Drink Drive Solicitors UK

Defending Your Licence

01623 397200

Navigation

Your Confidentiality is All-Important

by

Drink driving is a serious offence which in extreme cases can result in imprisonment. In even the less serious drink driving cases you’re licence is at risk.

Unless you plead not guilty or there are special reasons then the court must disqualify you from driving for a minimum of 12 months.

A driving ban can have severe consequences. Many people are unable to work without their licence, simple day to day routines that we take for granted such as taking the children to school become much harder. It is often the driver’s family that suffer as much from a disqualification.

We are able to offer a full service to people charged with drink driving, we understand that most people charged with drink driving are against drink driving but have made an error. We are confidential, unlike other firms that look for publicity we actively seek to avoid any publicity for our client’s case. We understand that people do not always want their family, friends and work mates knowing they have been charged with drink driving.

We deal with drink driving cases every day, we know what to say, and more particularly what not to say to ensure that the court get a proper picture of your situation.

Because we only deal with motoring matters we value your business. We are not a large legal aid firm dealing with dozens of cases a day. You will get our full attention on the day and we will ensure that your case is fully prepared.

We aim to avoid a ban by looking for defences or special reasons as to why you should not be banned. If we are unable to prevent a ban then we will present your case in such a way to keep the length of the ban to a minimum. We will also persuade the court to let you pay any fine in monthly instalments so that you do not have to pay it all in one lump sum.

For free advice and to see how we could help you call free on 01623 397200 hours a day.

Reducing the Ban – Our Proven Expertise

by

The most common sort of case that we get asked to advise on is where someone is charged with drink driving and wants to keep the ban as low as possible.

We have a very good track record for keeping drink driving bans low.

We are often asked by clients and other solicitors what you should say to get the ban for drink driving reduced.

The first thing to realise is that it is as important what you don’t say as what you do say. We have sat though a lot of other cases that seem to be going well only for it all fall apart by one comment. We see it in the faces of the magistrates and often they repeat that poorly chosen phrase back to the client when handing out a lengthy ban.

The court will have guidelines to follow but they are just that, guidelines. They can go up or down.

You need to differentiate your case from all the others that the court will hear that day. It is easy for the court to get into the groove of simply following the guidelines. Why should they treat you differently?

Try and find something about your case that makes it stand out from others. What is it that makes your case less serious than it seems? What explanation can you give that the court will identify with?

It is a thin line between giving an explanation and making excuses. The court will listen to an explanation as to why someone who has never been in trouble before suddenly finds themselves facing a very serious charge. If you make it sound like an excuse that’s where it can all start going wrong, especially if you try to blame someone else.

Set your mitigation out in three parts, deal with the offence first. Give the background to the offence. This is where sometimes too much can be said. If there is no explanation say that. Don’t try and find one. We have often said ‘our client cannot understand how he got into this situation, he cannot give any explanation for this behaviour which is so out of character’. That is better than trying to find explanations that will annoy the magistrates.

The second part of the mitigation is your personal background, tell the court all the good things about you. Make the court like you.

Finally tell the court what effect the ban will have on you and why you want it kept to a minimum. Careful that you do not come across as demanding a reduction, you need to realise that you have made a mistake and the court do not have to be lenient with you.

It is important that you do it in this order so the that last thing the court hear is about you and the effect the ban will have, not the details of the offence. It is a hard line to draw between getting the court on your side and antagonising them.

For expert help on keeping your ban to a minimum call us free on 01623 397200.

10 Things to Look for in a Drink Driving Solicitor

by

It can be scary being charged with drink driving, it has a devastating effect on people. Most people are represented by a solicitor and it is important to ensure that you get the right solicitor to represent you.

Most people charged with drink driving have never been to court before and do not know what to look for in a solicitor.

This guide will help you decide who should represent you.

1. Are they a solicitor? Some websites are run by non solicitors who will seek to advise you and then pass you on to a solicitor or barrister to represent you. Check that the website has the Solicitor Regulation Authority number on the website. It is a requirement for solicitors to put these details on the website, if they aren’t there then they probably aren’t solicitors.

2. Are they a specialist? Often a law firm will have a criminal department that will put up a website saying they specialise in Motoring matters. Does the website have links to other parts of the firm. Is motoring law just one of many things they do?

3. Are they happy to offer up front fixed fees? Or do they still work on the old hourly rate system so that you have no idea how much the bill will be when it arrives.

4. Do they offer real free advice? Some solicitors offer free initial advice but you have to register or pay a small fee. Free is free. How limited is the free initial advice. If it is ‘you need a lawyer’ it’s not really advice, check that it is an unlimited free first interview. Not everyone is the same and some people may need longer that others to explain their case. With us the clock is never ticking.

5. Are they available when you need them? It is not always easy to talk about these things at work in front of your colleagues. Will the solicitor talk to you after work or at the weekend when it suits you?

6. Are they being honest with you? Are their expectations realistic? Are they making promises that they may not be able to deliver? Are they telling you that they will get you off without revealing what the defence is? We will tell you if we think there is no defence. If a solicitor tells you they can get you off, ask what the defence is. If the answer is ‘we don’t know until we see the papers’ maybe there is no defence and they are being unrealistic and raising your hopes.

7. Are they able to tell you the likely outcome?

8. Do they know what they are talking about? How often do they appear in court? How long have they been doing it for. Do you want to risk your licence with a young solicitor learning as they go along?

9. Have they offered you any practical advice on how to reduce your disqualification?

10. Finally and most important do you feel at ease talking to them? If you aren’t comfortable working with them as a team then you shouldn’t commit yourself to them.

 

Don’t risk your licence, speak to a firm of solicitors that puts you first. Call us any time for free initial advice on 01623 397200