Road Traffic Offence Solicitors in the UK

National Motoring Lawyers in the UK 

There are over 10,000 law firms registered in the UK. So why chose M.A.J Law?

First of all, M.A.J Law is one of only a few specialist driving defence firms in the country. We have been around since the beginning and probably defended more driving cases than any other firm. We represent clients across the country and have first hand knowledge of every Magistrates' Court in England and Wales.

Lots of solicitors claim to deal with road traffic offences, but they do not specialise. For this reason, they misunderstand technical defences and often overlook obvious defences that can be used to win driving offence cases. Take a look at some of the best driving defences. 

Be careful of the advice you receive...

Many solicitors advise clients to roll-over and plead guilty because they have 'no defence'. We don’t. Our job is to save your licence and keep you on the road. It’s what we do and it's what we're good at. So avoid over-worked solicitors with lazy attitudes. Motoring cases require careful attention and specialist knowledge. 

We offer all motorists free initial advice in person or over the phone. There is no fee and no obligation to instruct us.

Why are motoring offences different? 

Motoring offences are different to most other criminal offences because of their technical nature. Very few criminal offences involve complex procedures, human rights issues and evidential samples. Take an assault, for example, you either hit the victim or you didn't. This is a factual issue that can be considered in court based on the evidence presented by both sides. Most criminal offences involve factual disputes. They do not involve calibration records, training certificates, expert reports or case-law arguments. A solicitor may claim to have knowledge and experience in driving offences, but how often do they actually win them?

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What we boast about?

• We are an experienced legal practice that has been representing drivers and protecting driving licenses for over 10 years

• We cover all courts in England and Wales

• We operate on a fixed fee basis – so you know the cost from the outset

• We are on-hand 24/7 and all our initial advice is free of charge

• We are rated number one for driving offences

Drink Driving Offences

A drink driving offence is committed when a person drives a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road whilst over the legal limit. A 'mechanically propelled' vehicles includes electric vehicles and even e-scooters! A 'road' is not limited to a carriageway and will include any public place (where the public have access and use that location). The CPS do not need to prove that you intended to drink alcohol and drive, or that you were impaired by the alcohol. They only have to prove that you exceeded the prescribed limit. However, there are many technical defences that apply in drink driving cases. These include;

• The lawfulness of the police stop and arrest 
• The accuracy of the breath test procedure 
• Incorrectly competed MGDD documents 
• The training/authorisation of the procedural officer 
• The reliability of the breath, blood or urine reading 
• Prosecution disclosure in a 'low priority' case 

You can calculate the length of your driving ban by using our drink driving penalty calculator. 

Driving Ban Calculator - Sentence 

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If you have been charged with drink driving it is important to seek immediate legal advice. We always advise our clients to check the evidence as early as possible. How else will you know if a mistake has been made? In most DUI (driving under the influence) cases it makes sense to enter a not guilty plea and challenge the allegation, even if you think you're guilty. By pleading not guilty the following things will usually happen;

• You can continue to drive for the next 3 - 6 months 
• You will force the CPS to provide additional disclosure 
• You cannot receive a longer ban even if later convicted 
• The drink driving course is still offered 

Drug Driving Offences

Drug driving carries a mandatory minimum 12 month driving disqualification. The legal limits for drugs in the UK are indicative of our government's hardline approach to drug consumption. Many of those prosecuted for drug driving are not under the influence of drugs and are not impaired to drive! Believe it or not, the CPS do not have to prove that you were impaired by the drug - only that you had it in your system! 

Let me summarise the common problems with drug driving offences;

1. Due to lack of training and limited resources, many police officers have not been trained to conduct drug driving procedures
2. A number of police-approved laboratories have been closed down recently due to on-going problems with quality control 
3. The CPS often misunderstand drug driving cases and fail to prosecute them effectively 
4. Due to delays in analysing samples, many blood results are unreliable and cannot be used in court

We continue to win a phenomenal number of drug driving cases. If you would like to speak about your drug driving case, please get in touch. For more information, take a look at our drug driving page. 

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Failing to provide a specimen offences

There are a number of different failing to provide offences that you could be charged with. These include;

• Failing to provide a sample of breath for drink driving
• Failing to provide a sample of blood (for drink or drug driving)
• Failing to provide a sample of urine (for drink or drug driving)
• Failing to provide a sample having been 'in charge of a motor vehicle'

All of the offences listed above are extremely serious and can result in immediate custody (prison). For more information on prison sentences, read our blog post. That being said, failing to provide offences are often 'easier' to win due to an unusual legal framework and burden of proof. We regularly win fail to provide cases using the 'reasonable excuse' defence. What are the most common reasonable excuse defences?

