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The services specified in the regulations which are applicable to the areas of law practised by this firm relate to the provision of advice and representation at the Magistrates Courtin relation to summary only road traffic offences dealt with at a single hearing. A summary only offence is an offence which can only be dealt with at a Magistrates Court.
The offences to which this guidance applies can be found under Part I of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and s.89 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. It should be noted that not all of the offences set out in Part I of the Road Traffic Act 1988 are summary only offences.
We will set out below the offences which we most commonly encounter which can only be dealt with summarily. For further information on whether a specific offence is a summary only offence please refer to Schedule 2 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, which can be accessed via this link:-
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/53/schedule/2
The level of cost involved will be dependent on whether you choose to instruct a solicitor to represent you in this matter on the basis that time is charged at an hourly rate or whether you agree to instruct the firm on the basis that a fixed fee will be applicable.
If you instruct the solicitor on the basis of an hourly rate then the rate at which you will be charged is set out below: –
Senior Partners & Senior Barristers – £400 per hour plus VAT
Solicitors, Barristers & Legal Executives – £300 per hour plus VAT
Trainees, Paralegals, Caseworkers & other Fee Earners – £200 per hour plus VAT
Please note that the fee estimates applicable only relate to those cases where the Court at which you are due to appear is located within a 20-mile radius of the office at which the solicitor that you choose to instruct is based.
The process of meeting with your solicitor in advance of the hearing and receiving the above service prior to you attending Court is likely to take approximately 2 hours.
It is never possible to predict how long a solicitor is likely to be required to be at Court to deal with your case. This is due to the fact that we have limited ability to influence when your case is likely to be called into Court.
If you choose to meet with your solicitor at an appointment in advance of the first hearing then the cost of providing this service, and representation at Court at the first hearing of the case, is likely to amount to between £500 and £750 plus VAT.
If you choose simply to request that the solicitor meet you at Court without meeting you at an appointment in advance then he or she will essentially provide the same service as set out above. However you might find that it will not be possible to obtain as much mitigation as you would have been able to in the event that you had met with him in advance, meaning that you might receive a more severe penalty.
The cost of instructing a solicitor to represent you at Court at the first hearing of the case without an appointment in advance is likely to amount to between £900 and £1000 plus VAT.
You should be aware that these costs do not include any work that might be involved in taking statements from witnesses or instructing an expert to prepare a report. These fee estimates are not applicable to those cases where “exceptional hardship” is advanced.
#1 Motoring Solicitors are happy to accept instalment payments, provided the agreed fixed fee is paid in full at an agreed date before your final court date. We accept both credit card and debit card payments at our offices and via the telephone. We also accept bank transfers to our client account.
You will also be liable to meet the cost of any disbursements incurred by that solicitor travelling to Court to represent you – Mileage is charged at 45p per mile and parking is charged at cost. Any other disbursements reasonably incurred, and agreed with you in advance, in preparing your case for that hearing. Disbursements may include items such as medical reports, expert reports and Barristers fees.
Our fee estimates do not apply to cases where the hearing listed is either a “special reasons” hearing, a trial or a hearing where you wish to advance an “exceptional hardship” hardship to avoid disqualification under the “totting up” provisions (see below for more information) or any motoring case that is being prosecuted in the Crown Court.
Where a person is prosecuted for an offence to which this guide applies it will usually be way of a summons or postal requisition. There will however be instances where a person is formally charged with an offence at a police station.
In either instance, it is likely that it will be possible to obtain some details of the prosecution evidence in the case in advance of the initial court hearing.
There will be instances where this “advance information” will be substantial. As such, it is not possible to give a definitive indication as to the amount of work that might need to be conducted in advance of, or at, the first hearing of the case.
You may choose to meet with your solicitor at an appointment in advance of your Court hearing.
The solicitor will consider the advance information at this appointment (or, if it has been possible to provide it in advance then he will do so beforehand), will take your instructions on the allegation, advise you on the strength of the evidence and the likely sentence that you will receive if convicted.
If you intend to plead guilty to the offence then the solicitor will take instructions from you for the purpose of presenting mitigation to the Court. You will be advised of any work that you should undertake to assist your solicitor with mitigation (such as obtaining character references).
If you intend to plead not guilty to the offence, or plead guilty but wish to argue “special reasons”, then the solicitor will advise you as to court process leading to your trial and the next steps that will need to be undertaken.
We do not assist clients accused of motoring offences under the legal aid scheme.
Where you hold a Certificate of Car Insurance, depending on your insurer and the level of cover that you have arranged, we may be able to represent you under the terms of the insurance policy, being funded by your insurer. #1 Motoring Solicitors have previously represented clients under the terms of policies of insurance, having been appointed by insurers to represent drivers.
Where an accident has occurred because of an alleged motoring offence or there is injury caused to any other person, we can make enquiries with your insurer to ascertain if the terms of your policy cover representation by an expert motoring solicitor.
Moreover, where your insurers suggest that you must use one of their panel of solicitors, you can choose your own expert solicitor. Many insurance panel solicitors are not expert motoring lawyers and you have the right, under the terms of an insurance policy, to insist on an expert solicitor of your choice.