Funding
Penfold & McPherson conduct work on behalf of legally aided as well as private paying clients.
Police Station advice
If you are being interviewed at a police station, either voluntarily or under arrest, everyone is entitled to free, non-means tested, independent legal advice.
We have a dedicated team of representatives on call throughout the day and night to provide immediate representation.
Magistrates Court
Legal Aid is available for most criminal offences and some motoring offences. It is a two tier process. The interests of justice test establishes the merits of the case which can include, the nature of the offence, the complexity of the case and the risk of a custodial sentence being passed. There then follows a means test which examines your household income, outgoings and capital.
Crown Court
Once a case is sent/allocated to the Crown Court, Legal Aid is available for those who qualify under the means test. Where a person’s income or capital exceeds the threshold they will be asked to make a contribution. If you are acquitted, that payment will be refunded to you.
On occasions the contributions may exceed the actual cost of the proceedings and in these circumstances, we would advise you how to pay.
Private paying clients
These fees are either paid on an hourly basis or by way of a fixed fee, agreed in advance. They will be calculated on the number of hours spent working on the case. This includes, conferences, travelling, preparing and considering case papers, attending Court and communicating with all parties.
Private Client Motoring offences
Legal aid is not readily available for motoring offences which are summary only, meaning they are only dealt with in the Magistrates Court.
In most straight forward cases we will be able to represent you by way of a fixed fee, which will be £450 plus VAT, plus travel. We can assess whether or not your case fits into this criteria upon our first meeting and assessment of your case.
This fee includes,
- 2 hours attendance/preparation
- Assessing the evidence
- Advising on the law, the evidence and sentence
- One hearing at Court
- Advice on the Court procedure
This fee does not include,
- Attending upon defence witnesses
- Instructing expert witnesses
- A contested trial
For further advice or information about funding a case, please contact a member of our team.