Criminal accusations are nerve-wracking to face, but with the right advice, allegations can be withdrawn at the pre-charge stage or in the worst circumstances, mitigated. Our expert criminal defence solicitors offer exceptional legal representation and guidance, while prioritising your reputation and acting with the utmost discretion.
Our criminal law team promise:
FAQs
Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime and protecting the general public. It punishes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to people’s property, health, safety, and moral welfare.
If you are charged with a crime, you will be given a ‘charge sheet’. This charge sheet outlines the details of the crime you’re being charged with. Your first court hearing will be at the Magistrates’ Court. The Magistrates’ Court is for minor criminal defences such as minor criminal damage or speeding offences.
For more severe or complicated in the Magistrates’ Court, or you have requested a jury trial, your case will be referred to the Crown Court. If you plead not guilty in the Crown Court, the judge and 12 people (the jury) will hear your case and decide on your innocence after hearing all the evidence.
If you’re charged with a minor offence, your case could be decided without going to court (‘single justice procedure’). With single justice procedures, you must respond within 21 days.
Some common examples of offences that breach criminal law include:
Less common criminal offences include:
The timeframes for criminal cases depend on a variety of factors such as the severity of the crime and the strength of any evidence for and against the allegations.
Our criminal solicitors have found it takes on average six months for a case to reach the Magistrates’ Court and up to one year for a case to reach the Crown Court.
Given the scope of criminal law, it’s difficult to give an average cost for criminal defence cases. Multiple factors can impact the cost, including the severity of the case, the amount of evidence needed, and whether you’re looking to plead guilty or not guilty.
When facing criminal allegations, you will always need to arrange an initial consultation with one of our criminal solicitors. That way, our solicitors can give you a fee estimate for your matter once they understand the details of your case. The cost of our initial consultation is £200 plus VAT. For this price, our criminal solicitors guarantee the following:
To arrange your initial consultation, please call our criminal solicitors on 0203 007 5500.
If you get charged with a criminal offence, instructing a criminal solicitor will ensure you have the best possible defence for your case.
Instructing a criminal solicitor will ensure:
Call, email or provide us with a few details of your matter, and we’ll help you arrange an initial consultation. You’ll get:
No fee surprises. Ever. Our solicitors in London and Brighton will inform you from the outset how much your case will cost and we will do everything in our power to keep costs down and within your original fee estimate.
You are our priority and law is our speciality. Our award-winning solicitors in London and Brighton ensure you know exactly where you stand from a legal perspective so you can make a well-informed decision.
With fortnightly updates on your case, you’ll never be left in the dark. Our solicitors in London and Brighton ensure you know exactly how your case is progressing and are with you every step of the way.
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Our untimed initial consultations provide you with as long as you need to speak to a specialist solicitor about your matter.
