Crystal clear solicitor’s fees for motoring offences

How much will it cost to help me with my motoring offence?

At Clarke Willmott we assist clients in relation to charges including careless/dangerous driving, drink/drug driving, speeding, and using a mobile phone whilst driving.

In some cases the person who has been charged pleads guilty and the matter is dealt with at a single hearing. In these cases, our role is to advance mitigation on behalf of the defendant at the hearing so as to minimise the penalty which the court imposes. In cases where the imposition of further points places a person at risk of disqualification we can advance exceptional hardship applications in order to try and avoid disqualification.

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Hourly rates for motor offence cases

Typical legal fees for motoring offence cases

Based on the hourly rates above, our charges for dealing with motoring cases where the person pleads guilty and the case is dealt with at a single hearing will usually be £2,500 – £3,000 plus VAT.

Typically these charges include discussions with the client (for clients in or around Taunton or Bristol this will be at a face to face meeting but for clients further afield this will be via a conference call, either of which usually lasts about an hour), providing advice as to plea and strategy, and attendance at the hearing to present mitigation and for totting cases presenting an exceptional hardship application.

For cases local to Taunton and Bristol we generally undertake the hearing ourselves. For cases in courts further away it is more cost effective to instruct Counsel local to the area. Counsel’s costs are included in the estimated charges above.

Factors which might increase the cost above that estimate include:

1. More than a single charge;
2. More than one hearing;
3. Extensive mitigation necessitating the preparation/collation of documents for the court;
4. Extensive correspondence, with the Court, the prosecutor or you, the client;
5. In totting cases, if there are complex matters to advance by way of an exceptional hardship application; and
6. If an appeal to a higher court is required.

We will always provide a client with an estimate based on the specific circumstances of each case.

If our advice is to plead not guilty and have a trial, the above estimates do not apply.

Likely timescales for driving offence cases

In cases where the person pleads guilty and the case is dealt with at a single hearing the whole case is usually completed within nine months of the date of the offence.

VAT & disbursements

Our fees and some disbursements are subject to VAT at 20%. Disbursements are charges payable in addition to our fees, normally to a third party. They can include fees payable to barristers or expert witnesses. The amount charged for the disbursements depends upon a number of variables so we will be able to advise you of the correct charges when we have further information from you.