Our Fixed Fee Pricing Structure
CAUTION: Please be aware of firms charging one fee for the whole case. We continue to win cases on or before first court hearings. If you pay one fee to cover the whole case, but it's dropped early on, you've paid a considerable amount of money for work that is not needed.
Fixed Fee Price Promise
We don't break our promises. That's why we haven't increased our legal costs for three years' running.
The cost-of-living crisis is worsening and it's being felt by millions of households across the country. Despite many of our operational costs increasing, we have not passed that cost onto you.
It’s in times like these when our clients rely on us the most, which is why we’re focusing on continuing to deliver our longstanding price promise by offering the lowest possible prices in the UK for the service we provide, every single day.
Why do we charge our clients in stages?
- Cost certainty and transparency
- The ability to spread the costs over the course of the case
- Avoid overcharging clients for unnecessary work
- The option for clients to stop representation before the next stage
Stage 1 – Entering a plea in person
Legal advice prior to plea, our contact with the court, police & CPS (e.g. to request initial evidence), representation at court to enter your plea and handle case management issues or mitigation at court: £1995 + VAT - £2500 + VAT.
This is the usual approach for more serious cases, such as drink / drug driving, where a client is required to attend court on bail or by postal requisition, or a Single Justice Procedure Notice / Summons, to enter a plea.
A plea of not guilty will require case management documentation to be completed identifying potential defences. The case will be adjourned to a future date allowing the CPS time to provide further disclosure of evidence. A plea of guilty will require mitigation to be put to the court – usually at the same hearing.
If we can win your case on or before the first hearing, there are no additional fees.
Stage 2 – Ongoing preparatory work
Legal advice and preparatory work following a plea of not guilty: £2500 + VAT - £3500 + VAT.
This fixed fee covers all our usual day to day legal advice and handling of your case, however long your case takes to resolve. It will include all our telephone calls to you, all written advice letters / emails to you, our contact with the court & CPS and our consideration of all evidence disclosed from the CPS.
A defence of a case would usually take 3 – 6 months. If your case is dropped by the CPS during this time, there are no additional fees.
Stage 3 – Representation at court
Representation at any future court hearing: £2500 + VAT - £3500 + VAT.
Unless you are required to attend court personally to enter a plea (see above), it is expected that the only time you will need to attend court is if your case proceeds to a trial. It is likely, therefore, that we will have already spent several weeks / months considering the evidence against you (from the police / CPS) and advising you as to your options. If the CPS will not drop the case against you, and you want to continue to defend your case, it will proceed to a trial.
If you decide to change your plea to guilty (for example, having checked all the evidence against you), it is likely you will not need to attend court at all (unless the court is considering a driving disqualification, community order to prison).
If the CPS drops your case you will not usually need to attend court.
Occasionally the court may require a case management hearing prior to a trial date. Such a hearing may resolve matters without the need for a trial.
If you plead guilty, or are convicted after a trial, it is likely the court will impose the sentence on the same date. On occasions, usually where the court requires a probation report (and is considering a community order or prison sentence), the court may adjourn the case to a new date, allowing time for you to meet with the probation officer. We will, of course, be pleased to represent you at any future hearing.
Possible additional fees
Please also note that there are circumstances where additional fees may apply – although these are usually optional. It is very difficult to list every possible situation where an additional fee may arise during a defence of a criminal prosecution. Much will depend on the investigation by the police and the extent of disclosure made by the CPS, along with the defences that arise. For example, if the defence of your case could benefit from a scientific expert report we will explain the reasons to you, along with the additional fee for the report. You then have the choice whether to commission such a report.
Please remember that we do not charge for our initial telephone advice. We would be pleased to discuss your case with you, explain all possible options open to you, detail all relevant defences and confirm the legal costs before you decide whether or not to instruct us.
What our clients say...
