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 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 firstly to advise as to whether there is a viable defence and then, if there is no defence, 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 person already has penalty points on their driving licence and the imposition of further points takes him/her to/over 12 points we also often advance exceptional hardship applications as to try and avoid the usual six month disqualification that comes with reaching 12 or more points.

Request a consultation

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 £1,500 – £2,000 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 in Taunton, Bath, Weston and Yeovil we generally do the hearing ourselves but for cases in courts further away we use counsel. Counsel’s costs are included in the estimated charges above.

The usual things which are likely to increase legal costs over and above the £1,500 – £2,000 plus VAT estimate are:

1. If there is more than one charge;
2. If the case is transferred to another court or the hearing is adjourned;
3. If there is unusual mitigation to put forward which necessitates the preparation/collation of documents for the court;
4. In totting cases, if there are complex matters to advance by way of an exceptional hardship application; and
5. 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.

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 six months from 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 the Land Registry, barristers or search providers. 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.