Losing your driving licence can mean loss of job, damage to family time and devastating restrictions on your life. Driving convictions will almost always increase your insurance premium and carry a growing social stigma.
There are a wide range on motoring offences that drivers may be charged with. These offences carry the risk of loss of licence, heavy fines and imprisonment. The most common motoring offences charged are:
- Speeding
- Drink driving or failing to provide a specimen
- Driving through a red light
- Careless or dangerous driving
If you are charged with one of these offences you deserve a fair trial and a just outcome. You can benefit from a skilled barrister giving you advice and fighting your case.
You can come to me directly. You do not need to go through a solicitor.
Contact me for a free initial consultation.
My fees are fixed, fair and reasonable and will always be accurately quoted to you in advance. I believe they compare very well to what other lawyers charge. 
I have experience of representing drivers of car, lorries, vans, taxis, mini-cabs, and riders of motorbikes. I have the legal skills and know-how to help you.
If you receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution, a summons or are charged at a police station this can cause a lot of worry. You can contact me at any stage for assistance. I will help you by providing the best advice, a calm, incisive and reliable approach and high quality representation at court.
Unlike many other lawyers I have experience of taking cases successfully not just through the Magistrates' Court and the Crown Court but also right through to the High Court and the Court of Appeal to achieve the outcome my client deserves.
One thing I will never do is give you unrealistic expectations and waste your time and money.
What can I do for people who are charged with motoring offences?
The right steps to take will vary depending on the circumstances of your case but I can:
- Give you advice based on the stage your case has reached,
- Where appropriate, write to the police or CPS and ask them to withdraw the case against you,
- Persuade the police or CPS to accept a guilty plea to a lesser offence or drop the case entirely,
- Give you advice on whether you should plead 'guilty' or 'not guilty',
- If the prosecution is based on weak evidence I can ask the court to dismiss the case,
- If the prosecution has been brought against you unfairly I can ask the court to stop the case as an "abuse of process",
- If the case proceeds to trial I can provide you with proper representation utilising all my skills as an experienced barrister, with the aim of persuading the court to find you 'not guilty'.
If you are not guilty I can help you establish your innocence. Points we can look at include, for example:
- Whether you were the driver at the time,
- Whether the prosecution's evidence is legally sufficient,
- Whether law and procedure has been observed,
- Whether speed restrictions actually apply (for example whether signage was correct to impose a speed limit),
- Whether equipment such as speed guns or machines to measure the alcohol in your breath were used correctly and can be relied on as evidence.
If you plead guilty or are found guilty there is still an important, perhaps the most important, task at hand. Depending on the circumstances of your case I can use my skills to persuade the court to:
- Impose points rather than a ban,
- Decide that there are legal "special reasons" why you should not be disqualified from driving,
- Make any ban shorter than would otherwise have been imposed upon you,
- Not send you to prison,
- Ensure you are given credit for a guilty plea and offered courses to shorten disqualification,
- Keep any fine or costs to a minimum.
Appeals
I can advise and represent you through all the avenues of appeal you have against a conviction, disqualification or sentence.
If you have been found guilty (or pleaded guilty) and sentenced in the Magistrates' Court you have a right to:
- Appeal to the Crown Court against your conviction,
- Appeal to the Crown Court against your disqualification, points, fine, imprisonment or other penalty.
If you case was dealt with in the Crown Court at first instance (such as in a dangerous driving case) you can, if there are proper grounds (and I can advise you if there are) appeal to the Court of Appeal.
You can appeal to the High Court from the either the Magistrates' Court or the Crown Court in certain circumstances - such as if the lower court made an unreasonable decision or misapplied the law to the your case. I can advise you on whether you have good legal grounds for this type of appeal and I can represent you in the appeal hearing.
I am here to help.
Contact me immediately for a free initial consultation about your case.