Driving and Motoring Offence Solicitors
At JMW, our driving offence solicitors will do everything within their power to protect and preserve your driving licence. We represent private individuals nationwide who are facing a whole array of criminal driving offences, including careless driving, drink and drug driving, speeding, using mobile phones while driving and failure to provide a specimen or failure to provide information.
Our dedicated, specialist team of motoring offence solicitors is committed to providing expert advice and assistance to drivers in the UK when defending against criminal motoring prosecutions. If you have been accused of one or more road traffic offences and need legal advice, we are here to support you.
To contact our team of specialists and to find out how we can help, call us for free on 0345 872 6666, or complete our online enquiry form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
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What Our Clients Say
How JMW Can Help Defend Motoring Offence Charges
JMW’s motoring offence solicitors understand how important it is for you to stay on the road and how equally important it is for some drivers to avoid getting penalty points on their licence. For many motorists, the ability to properly manage their work, family and social life is heavily dependent on their ability to drive. A motoring conviction could change your life.
Whether you have actually been accused of committing a motoring offence - such as speeding or drink driving - and are looking for legal representation, or if you need to respond to a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP), our motoring specialists are here for you.
Our expert motoring solicitors will offer you peace of mind no matter the position you find yourself in; whether you are being interviewed in relation to a road traffic accident, are a suspect in relation to a possible criminal motoring allegation or have been charged with committing a motoring offence.
If you do not feel comfortable dealing with the authorities, there's no need to worry - our motoring offence solicitors are renowned throughout England and Wales for our professionalism and our ability to handle difficult situations, seeing them through to a positive result.
We also have unrivalled expertise providing assistance, advice and representation to HGV and PSV operators, their transport managers and professional drivers throughout the logistics and passenger transport sectors.
Meet our expert team of driving offence solicitors
Our specialist motoring offence solicitors have helped many clients to successfully avoid a driving ban or criminal conviction when they were accused of a road traffic offence.
Case studies
FAILING TO GIVE INFORMATION: ACQUITTAL & AVOIDED 6 MONTH DISQUALIFICATION
JMW Solicitors successfully defended a client at Manchester Magistrates Court, leading to his acquittal for failing to provide information, thereby avoiding a 6-month disqualification.
SUCCESSFUL APPEAL AGAINST DRIVING DISQUALIFICATION
JMW Solicitors successfully appealed a 6-month driving disqualification for a client, reducing it significantly by demonstrating exceptional hardship.
Why Choose JMW?
The team at JMW Solicitors has significant experience helping clients to defend themselves and preserve their ability to drive. We understand how important driving can be, whether for your career, your personal life, or both. Our specialist motoring offence solicitors have helped many clients to successfully avoid a driving ban or criminal conviction when they were accused of a road traffic offence.
We offer a fixed fee service for driving offence representation, which can help you to secure an appropriate defence more cost-effectively. Our team’s services have been recognised by the Legal 500 and the Chambers & Partners guide, and received several industry accreditations in recognition of the care, attention and service we provide for all our clients.
Types of Driving Offences
The motoring offence solicitors at JMW have helped those accused of committing the following offences:
FAQS ABOUT DRIVING OFFENCES
- How much do motoring solicitors cost?
The costs of representation by a solicitor for driving offences vary on the nature of the charge. To get an idea of the costs involved, take a look at our Fixed Fees page. For a more accurate understanding, get in touch with one of our solicitors by calling 0345 872 6666, or complete our online enquiry form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
- How long does the process take?
The beginning depends on the police, who have six months to start the process for summary offences in the Magistrates Court. It may then be seven or eight months before you actually attend court for your hearing. For guilty pleas, hearings typically last 30 minutes, but for non-guilty pleas, they can last much longer, and this can then depend on the amount of evidence brought forward, with a number of hearings in court.
- What qualifications does the team hold?
When employing the services of a law firm, it’s important to know that the solicitors you request help from are trustworthy, experienced, and able to effectively help you.
JMW is recognised by The Legal 500 and the Chambers & Partners guide, and has many more credits with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and other awards from law websites and award institutions. For testimonials, please see what our clients have said in the testimonials section.
