Driving licences

Are not just for driving they provide access to work, bring care to loved ones, transport kids to schools,   Pay the mortgage in fact countless necessities.

We have spent this week helping not just the drivers but their whole families keep their licences, homes and jobs.

 

We always offer a free initial consultation, private fixed fees with a range of payment options to suit all budgets. So whether its too many points, high speed offences, no insurance or any road traffic offences we can help you.

Don't get passed from pillar to post never speaking or being represented by the same person come to our niche firm where we provide a personal quality experience.

Lts road traffic experts

Driving licence saved

We are experiencing a high number of clients who are at risk of losing their licence as they have too many points on their licence. Most fear for their jobs. So far we have persuaded courts into lower sentences or run exceptional hardship arguments to save not just licences but jobs and homes for clients and their families.

We offer a tailor made service at courts all over North Yorkshire, humbler side and West Yorkshire. The earlier we are aware the better chance you have. 

Contact us 01904 234035

No new crown court work

So The Lord chancellor has tried to split the two professions. Solicitors are angry and have taken a massive decision not to take on new crown court cases. This is intended to bring the crown court to a halt and hopefully the government to its senses. 

It won't happen straight away, but one area at a time is stopping, barristers will not be able to be instructed and cases will come to a grinding halt. 

Why

The two tier system the government wants even though it's own accountants don't agree it is workable, will destroy the hundreds of year old system that has protected the innocent and held to account the guilty.

How - it just isn't financially viable to have qualified staff working on the proposed rates and in the geographical areas prpoposed. Ont top off which after 19 years with no rise in rates of pay, there has already been an 8.75% cut with another planned for next year.

Meanwhile everything else has got more expensive, rent,rates, utilities, IT, paper, phones, petrol, wages and so on. Firms just can't absorb these cuts. Especially when expected to cover huge areas meaning more expense for less. 

What will happen - under the new system proposed large companies will try to make it work.  G4s, serco you know those responsible for the tagging contract frauds and Olympic Games disaster. Confidence building isn't it. The only way will be to desk ill the role to pay less. 

Those who will suffer will be those who will be unable to afford to pay privately. 

To those who say who cares about criminals, don't kid yourself. We don't just deal with druggies and thieves. We represent everyone, from teachers, dentists doctors, bus drivers, mechanics, farmers, plumbers in fact everyone. Fact the police don't always get it right. 

Example man drives down the road, never been in trouble police, has job family and is driving at the speed limit. Un.known to him some one in front of him is speeding crashes car and his passengers get out, our client comes along sees a problem but as it is dark simply slows down as all he can see are red lights on a car, he moves to over take at slow speed and hits and kills the passengers. Both drivers find themselves in court for dangerous driving, even though experts agree in the dark he could not have stopped by the time passengers became visible. 

This is a true case he had a trial and fortunately due to the expert representation he got by his solicitor and barrister he was acquitted. Under the new system unless he could pay privately he would get someone only interested in meeting their quota for the day, then it would be passed to an under qualified in house advocate to deal with crown court. He would be under pressure to get him to plead as under the new system the fee is the same and it is much less work for a plea, not to mention he has never done a trial like this before. Still confident. 

Second example youth at police station who has learning difficulties. Alleged to have stolen something. It's a fixed fee so under new system big firm sends least qualified to deal with it to get it done as quickly as possible. You admits offence and ends up in court. Under the old system the solicitor dealing would have spent time with him determined his condition styed with him for the whole process and obtained medical reports showing he didn't have the mental ability to know what he was doing was wrong. Still have confidence.

I have thousands of examples.

What do the solicitors want

1.  An end to two tier system

2. No more cuts

3. Long term contract to ensure stability

We don't want to inconvenience anyone but we have to make a stand, to protect the system to protect our clients and to ensure we are able to be there for our clients. 

Death by a thousand cuts

So it seems all are expecting The Lord chancellor to replace plan a with inevitable plan b, cuts. 

Does no one up there see the reality of what is going on down here in the trenches? 

An example at the same time they have published the quasa fee structure. That is how much every criminal solicitor will need to pay to practice in the mags. Isn't that why we pay our practising certificate fee  and duty scheme fee?

If you want to practice as hca there are more fees. The feeling is we are being bled dry. 

Cuts to fees and increased costs plus rising inflation followed by reducing volume , doesn't take an accountant to work out the inevitable. 

Too thick to pick

Our non lawyer but Lord Chancellor has deemed those clients of criminal firms too thick to pick their own lawyer. Instead he wants the state that is prosecuting you to choose for you. 

The state will squeeze those solicitors by price competitive tendering into offering only an adequate service. Is that one asks to reduce the chance of the state losing a case? Irrespective of whether they are guilty or innocent. 

It's strange but mr Grayling seems to forget that these clients are also able to pick an mp and the political party they decide are capable of running the country. The ones we have spoken to in relation to the pct proposals are telling us that not only are they not too thick to pick but they shall be picking at the next election and it won't be you mr Grayling or you Mr Cameron Mr Clegg they feel that having looked at the market they will exercise their right to choose a party and an mp who is not destroying their rights. 

You have misjudged the public feeling about the guardians against the state there is still time to stop this disaster and to support the big society by safeguarding what the public see as their right to choose a lawyer to protect them against the state and to provide them fair funding to allow that to be done. 

Why do we need criminal lawyers?

The most asked question we get is how do you do it representing the guilty? 

The first thing is not everyone is guilty. The police do get it wrong. 25% are innocent. The cornerstone of our system and why we are held out as the best justice system in the world is that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Why? Because it is better that a few guilty walk free than one innocent man goes to prison wrongly. 

However that is not the end of it because yes we do represent guilty people. Firstly we only know they are guilty when they accept it and instruct us so. Secondly even guilty people need to be treated fairly. The prosecution have the resources of the police and will be represented by the Crown Prosecution Service. Literate often degree level and beyond educated, experienced and trained. We have always believed that a defendant guilty or not should not be disadvantaged by their lack of training,education or experience. We simply provide our clients with access to someone with the same level of skill as the prosecution.

Most of my clients are illiterate. Unable to read the papers let alone formulate questions to ask in an articulate way during a trial. Nor could they present their mitigation in line with the guidelines. Even the literate struggle to do so and all lack the training or experience.

Why so important ? We do not want an increase of miscarriages of justice. No more Sally Clarkes or Guildford four, Birmingham 6 the list is endless. 

We know the public purse is not bottomless, but justice is the cornerstone of a civilised country. Legal representation without choice using the cheapest bidders who are from the same companies that are also running the prisons, probation, transport to court and any other arm the moj can sell off, is no justice at all. We will end up like America where the rich pay their way out of trouble and the poor cant afford representation so are given a poorly paid public defender who is only interested in moving the case off their desk. 

We all want the system to work but not cut price that destroys it and allows the creation of a police state. Exaggeration? A weak defence will lead to erosion of protection of the innocent and the police will take more and more ground until it will be guilty unless you can afford a proper defence.

Law society fit for purpose?

After Des Hudson's failure to grasp the truth behind Graylings threats to the bar and his planned removal of client choice as an extinction level event, one has to ask is the law society fit for the purpose of protecting our criminal justice system.

Every criminal solicitor I have spoken to is opposed to pct and standing firm with our bar friends. They all know that Graylings proposals will create a two tier justice system where the rich will be more likely to be acquitted than the poor. Think oj Simpson.

Will criminal solicitors give up like the law society or band together to fight for our clients, the justice system and ourselves?