Price Transparency Policy for Summary Only Motoring Offences

COBLEYS SOLICITORS LTD

This policy is prepared by Cobleys Solicitors Ltd in order to provide clients with an easy to understand, transparent guide on the prices we charge for privately paid, summary only motoring offences.

What is a summary only offence?

A summary offence is an offence that can only be dealt with in the Magistrates’ Court and cannot be heard by a judge and jury in the Crown Court.

Examples of summary only motoring offences?

Common examples of summary only motoring offences are:

Speeding
Using a mobile phone whilst driving
Failing to comply with traffic signals
Careless driving
Failing to stop or report an accident
Failing to name a driver
Driving without insurance
Driving without a licence
Driving with excess alcohol
Driving under the influence of drugs
Drunk in charge of a motor vehicle

Legal Aid

For the majority of motoring cases save the most serious in which there is a significant risk of a custodial sentence, legal aid is unavailable. Therefore, if you wish to be legally represented you would have to engage the services of a solicitor on a private paying basis.

Why would I need to instruct a solicitor privately?

When you are charged or summoned to attend Court regarding a motoring offence, you are at risk of having penalty points placed on your licence or even being disqualified from driving.

For more serious matters there is a risk of a community based punishments and even in some cases, a custodial sentence.

Trials

The court can be an intimidating place and if you believe you are innocent it can be even more so. That is no different with respect to motoring offences.

We defend all different types of motoring offence, meticulously reviewing the evidence and thoroughly cross examining witnesses to give you the best possible chance of an acquittal.

If you plead guilty or found guilty following trial for a motoring offence, your solicitor can still argue that you should not be disqualified in certain circumstances:

Exceptional Hardship

When you reach 12 or more points on your licence, you may be disqualified from driving.

The starting point for the court is to disqualify for 6 months.

However, the court may be persuaded not to disqualify you or disqualify you for less than 6 months if they can be convinced that a disqualification will cause you and others real and significant detriment. In other words, exceptional hardship.

If you are at risk of a disqualification, please call us today where we will do all we can to save your licence and protect your livelihood.

Special Reasons

Even if you are technically guilty of an offence, it may be possible to run a special reasons argument. If successful, the Court then has the discretion to either reduce the level of disqualification they would have ordinarily imposed or, they may decide not to disqualify you at all.

The special reason advanced must meet four criteria:

It must constitute a mitigating or extenuating circumstances
It cannot amount in law to a defence
It must be directly connected with the commission of the offence; and
It must be one which the court ought to properly take into consideration when imposing sentence.

Typical examples of a special reason argument in motoring offences can include:

No Insurance – genuinely and reasonably believing that you were covered under a policy to drive a vehicle, in which the charge relates, for the circumstances in which the vehicle was driven.

Speeding – if the only reason for the speed was due to an emergency which is reasonable in all the circumstances.

Drink Driving – if you believe your drinks were spiked and expert evidence can confirm that if the laced element of the drink consumed was the only reason you were over the legal limit, a special reason could exist.

The above is not an exhaustive list and if you believe you have a special reason which may save your licence, call us today.

Timescales

The majority of guilty pleas are dealt with on one occasion and therefore conclude on that day.

Trial cases for summary only motoring offences will usually conclude within 3 months of the first court appearance. Trial cases usually accommodate up to three hearings (1^st appearance, case management hearing and trial).

That said, timescales can vary from case to case.

What we charge

Guilty pleas – concluded in one court session

We charge a fixed fee of £800 + VAT. .

This fixed fee includes consideration of the evidence in the case, taking initial instructions from you and advice on pleas. Thereafter, a solicitor will represent you at the court hearing over one court session (morning or afternoon).

The above fee does not include interviewing witnesses and thereafter, drafting witness statements, instructing expert witnesses, representations at trial or exceptional hardship or special reasons applications, all of which are considered below.

The above fixed fee is based on your being represented in our local courts, those being Liverpool, Wirral and Sefton Magistrates’ Court. Any matter outside of these courts, travel will be charged at £50 per hour + VAT + travel expenses (mileage is charged at 60p per mile).

Guilty pleas – concluded over more than one court session

If the hearing extends beyond one session, for example, falls into the afternoon or is adjourned to a different day owing to a lack of court time, there will be an additional charge of £300 + VAT.

Exceptional Hardship/Special Reasons

We charge a fixed fee of £1,000 + VAT for an application for exceptional hardship and we charge a fixed fee of £1,250 + VAT for an application for special reasons.

The fixed fee includes consideration of the evidence in the case, obtaining mitigation, consideration of any evidence which assists the applications to be put forward and representation at Court for the exceptional hardship/special reasons argument.

The fixed fee does not include instructing expert witnesses. Expert witnesses’ costs will be quoted by the expert and then, with your consent, agreed prior to any report/statement being completed. Expert costs must be paid prior to instruction.

Trials

We charge a minimum fixed fee of £1,500 + VAT.

This includes representation at your first court appearance where a not guilty plea will be entered, consideration of the evidence served by the prosecution, taking your instruction on that evidence, preparation of cross – examination and trial points to be made at trial as well as being represented by an advocate at the hearing. We will also represent you for sentence if you ended up being convicted for the offence.