1. Asthma / long covid or other breathing difficulties (including panic attacks and anxiety)
2. Phobia of needles (in blood cases) - See our Youtube video
3. Mental health issues and lack of understanding - Read our mental health blog

For more information on failing to provide offences, visit our dedicated motoring page.

Speak to a solicitor today.

Completely free legal advice.

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Speeding Offences

Most people have been caught speeding at least once in their driving career. Many receive the option of a speed awareness course and will never require the help or assistance of a specialist motoring lawyer. In more serious cases, however, you could receive an immediate driving ban, sometimes up to 12 months. Speeding offences are made up of many different components and, surprisingly, are some of the most complicated offences to challenge. There are a few things to check if you've been caught speeding;

1. Were you pulled over or did you receive an NIP? If you were pulled over it is likely the police used a laser device or follow-check. Both methods are susceptible to human-error and analytical inaccuracies. If you were not pulled over and have received an NIP, is it compliant and is all the information correct? 
2. Can the police identify the exact legislation being used to prosecute you? This is often referred to as the 'local order'.
3. Has a secondary check been conducted and are the calculations correct? 
4. Will the CPS go to the trouble (and expense) of bringing witnesses to court or is there a good chance they won't turn up? 

You can read more about speeding defences and exceptional hardship on our page. Alternatively, get in touch for free legal advice. 

Dangerous & Careless Driving offences

M.A.J Law are now regularly representing clients that are charged with serious driving offences such as;

1. Causing death by dangerous or careless driving
2. Causing serious injury by dangerous driving
3. Dangerous and careless driving 

It is no surprise that any offence where injury is caused can carry a lengthy prison sentence. It is more likely you would go to prison if drink or drugs are involved, even if you're confident these substances did not contribute to the offence. As like with any motoring offence, there are different defences that can be used to win these cases. 

It is obviously much more sensitive if a person is killed or seriously injured. Often due to pressure placed on the police by family members of the deceased or media campaigns, drivers are wrongly charged with causing death or serious injured when the evidence is inadequate. To speak in confidence about your cases, call us directly on 01514228020. 

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Going to Court for a motoring offence

The prospect of court proceedings can be extremely worrying, but try not to panic. We have stood beside our clients for over 10 years. Our reputation as the UK's leading motoring defence firm is founded on our ongoing and unbeatable results. The concept of winning cases for our clients has become an obsession for our legal team. We will do as much as possible to help you achieve the best outcome - and we're prepared to work night and day to help you. 

The difference with M.A.J Law is that our solicitors go to court. That might sound like a silly statement, but many solicitors do not step foot in court. Traditionally, solicitors handle the day-to-day litigation of a criminal case (i.e. the paperwork) and barristers handle the advocacy (i.e. representation). This is disjointed and can cause practical problems in court. Of course, there will be occasions where sending a senior barrister to court is beneficial to the client - but not always. All of our solicitors represent clients in court and on the front line. We don't hind behind barristers! This means that not only do we have first hand knowledge of all magistrates courts, we're more familiar with your case because we've handled the litigation. 

In most cases you will not be required to speak in court. We will do the talking for you.

Please be aware that many of our cases never reach court. Winning a criminal case is nice, but winning it before it goes to court is even better. To understand more about how we can stop your case reaching court, speak with us today. 

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Instructing a solicitor for a motoring offence

Do you actually need a specialist solicitor for a motoring offence? 

We taken a closer look at this question in one of our recent blogs. Here you'll find all the information you need. 

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Motoring offence solicitors fees

One phrase jumps to mind when we talk about legal fees is "a false economy". The Oxford English Dictionary defines the phrase as "an apparent financial saving that in fact leads to greater expenditure". If you instruct a low-cost solicitor, you may save money in the short term. But if you're convicted (or just told to plead guilty) and receive an immediate driving disqualification, the long term costs are greater. We don't claim to be the cheapest solicitors available, but we're also not the most expensive. If we can win your case or avoid a ban, you may save the difference in legal fees in the first year. We may also be able to recover some money for you from Central Funds. 

Conor Johnstone, Solicitor, talks about Legal Fees.

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Motoring Offences FAQ's

How Can M.A.J Law Help You

Our reputation is built on our results. We continue to out-perform other specialist firms and can claim some of the highest success rates across the country. This is due to our unique defence strategies that are often too complex for other solicitors to understand. Many of our cases are won on technicalities and legal loopholes. 

We don’t follow the crowd. We continue to challenge motoring offences in new and unusual ways, always staying one step ahead of the CPS. We create defences and others follow!

For more information or to seek legal guidance, speak to one of our traffic offence solicitors for free advice.

We defend all drug driving allegations - including cannabis, prescription drugs, benzoylecgonine, cocaine, and MDMA. In case of any confusion, feel free to talk to us. Speak to us for free on 01514228020 or request a call back.