Criminal - Fixed Fees

We can provide fixed fees quotes in appropriate cases for hearings in the Magistrates Court or Crown Court.

The fixed fees quoted below will apply in most cases but we reserve the right to vary these charges if your matter, for example, becomes protracted, there are unforeseen issues that are raised or the matter becomes complex. 

However, if your case is complex from the outset, we will provide a detailed estimate of your likely costs at our hourly rates.

Criminal Fixed Fees (Prices are exclusive of VAT charged at 20% and are quoted as a guideline only):
Type of Hearing Magistrates Court Crown Court
Guilty Plea From: £850 ( up to two hearings) From: £1000
Adjourned Hearings £250 £450
Not Guilty Plea – Trial 1 day (includes taking instructions in conference, preparation and advocacy at trial) £1500 £2500
Each additional day at Trial £500 £750
Appeal against sentence £2000
Appeal against conviction £2500
Criminal Defence Advice & Police Station Interviews
Full advice and attendance at a Police Station or Benefit fraud / overpayment Interview £600 .
Consultation and advice (up to an hour) £120

Disbursements:


If you require a barrister to represent you in court, their fees will be in addition to our charges. We will inform you in advance about the anticipated barrister fees, which can range from £500 to over £10,000 plus VAT, depending on the complexity of the case and the seniority of the barrister.


In certain situations, we may need to engage an expert witness, and their fees will be separate from our charges as well. These expert witness fees generally range from £1,000 to £4,000 plus VAT.


You may also incur additional costs for services provided by external organisations on your behalf, such as interpreter/translation expenses, travel costs outside our office, and courier fees. The necessity for such disbursements will be determined by the specifics of your case.


Can you recover your costs?

Defendant’s Costs Orders 
Defendant’s Costs Orders are a mechanism for a defendant/appellant to recover some or all of their legal costs. Legal costs are defined as fees, charges, disbursements and other amounts payable in respect of advocacy or litigation services including, in particular, expert witness costs. These costs, however, will be reimbursed at legal aid rates details of which can be provided upon request. These can also be obtained on the Ministry of Justice website here . This means that there is often a shortfall between what you recover and what is owed to your legal representatives and this would have to be made up by you. 
  
Defendant’s Costs Orders are only available in the following circumstances: 

Magistrates' Court Proceedings 
In simple terms, the legislation provides that non-legally aided privately paying clients in the magistrates' court will be entitled to recover their legal costs under a Defendant's Costs Order if they are acquitted, but the amount will be limited to the amount that would be payable under specified legal aid rates. 
  
Crown Court Proceedings 
An acquitted (or otherwise successful) Crown Court defendant who has paid for legal services may recover their legal costs, limited to the amount that would be payable under specified legal aid rates provided that they applied for, and were determined ineligible for, legal aid.
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