Price transparency
We specialise in defending charges for alleged motoring offences throughout England and Wales. Most motoring offences are summary only which means that they can only be heard in the Magistrates’ Court.
We have set out below some guidance which is designed to provide all clients with transparent information regarding the fees we charge.
The amounts we charge will depend on the type of offence you have been charged with, whether you plead guilty or not guilty and how many hearings there are in relation to your case.
All fees quoted include representation at Court by a qualified solicitor or barrister as well as all other work required on the case including all advice, correspondence with you, the Court and prosecution and telephone calls.
Examples of the most common offences which carry mandatory driving licence endorsement are set out below (the below lists are not exhaustive).
Fee structure – Type 1 charges
For the purpose of our pricing structures these are referred to as Type 1 cases:-
- Speeding
- Failing to provide information as to the identity of the driver (s172 RTA 1988)
- Contravening traffic signals (e.g. red light offences)
- Using handheld device whilst driving
- Driving without due care and attention
- Failure to stop and/or report an accident
- Any other offences which is not alcohol related and does not carry mandatory disqualification
If you instruct us on the basis of a guilty plea from the outset of the case in relation to a Type 1 case, and written representations only are required to the Court our fees will be between £300 to £500.
If the matter cannot be resolved by way of correspondence and representation is required at no more than one hearing, the fees we normally charge will be a fixed fee of between £1250 to £1750. These types of cases are normally resolved at the first hearing listed in the Magistrates’ Court. In the unlikely event that representation is required at Court at more than one hearing an additional fee of between £500 to £750 will normally be charged per additional hearing.
If you instruct us on the basis of a not guilty in relation to a Type 1 case and representation is required at one hearing our fees our fees will be a fixed fee of between £2,000 to £2,500. In the unlikely event that representation is required at more than one hearing an additional fee of between £750 to £1,000 will normally be charged per additional hearing.
Examples of charges for summary only alcohol or drug offences which carry either 10 points or a discretionary disqualification are set out below. For the purpose of our pricing structure these are referred to as Type 2 cases.
- In charge of a vehicle whilst over the limit for alcohol
- In charge of a vehicle whilst over the prescribed limit for a drug
- Failure to provide when suspected of being in charge of a vehicle whilst over a prescribed limit for drugs/alcohol
Examples of charges for summary only alcohol or drug offences which carry mandatory disqualification from driving of at least 12 months upon conviction are as follows. For the purpose of our pricing structures these are referred to as Type 3 cases :-
- Driving with alcohol level above the prescribed limit
- Failure to provide a specimen of breath for analysis without reasonable excuse
- Driving whilst over the prescribed limit for a drug
- Failure to provide a specimen of blood for analysis
If you instruct us on the basis of a guilty plea from the outset of the case in relation to a Type 2 or 3 case and representation is required at no more than one hearing, the fees we normally charge will be a fixed fee of between £1,750 to £2,250. These types of cases are normally resolved at the first hearing listed in the Magistrates’ Court. In the unlikely event that representation is required at Court at more than one hearing an additional fee of between £500 to £750 will normally be charged per additional hearing.
Not guilty pleas for type 2 or 3 case generally require more work on our part and are likely to be subject to more hearings than other types of charges. The typical timescale for cases of this nature is normally 4-6 months from first hearing to trial. These types of cases also require more time reviewing prosecution disclosure, correspondence and preparing for hearings.
If you instruct us on the basis of a not guilty plea in relation to a Type 2 or 3 case and representation is required at no more than three hearings our fees will typically be a fixed fee of between £6,000 to £8,000. These fees include attendance at one hearing which has been listed for a trial. In the unlikely event that representation is required at more than three hearings or attendance is required at more than one hearing listed for trial an additional fee of between £1,500 to £2,500 + VAT will normally be charged per additional hearing.
Fees for a type 2 or 3 cases where a not guilty plea is entered will normally be charged in four equal instalments as the case progresses payable within equal timeframes depending on when the trial has been fixed. In the event the case is discontinued or you decide to change your plea to guilty whilst the case is ongoing, the fees charged will be capped to include the next instalment payable.
The above stated fees do not include VAT. All fees must be paid in full at least 14 days before the hearing at which representation is required or in the case of not guilty pleas, 14 days before the trial is due to take place.
Matthew Miller, our Managing Director has been qualified for over 15 years and in that time has conducted and/or supervised over 2000 cases in the Magistrates’ Court (including over 700 not guilty outcomes). He is responsible for supervising all of our cases and has day to day conduct of all contested (not guilty) cases.
Hilary Kenway is our Practice Manager and also works as a paralegal. She has worked full-time exclusively in the field of motoring offences for over 20 years. She has conduct of some non-contested (guilty plea) cases whilst working under the supervision of Matthew Miller.
Matthew Miller, Solicitor is able to represent clients in Magistrates’ Courts throughout England and Wales. We also instruct experienced barristers from chambers throughout England and Wales to represent clients at hearings. Their fees are included within the above pricing structures.
In addition to the above quoted fees, charges may be made for the payment of expert witness fees (e.g. accident reconstruction expert, forensic toxicologist, psychologist). Payment of these fees will be payable before the expert is instructed.
Complaints
We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service, we provided then you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.
In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues. If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints procedure. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.
What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint
The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.
Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:
- Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint
and
- No more than six years from the date of act/omission; or
- No more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them.
Contact details
Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9.00 to 17.00.
Email: [email protected]
Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.
Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.”