We understand that being accused of a crime is life changing.
We are specialist Criminal Defence Solicitors. We do things differently than most firms.
We are not a Legal Aid practice that deals with large volumes of small cases. We have deliberately chosen not to do Legal Aid. We focus on few clients with bigger cases.
We understand that you may never have been in trouble before. You want support through the process, you want someone who is in your corner 24/7. You want to know that we care, genuinely care.
For Free Initial Advice call us on 01623 397200
You may have come to this page because you already have a Legal Aid lawyer and are not getting the service you want. You may have been told that there is nothing that can be done at a particular stage. That’s not good enough for you, this case may be the only thing you think about every day. It’s not just another case to you and it won’t be just another case to us.
Every client is important to us. To the extent that we pick our clients. If we don’t think it is a case we could throw ourselves into 100% we won’t take it on. If we don’t believe your version of events we won’t act for you.
We understand that it feels as if no one is listening to you, the complainant is setting the agenda of the case. It is easy to feel powerless.
“I have been working with Forrest Williams for over 4 years now. This is a firm that truly cares about its clients, as demonstrated by their practice of instructing a barrister with a skills-set specifically designed to meet their clients’ individual needs. Forrest Williams are not only a forward-thinking business, but also the friendliest and most approachable team I have worked with.”
Emma Shafton – Barrister
How we prepare your case.
We appreciate that just winning a case may not be enough. We understand the stress of going to court. We know that being found not guilty is not necessarily cause for celebration. You should never have been charged, you should never have been put through this ordeal because you were innocent.
Unlike most criminal defence solicitors we take a very pro active stance. We want to get the matter dropped as soon as possible. This isn’t appropriate in all cases. In some case the matter will have to go before a court and let the magistrates or jury decide. However in cases where it is appropriate we will fight at every step to get the matter dropped before trial. We have a good record of getting cases dropped. A lot of criminal defence solicitors will tell you to save your best points until trial, surprise the prosecution. We believe that if you have a strong case you should show it and put pressure on the prosecution to drop it.
If we cannot get the matter dropped and it goes to court you can be assured that your case will be thoroughly prepared. You will have your own dedicated case worker, other members of the team will work on your case but you will have consistency. You will have access to one of the team 24/7, whether it is by phone, text, whatsapp or email. Whether it is simply a quick call to get reassurance or to tell us of an important development we are always there for you in a way that suits you.
Persuasive.
Telling the truth isn’t enough. We have to persuade the court, either a Jury or Magistrates that you are telling the truth. This comes down to a number of factors, the most important one is that we are fully prepared.
We have a strong, national reputation for the depth of our preparation, we are not a legal aid practice that deals with large volume of cases. We make sure that we are able to give your case the in depth preparation that is needed. We get frequent commendations from barristers telling us that our cases are the best prepared.
Preparation and Team Work.
We work as a team with you. We start with you, your version of events. We will take a very full statement from you that will go into your background, your account of what happened and any witnesses that you are aware of that may help your case. We will believe you or we would not take your case on but there will be challenges. You would not have been charged if there was not something for the prosecution to work with. We will probe your case. We take the view that it is better that we deal with the difficult issues so that you are prepared for them at trial.
We do not leave it until the last minute, we will start working on your case immediately, we will continue to refine it throughout the process.
Once we have the prosecution papers we will then go through them with you and get your comments on them. We will ask you to identify anything that you do not agree with and will look for any witnesses that will support your account.
Your statement and comments on the prosecution is a working document, we will constantly refine it to make sure it is full and accurate. No one else sees this statement apart from your legal team. We do not have to send it to the prosecution. It is for our purposes.
Proactive Investigation.
We have a team of investigators who will work with us if needed. They are all ex high ranking police officers who bring a different perspective to the case. If we need to they can make enquiries to find witnesses and other evidence such as CCTV. It is well known that the police are under resourced and we find that often they do not do a full investigation. There is no reason why we cannot make additional enquiries. This may include speaking to prosecution witnesses, following up leads, looking into the background of your accuser and looking for any motive they may have for lying.
We will take full statements from any witnesses that you provide or are found by our team. We will make sure they are completely at ease about going to court and supporting you.
Cross Examination.
One of the scariest parts of any criminal case is the prospect of being cross examined by the prosecution. We will make sure you are fully prepared for this and will do a mock cross examination with you so that you know what sort of questions will be asked and you can be fully prepared for the experience.
At Court.
If your case goes to the Crown Court you will be represented by one of our barristers, you will also have one of our team with you at court to support you. If need be we will also send an additional member of the team to support your family.
Why Choose us?
If we agree to take your case on it’s because we want to work with you but more importantly you have to be sure you have made the correct decision. You may like the way we do things, you may be reassured by the fact we are selected for the prestigious Legal 500 or our numerous awards but ultimately it comes down to how you feel about us. You will only know by talking to us and seeing if we are a good fit for you.