Funding for criminal defence

You may have insurance cover for legal representation so It is therefore worth checking your policy. Or you may be eligible for legal aid.

If not you can take you can take advantage of our fixed fee scheme.

Payment methods

By Cheque: payable to Rose & Dunn solicitorsDirect bank transfer:
Account No. 06654457
Sort code: 122481
We also accept payment via Paypal:

 

Legal Aid for Criminal Defence

As at 27.1.14 the interests of justice and means test still applies (see below) but with a cut off for those people who have a disposable income above £37,500 after which legal aid is not available.  So some defendants will now have to pay for representation up front for serious criminal cases.If disposable income is between £3398 and £37500 legal aid is still available but with a contribution. It is often the case that the contributions are more than the eventual legal aid bill! We can give you a fairly accurate idea of the likely cost of your case if you choose the legal aid route and so it will be advisable to check your likely contributions first before deciding if you wish to try for legal aid. To do this download this calculator. It is provided by the Legal Aid agency and you will need to enable macros to use the spreadsheet.

 

There are two tests for legal aid:

Interests of Justice test: This looks at  the merits of the case. Factors can include  a person’s previous convictions, the nature of the offence, the risk of custody ,  and if you are at risk of a serious risk to your reputation.

Means test : This is a financial test looking at things like household income, capital, and outgoings. The calculator will work out if you are eligible.

If your  case is being heard in the Crown Court, and your  household disposable income is equal to or exceeds the financial eligibility threshold of £37,500, you  will not be granted legal aid and will be expected to pay privately. If your disposable income is less than £37,500 then the full means test will determine how much you  need to contribute towards your defence costs. This could be from your income, your capital or a combination of both.

If you are refused legal aid in the magistrates’ court or the Crown Court then you will be expected to pay privately for the cost of  your defence but if you  are found not guilty, you  can apply to reclaim some or all of your  defence costs from central funds .

If you do not qualify or can not afford the contributions to legal aid Rose & Dunn  offer a seamless service and will agree a fixed fee for representation.

Police station advice and assistance:There is no fee if you have not previously had a solicitor involved. You are entitled to advice and assistance at any time free of charge. Ask for us if arrested and we will answer the call any time of the day or night.
Magistrates Court :You may be able to get legal aid ( see above ) but if you do not qualify for this assistance we will usually represent you for a fixed fee. If you pay us for representation and you are found not guilty a proportion of your fees will be paid back to you because you will be able to apply to central funds for an order to pay your legal costs which will be paid at the legal aid hourly rate. We will explain this in further detail on request.

Fixed fees

The table below  sets out our fixed fees for representation in the Magistrates court for any matter Including Motoring offences. We also provide details of fixed fees in some other  scenarios. The fees  relate to the key stages in the progression of your case.  The fee will  include:

  • 2 hours attendance/preparation :
    • considering evidence
    • taking your instructions
    • providing advice 
  • Attendance and representation at a single hearing at Court

The fee does not include:

  • instruction of any expert witnesses
  • A barristers fees (crown court only)
  • taking statements from any witnesses

Key Stages 

The typical key stages of your matter are: 

  1. initial consultation and advice 
  2. first appearance at court 
  3. Preparation for trial 
  4. subsequent court appearances 
  5. trial 
  6. Sentence hearing if convicted or plead guilty 

The work may include any of the following: 

  • Meet with your solicitor to provide instructions on what happened.
  • We will consider initial disclosure, and any other evidence and provide advice.
  • Arranging to take any witness statements if necessary (this will have an additional cost, of  £150 )
  • We will explain the court procedure to you so you know what to expect on the day of your hearing, and the sentencing options available to the court.
  • We will conduct any further preparatory work, obtain further instructions from you if necessary and answer any follow up queries you have.
  • We cannot provide a timescale of when your hearing will take place, as this depends on the court listing for that day.
  • We will attend court on the day and meet with you before going before the court. We anticipate being at court for half a day unless the case is listed with a specific time estimate such as a full day trial 
  • We will discuss the outcome with you. If advice is required on appeal, this will carry an additional cost.

The likely timescales for each stage is difficult to assess because this depends on the court administration but in general terms you should expect to have a trial date within two or three months of the first hearing. If you plead guilty sentence would either take place on the same day or within about three weeks later at a further court hearing. Any appeal should be served on the court within 21 days of a conviction and sentence. 

Fees 

Advice and representation up to and including first hearing for a guilty plea £400
Advice, and representation up to and including attending plea and trial preparation hearing ( not guilty plea ) £350
Preparation for trial  in Magistrates ( in addition to previous fees for attending first hearing ) £500
Representation at magistrates court trial half day ( in addition to previous fees ) £800
Representation at Magistrates court for any hearing other than trial or sentence ( in addition to previous fees ) £350
Representation at Magistrates all day trial ( per full day and in addition to previous fees) £999
Representation at a Special reasons hearing  £800
Representation at police station** free
Advice on appeal £150
Preparing an appeal ( includes advice on appeal fee ) £400
Representation at crown court for appeal sentence £850
Representation at crown court for appeal conviction £1500
Fixed fee for consultation in relation to anything else not covered by the above – on hour appointment  £150 

* All fees are will attract an additional charge of 20%  VAT

* All fees are based on representation at our local court in Warrington.  Additional fees will  be negotiated for out of area courts depending on the location. 

* Assistance at the police station is only free if you have not previously used a solicitor. If you have the fee is £300

 

Motoring offences –  our team

Our team has over 30  years of collective experience in delivering high quality work in all matters relating to  motoring offences . 

We have four members of the team who may work on your matter. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by David Robb head of the Motoring Law team 

David Robb Senior Associate Solicitor 

David is the head of our Motoring Law team and has more than 20 years of experience in general criminal defence work but with a particular expertise in motoring offences. David qualified as a solicitor in 1997 and worked at different firms before moving on to join us . His last position before joining us was with a firm that practiced only in motoring law 

Simon Dunn – Partner 

David is assisted by Simon Dunn who is a higher courts advocate and senior partner in the firm. Simon qualified as a solicitor in 2000 and completed his training at Silverman Livermore in Runcorn. Simon formed Rose & Dunn with David Rose in 2004 

Alex Dunn – Trainee Solicitor 

Alex has a degree from Liverpool University in Computer Science. He completed the Legal Practice Course at Liverpool John Moore University. Alex began his training contract with us in October 2020 and will assist the general criminal and motoring law teams

 

Rose & Dunn are specialist criminal defence and motoring law solicitors and higher courts advocates. We can be contacted at any time of day or night. If you need emergency police station assistance contact us using any of the methods below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

  • Email:info@rosedunn.co.uk
  • Telephone:  01928 572030 or 01925 419365
  •     WhatsApp  and text  text : 07801758664 (office)
  •     WhatsApp  and text : 07739324381 ( 24/7 )

By WhatsApp only :

  •     WhatsApp  David Rose   : 01928 572030
  •     WhatsApp  Simon Dunn  : 01925 419365