Criminal law specialists

Being accused of a crime is not something to shy away from. If not handled well, an accusation could unexpectedly turn into a prison sentence. The SBS specialist crime team can be the difference between innocent and guilty, so as soon as an arrest happens, get in touch.

Costs for Road Traffic Offences

Under new Solicitor Regulation Authority Regulations we are now required to publish information of the costs we charge for motoring matters under Part 1 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988; or speeding matters heard in the Magistrates Courts. If you are pleading guilty and the matter can be dealt with by a single hearing we will carry out the work for the fixed fee of £500.00 plus VAT for any hearing taking less than one day.

This fee would include:-

• Up to two hours attendance/preparation;
• Taking your instructions, providing you with advice on likely sentence;
• Hearings for guilty pleas and mitigation;
• 'Exceptional Hardship' arguments to try and avoid disqualification under the 'totting up' provisions.

This would not include mileage (which we charge at £0.45 per mile plus VAT) for travel to a court outside the county of Bedfordshire; instructing expert witnesses; or advice and assistance in relation to 'Special Reasons' hearings.

Where you instruct us to represent you in not guilty matters or Special Reasons hearings where evidence and witnesses may have to be called, we will carry out the work for a fixed fee of £1500.00 plus VAT provided the Trial or contested hearing is listed for one day or less.

This fee would include:-

• Taking your instructions on what happened;
• Considering the initial disclosure and any other evidence and provide our advice;
• Taking witness statements if necessary; • Explain the court procedure and possible sentence so you know what to expect;
• Explain the court procedure and possible sentence so you know what to expect;
• Conduct any further preparatory work and obtain further instructions from you if necessary;
• Attend you at court and conduct the proceedings for entering your plea and conducting the contested hearing (Trial) on a later date;
• We will also discuss with you the outcome and advise on appeal if necessary. This would not include mileage or instructing expert witnesses.

We cannot provide a timescale of when your hearing will take place as this depends on the court.

Should your case fall outside the parameters of these fixed fees then our current hourly rates are as follows:-

Preparation and attendance	£180.00 per hour
Waiting and travelling	£80.00 per hour
Routine letters	£10.00 per unit
Time spent on telephone calls (6 minutes per unit)
Considering incoming letters (3 minutes per page)

We will add VAT to these at the rate that applies when the work is done. At present VAT is 20%.

If it becomes necessary to instruct a barrister or other expert in your case you will be advised of the fact and their likely fees which would be in addition to those listed above.

Solicitors have to pay out various other expenses on behalf of clients including for example court fees, expert fees and so on. We have no obligation to make such payments unless you have provided us with funds for the purpose. VAT may be payable on certain expenses. We refer to such payments generally as 'disbursements'. We will always discuss these with you at or before your initial consultation, When we know enough about your case we will be able to give you either an estimate as to our fees, or if appropriate offer a fixed fee for the whole case.