and make the payment directly to the driving course provider.

It is impossible to list all the potential disbursements and their costs as every case is so individual and it will depend upon complexity, the amount of evidence in the case, and the content that needs to be explored by an expert. Of course a quote from the relevant expert will be obtained in advance and it will be communicated to the client also stating if a particular disbursement attracts VAT

In the event of a guilty plea the case may be concluded on the day of the first hearing unless there is an adjournment for an exceptional hardship argument or special reasons hearing. In that event any case is likely to conclude at the end of such an argument. The listing of such an argument largely depends on court capacity but typically will be dealt with in approximately 8 weeks of the first hearing.

Timescales

In the event of a guilty plea the case may be concluded on the day of the first hearing unless there is an adjournment for an exceptional hardship argument or special reasons hearing. In that event any case is likely to conclude at the end of such an argument. The listing of such an argument largely depends on court capacity but typically will be dealt with in approximately 8 weeks of the first hearing.

In the event of a trial, this again depends on court listings and capacity but usually trials are listed within 12 months of the first hearing at which a not guilty plea is entered. This is not something within our control.

These can vary depending on the type of case, type of application and court and Expert waiting times. Of course such information will be communicated to each client once the details to enable us to do this are apparent.

Our experience

To discover more about who we are and how we can help you, please visit our About Us page.