Experienced, local representation
Atticus Solicitors in Newcastle-under-Lyme provide expert services for summary only motoring offences across North Staffordshire. These offences can happen to any individual and the penalties can be serious, with potential outcomes including fines, disqualification or in some cases imprisonment. If you have been charged with a motoring offence, such as speeding, driving without due care and attention or driving whilst under the influence, you will require professional legal advice to help limit any possible consequences.
Why choose us?
Our highly experienced criminal defence team regularly represents the motorist client who faces summary only motoring matters before the court. We offer a fixed fee to help budget for a case. All our advocates frequently appear before the court and have a minimum of 20 years’ experience, often more. Robert Holt, Andrew Bennett and Iain Haley are all Higher Court Advocates with experience and qualifications to deal with hearings before the Crown Court. Iain Haley has a wealth of experience from dealing with all types of motoring matters in the lower courts.
Our clients are very important to us and therefore we have set ourselves a guideline that we will respond to your emails, telephone calls, letters or faxes by return and in any event within 48 hours. When the advocate dealing with your case is not available to answer your queries then our dedicated team of experienced support staff will be happy to help.
You will have the confidence that you are our priority, with our aim being that any member of the team is available to speak with you when you need some clarity and certainty at any stage leading up to, during and after your hearing.
We are proud to hold Lexcel, Peer Review and Criminal Litigation Accreditations, issued by the Law Society. These involve the firm undergoing rigorous audit processes which ensures that we maintain the highest levels of client care and quality of work.
Pricing
Our fees for dealing with summary only motoring offences can vary, depending on whether the plea is guilty or not guilty and the number of hearings involved. We will need to obtain all the facts and details of your personal circumstances and will liaise with the court and the CPS in advance and on the day of any hearing.
Our fees will typically include all telephone calls, letters and emails as well as client care in accordance with our Lexcel and Peer Review status. We will attend upon you at our office to take your full instructions, advise you on the evidence and the court procedure and answer any questions you may have. We attend court to represent you at each hearing of your case and then report back to you including our advice, if appropriate, on appeal:
• For a guilty plea summary offence such as drink driving our fixed fee is £350 Plus VAT plus an additional £150 plus VAT if the case is adjourned to another day.
• For a guilty plea speeding offence where the case does not fall under the courts totting up procedure our fixed fee is £300 plus VAT.
• For a special reasons guilty plea hearing our fixed fee is £500 plus VAT.
• For an Exceptional Hardship argument where you are liable to a disqualification under the courts totting up procedure, our fixed fee is £450 plus VAT.
• For a trial in relation to a summary motor offence to include preparation leading up to and including the trial our fixed fee is £750 plus VAT for a half day hearing or £1,000 plus VAT for a full day hearing.
If your case is listed for any other Magistrates Court in England or Wales, then we will discuss fees on an individual case by case basis. Attendance at other court centres will incur extra costs to accommodate the travel time and mileage.
Exclusions
Our fees are fixed and include the items detailed above, however there may be factors which would typically increase the fees involved in your case. Where there is likely to be any additional cost, we will make sure you are informed of this at the earliest opportunity and a clear estimate of those extra costs will be provided.
The following expenses are not included in our fixed fee:
• The cost of travelling to any court other than our local one at Newcastle under Lyme. Mileage would be charged at 45 pence per mile plus VAT.
• We would also add additional charges for our travel time.
• The costs of an expert report which may be required to support the defence.
• Obtaining witness statements, whether expert or other.
• Acting for you in an appeal.
Timescales
The majority of summary motoring offences are dealt with to conclusion at the first hearing, which is usually within one month of the date of receipt of the postal requisition or the date of charge.
Where a guilty plea is entered the case is often concluded at the first hearing. However, this can be adjourned usually for no more than a month to six weeks if a special reasons or exceptional hardship argument is to be heard, which may require a separate listing.
Where a not guilty plea is entered the case will be adjourned for a trial to take place which is usually within three months. You should be aware that a summary only motoring matter is considered of low priority by the court when compared to other cases and is therefore more likely to be adjourned if it is listed on a trial day with other higher priority trials.
Key milestones
There are key milestones, which may vary according to individual circumstances. They may be as follows:
• Meeting with your solicitor to provide instructions.
• Disclosure - where we will consider the prosecution evidence provided and provide advice on that basis.
• Where an additional cost has been agreed, we will arrange to take witness statements.
• We will go through the court process with you, so that you are fully aware of what to expect on the day of your hearing.
• We will discuss the sentencing options available to the court.
• We will undertake any preparatory work within the time frame of the fixed fee and obtain your instructions.
• We will attend court on the day and meet you before your case is called into court.
• We will discuss the outcome of the court hearing with you, any further steps to take and any additional costs.
Complaints procedure
We very much hope that you have no reason to complain, but on occasion things can go wrong, or appear to go wrong. In the first instance we would ask that you contact the fee earner who dealt with the matter. S/he will deal with the complaint in accordance with our procedure. You can however choose to raise your complaint directly with our complaints director who is Iain Haley. If you wish to see a copy of our complaints policy then please contact us and it will be provided to you.
If you remain dissatisfied at the end of our complaints process, you would then be at liberty to contact the Legal Ombudsman, whose address is PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ. Their telephone number is 0300 555 0333. Their e-mail address is enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk. Their website is at www.legalombudsman.org.uk. That organisation is the statutory body to whom you may refer your complaint, once we have concluded out professional obligation to try to resolve it. We are required to provide a final response to your complaint within eight weeks. The time limit for you to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman is six months from our final response to the complaint.
Contact us for advice on summary only motoring offences
For legal advice on summary only motoring offences contact your local expert at Atticus Solicitors in Newcastle-under-Lyme to find out how we can help you. We also offer criminal law services.