If you have been charged or received a summons to go to Court, we may be able to ask the Court to grant a Representation Order (legal aid). If this Order is made, the government will pay for your legal costs. This will allow us to do all of the necessary work, including representation in Court, in order to properly prepare the case right through to the final hearing which will also include some advice on appeal if necessary.
We understand that if you have to pay for our services you will want to know how much it is going to cost.
We will always first consider if public funding is available.
If not, we will provide you with an estimate at the outset of the total cost of your case. We can break this down for each stage including both our fees and any disbursements.
Disbursements are the costs we incur with other parties or expert fees.
If you win your case, you are likely to be able to get some of your defence costs back.
Legal Aid
At different stages of a criminal case, you may be entitled to legal aid. If legal aid is available, it means that the cost of our representation is free to you. Please see our terms of business for legal aid clients
Private paying
If you are ineligible for legal aid we are able to represent you on a private fee paying basis. Please see our terms of business for private clients.
At the Police Station
Advice and assistance whilst you are detained at the police station is always free. It does not matter how much your income is or how much you have in savings. We offer a 24 hour emergency service for clients in this position available on 01454 790673 (Bristol & Keynsham) and also 01242 522201 (Cheltenham).
Outside the Police (not charged to court)
Whilst on police bail: There is no legal aid scheme to pay for our costs whilst you are on police bail. We would be happy to discuss a private fee paying arrangement if this work becomes necessary. This is something we can discuss individually with you.
If you have to go to Court