For cases which are more complex, for example a case which has multiple trial issues, significant amounts of evidence, a large number of witnesses and including cases that will extend beyond a one – day trial, an estimated fee of additional costs will be given based on an hourly rate of £200 + VAT, in addition to the minimum fixed fee above.

Disbursements

Disbursements are the additional costs in a case which will be recovered from you. These can include travel expenses (petrol/train fares) or the cost of expert reports (where necessary).

Additional Information

Where possible we will strive to ensure that we keep to the figures posted on this website.

There may be, of course, circumstances in which an unforeseen complexity in the case requires significant additional work which will not be covered under the fixed fee, however, we will never proceed with that work without your prior consent.

It is our overriding approach to be open and transparent with all our clients as to the work carried out on their behalf, the fees that cover that work and whether there will be any additional fees as the case progresses.

Cobleys Solicitors Ltd reserves the right to amend the fixed fees.

Who will represent me?

One of the following is likely to represent you at court:-

Paolo Martini – Director

Paolo Martini is the managing partner and a director of Cobleys Solicitors Ltd. Paolo Martini has spent most of his near 30 year legal career with Cobleys and for over 15 years he has been a partner / director. For a quarter of a century Paolo Martini has been dealing with some of the most serious and complex cases and prosecutions around the country and you may well have read about some of these cases in the national press or heard them reported on national radio or seen them reported on the national news. Paolo Martini’s reputation is nationwide, him having represented clients in almost every town and city in the country.

Paolo Martini’s attention to detail and total support of his client means that he has a fiercely loyal client base around the country. Paolo Martini loves to study and prepare a case to the nth degree and always achieves his target of knowing the case better than anybody else in the court room. Knowledge is power. Cases have been won and lost on the finest of details.

Paolo Martini believes that everybody deserves a chance. There is always a reason why a person ends up in court. Everybody deserves professional representation irrespective of the charge and irrespective of the evidence. Any person who is forced through the criminal justice system should at the conclusion of the process, whether they are acquitted or convicted, at least be able to honestly say that they were treated fairly. Paolo Martini truly believes in this country’s criminal justice system, but only when everybody involved in the process performs his or her function professionally and honestly and to the best of their ability. It truly pains Paolo Martini when he comes across people who have been treated unfairly or unprofessionally. Paolo Martini has forged a reputation for putting right the wrongs of others and has enjoyed many famous victories in the appeal courts.

In more recent years Paolo Martini trains, manages and supervises his various teams within Cobleys. Paolo Martini is fiercely proud of his work colleagues. Paolo Martini is fiercely proud of Cobleys Solicitors Ltd.

Jonathan McIlveen – Director

Jonathan Mcilveen is a Director at Cobleys Solicitors Limited with over 20 years’ experience exclusively in criminal defence and regulatory work. He is widely considered as a leading figure in his chosen field and as such has been involved in some of the most high profile white collar and general crime prosecutions brought by the UK authorities. He has represented both individuals and companies on a wide range of complex and sensitive issues.

Jonathan prides himself on providing clear, unambiguous and discreet advice to those accused of all crimes. This advice spans the entire spectrum of the criminal justice system beginning at the investigative stage through to police stations, magistrates’ courts, crown courts and the appellate courts.

Toni Moran – Solicitor

Toni Moran is a Solicitor in the Magistrates’ Court team at Cobleys. Toni has over 30 years’ experience working in Criminal Practice, having qualified in 1989.

Toni Moran provides police station advice and assistance and regularly appears in the Magistrates’ Court and Youth Court. She is also a Duty Solicitor.

Toni has substantial experience of advising, assisting and representing clients for general crime and road traffic offences.

Elizabeth Manning – Solicitor

Elizabeth joined Cobleys in May 2024 having recently qualified as a solicitor. Elizabeth has several years’ experience working in criminal practice having handled a varied caseload, preparing for trials in both the Magistrates’ and Crown Court, including high profile VHCC and POCA proceedings.

Elizabeth appears at the Magistrates’ Court representing clients in general crime and road traffic offences and regularly defends clients during police interviews under caution, dealing with a wide variety of offences including firearms offences, drug conspiracies and murder.

Elizabeth completed her undergraduate degree in Law with Politics at the University of Manchester before going on to complete a master’s degree and Legal Practice Course at the University of Law, Liverpool.

Elizabeth is a member of the Liverpool Law Society’s Criminal Law Sub Committee and regularly takes part in Law Society events including fundraising events in support of the Access to Justice Foundation which strives to provide the most vulnerable in society, access to justice and legal advice.

Martin Saxon – Consultant Solicitor

Martin has over 40 years criminal law experience working in both the public and private sector.

In 1995, Martin obtained a Law degree with Honours at Liverpool John Moores University.

In 2002, Martin graduated from Liverpool University with a Masters Degree in law specializing in Human Rights.

Martin qualified as a Solicitor in 2005. He has a wealth of experience representing clients at the Magistrates and Youth Court. He also advises and assists clients at Police Stations.

Martin is also a Criminal Duty Solicitor