- What are the key stages in entering a guilty plea?
If you choose to plead guilty, you may have to attend a hearing, dependant on the severity of the charge, and the court will first look into whether you have had any previous convictions and also disqualifications. If you have had two or more for a period of 56 days or more, within the last three years, you will receive a mandatory minimum two-year disqualification
JMW Solicitors offers a ‘fixed fee’ service designed to assist you in preparing detailed and effective mitigation aimed at persuading the court to exercise leniency when imposing the penalty. Further information regarding ‘fixed fees’ can be found on our Motoring Solicitor fees page.
With our ‘fixed fee’ service, we offer the following:
- Telephone conference/personal meeting with your solicitor
- Representation at the hearing by either a partner or an expert motoring law barrister
- A full pre-hearing briefing with regards to court procedures and what to expect at court
- A conference with your legal representative on the morning of the hearing
- A full post-hearing debriefing (to discuss the penalty imposed, the implications and any further options that may be available to you)
If you are facing a driving charge and need legal help - call our specialist motoring solicitors on 0345 872 6666 today.
- What is a Notice of Intended Prosecution?
A Notice of Intended Prosecution or NIP is designed to inform you that you may be prosecuted for a driving offence. The police must send you a NIP through the post within 14 days of an alleged offence if they intend to prosecute you, if you are the registered keeper. Alternatively, this notice can be given verbally at the time of the incident, in cases where you are pulled over.
It is important to note that prosecution is not a certainty at this stage - the NIP is the first stage, and simply informs you that the police may decide to prosecute. It is also an opportunity to inform the police if you were not driving the vehicle at the time of the incident, in which case you will also need to name the driver.
You should not panic if you receive a NIP. Instead, contact a solicitor to discuss your circumstances and the options available to you. The team at JMW Solicitors can explain how your case is likely to proceed and provide the legal services you need to defend yourself.
If your NIP is followed by a fixed penalty notice or a court summons, this indicates that the police intend to prosecute and, at this stage, it is vital to seek legal representation. There can be very serious consequences for even minor incidents, especially if you are a new driver. For more serious offences, you could face a driving ban or even lose your driving licence.
- What if I don't receive a NIP within 14 days of an alleged offence?
If the police do not send a NIP within 14 days, they may no longer be able to prosecute. As such, if you (or the vehicle's registered keeper) do not receive a NIP within 14 days, but the police notify you later of their intention to prosecute, you should speak to a solicitor.
- How should I respond if I don't know who was driving my vehicle?
If you are the registered keeper of your vehicle and it is involved in an alleged offence that the police intend to prosecute, you will receive the NIP at your registered address. If you were not driving the vehicle at the time, you must identify the driver at this stage, but this can be difficult if you were not in the vehicle and do not know who was driving.
In these cases, it is your responsibility to make a concerted effort to find out who was driving - as the registered owner of the vehicle, this is your legal responsibility. If you do not respond to the NIP or cannot identify the driver, the police may prosecute you for failing to provide this information. As such, it is important to seek expert legal advice in such cases - otherwise, the offence can result in six penalty points on your driving licence and a fine of up to £1,000.
- What if the police say that they want to speak to me about a driving incident?
If you are invited to attend an interview with the police or another investigating authority about a driving incident, you should contact a solicitor. Whether you are a witness, a suspect or a victim, it is important to have legal representation to ensure your best interests are taken care of during an investigation.
- If my case goes to court, will I be disqualified?
The penalties you could receive if you are prosecuted for one or more motoring offences depend heavily on your circumstances and those of your case. If the incident is your first offence or your crime is relatively minor, you are unlikely to receive the maximum sentence.
If you are found guilty of committing a serious offence, you may be disqualified from driving for a set period of time. For a better idea of the potential consequences you could face, seek legal advice from expert motoring solicitors like those at JMW.
Talk to Us
If you have an issue you'd like to discuss with our motoring offence solicitors, please don't hesitate to call JMW on 0345 872 6666. Alternatively, fill in our online contact form and someone will be in touch as soon as possible.