We are required to publish our prices for our motoring cases. That is for drink driving, speeding, exceptional hardship and other motoring cases.
This is a new requirement by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. We understand the idea behind it, there is a need for transparency by lawyers. We know of instances where clients have complained to us regarding their previous solicitors not being straight about the costs.
We have always been up front. We always set a fixed fee for our motoring cases; we always have. We don’t believe in hidden costs. We will tell you what the fee includes and whether it includes things like expert’s fees. We give it straight so you know exactly where you are.
You will never, ever, ever get a bill that you have not approved beforehand. That means that we will tell you in advance how much it will cost and you then decide whether to go ahead. If you say no, then you owe us nothing.
We also know that the sort of clients we act for don’t come to us based on the fees. We are not the cheapest. We don’t aim to be and we will never be.
We pride ourselves on our service and our success. We have won numerous awards for our client care and are recognised in the prestigious Legal 500 as one of the top five firms in the whole of the East Midlands.
Our prices are set to make sure we can give you the best possible service and put enough work into the case. Of course we could cut corners and be cheaper but that is not the way we work and we don’t think it’s the way you want it if you value your licence.
We are unique in that we do not do Legal Aid. Most firms are Legal Aid firms but will do some private cases on the side. Unfortunately, the only way you can make Legal Aid pay is by doing high volume which means doing as many cases as possible per day.
We don’t work like that.
You are not a criminal and won’t be treated like one.
You will be the only client we have in that court that day, we don’t ‘pile ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap’. We offer a bespoke service dedicated to individual clients, each of whom has unique circumstances and needs.
If price is your main concern then we aren’t the solicitors for you.
If you want the best rather than the cheapest our fees for motoring work are as follows:
| Guilty plea (per magistrates’ court hearing) | £695-£1195 |
| Exceptional Hardship | £1200-£2,100 |
| Not guilty cases in the magistrates court | £4,500 – £6000 |
| Special Reasons (drink driving) | £4,500 |
| Special Reasons (mobile phone, no insurance, etc) | £2,800 |
Where there is a range of fees this is because that sort of case can vary but you will not be given a range of fees. Once we have spoken to you about your case you will get a fixed fee quote, a guaranteed fixed fee.
None of the above include experts’ fees but we will always find out the cost of an expert before instructing them and seek your approval before instructing. It also doesn’t cover if the case is adjourned unless it is our fault. That doesn’t happen very often but again you will be told in advance how much an additional hearing would be (it is normally much cheaper than the whole case and reflects just the cost of the court hearing and any additional preparation).
All of the above include all preparation, court attendance, travel, expenses (car parking, hotels, coffee, bacon sandwiches, etc), VAT and Forrest Williams’ legendary client care. In fact everything you can think of apart from experts’ fees and the Court fine, costs and Victim Surcharge, which have to remain separate as they aren’t our fees.
We know no-one will give better service and we don’t believe anyone is more open about their pricing than us, but a generic page on a website can only go so far.
Pick up the phone and speak to us about your case, and we’ll take the time to understand your particular case and advise you on the best way forward, including how much each option will cost for your specific case. And don’t worry, this initial telephone review is free of charge.
Call us now on 01623 397200
Complaints.
We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service, we/I have [change as appropriate] provided then you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.
In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues [delete if not required]. If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints procedure [link to your process]. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.
What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint
The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.
Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:
- Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint
and
- No more than six years from the date of act/omission; or
- No more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them.
Contact details
Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9.00 to 17.00.
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.
Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.