Summary-Only Motoring Offence Fees & Pricing Transparency
At Black & Co Solicitors, we are committed to delivering high-calibre advocacy backed by complete clarity regarding legal costs. Facing a motoring prosecution can be disruptive to both your personal and professional life; you deserve total certainty regarding funding options and fee structures from the outset.
We assess the evidential demands of every case before confirming fees, ensuring our advice is tailored directly to your circumstances. In accordance with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Transparency Rules, the information below details our standard fee structure for advice and representation at the Magistrates' Court regarding summary-only road traffic offences dealt with at a single hearing (under Part I of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Section 89 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984).
Depending on your personal or commercial policies, your legal costs may be covered through legal expenses insurance (LEI) or trade union support. Please contact us if you wish to explore these alternative funding options.
Fee Structure & Pricing Basis
This work is undertaken on a transparent fixed-fee basis.
For summary-only matters resolved conclusively at a single Magistrates' Court hearing, our fixed fee is £1,000 plus VAT @ 20% (£200), totaling £1,200.
Services Included Within the Quoted Fee
- Initial consultation and comprehensive instructions taken either at our offices or at court
- Thorough consideration and evidential analysis of the prosecution disclosure
- Strategic legal advice regarding your plea, statutory defencesand likely sentencing outcomes
- Clear advice on the sentencing discretion and options available to the Magistrates
- Assessment of whether an Exceptional Hardship or Special Reasons argument can properly be advanced
- Drafting and submission of formal Written Representations to the Crown Prosecution Service, where appropriate
- Full preparation for the hearing, including drafting comprehensive formal mitigation
- In-person courtroom attendance and representation for a single hearing at the Magistrates' Court
For hearings local to our offices, your case will be conducted directly by our dedicated crime team. For hearings further afield, we may instruct specialist defence counsel; counsel fees are fully incorporated within the quoted fixed price.
Services Excluded From the Quoted Fee
The standard fixed fee applies to matters resolved conclusively within a single hearing (such as entry of a guilty plea accompanied by mitigation). If you instruct us to enter a not guilty pleaor if the court adjourns the matter for a trial or substantive evidentiary hearing, work will proceed at agreed hourly rates. In particular, the single-hearing fixed fee does not cover:
- Trial preparation, trial advocacyor pre-trial review hearings
- Instruction of independent expert witnesses (such as forensic toxicologists or accident reconstruction experts)
- Locating, interviewingor taking formal statements from defence witnesses
- Advice, preparationand representation for a separate Special Reasons hearing
- Advice, preparationand representation for an Exceptional Hardship hearing
- Subsequent hearings resulting from court listing issues or case adjournments
- Advice, groundsor proceedings in connection with an appeal against conviction or sentence
Where additional assistance is required outside the single-hearing fixed fee, work is charged at our standard hourly rates, which range from £180 plus VAT @ 20% (£36, totaling £216) to £250 plus VAT @ 20% (£50, totaling £300) per hour depending on the seniority of the fee-earner. We will discuss this with you beforehand and provide an agreed quote before undertaking any additional work.
Expenses & Disbursements Not Included
Disbursements are necessary external expenses incurred on your behalf. Depending on your case, these may include:
- Interpreter fees, charged at £25 plus VAT @ 20% (£5, totaling £30) per hour if required
- Professional document translation, charged at £25 plus VAT @ 20% (£5, totaling £30) per hour (overall cost varies depending on document length)
- Court fees – not applicable for summary criminal defence proceedings (no VAT)
- Travel disbursements, calculated at £0.45 per mile for vehicular travel or standard second-class public transport fares (plus VAT @ 20%)
- Necessary overnight accommodation where distant court listings require it (subject to VAT @ 20%), which we will always seek to avoid where feasible
Key Procedural Stages
While the progression of each case depends on individual circumstances, typical stages where a guilty plea and mitigation are heard conclusively include:
- Initial conference to take your comprehensive instructions and background details
- Reviewing prosecution evidence, evaluating procedural complianceand providing advice
- Explaining procedural protocol and courtroom etiquette so you know what to expect on the day
- Advising on statutory penalties, potential endorsementsand sentencing possibilities
- Attending court with you and presenting structured oral mitigation (typically requiring up to half a day of attendance, allowing for court listings and waiting time)
- Post-hearing consultation to explain the court's order and licence obligations (excluding formal appeal advice)
Typical Timeframes
For summary-only matters concluding at a single hearing, proceedings are typically resolved within six months of the alleged offence date. Because court listing schedules and administrative processing vary, we cannot provide an exact timescale until your summons or notice has been reviewed, but we will give you a clear estimate as soon as we assess your paperwork.
Who Provides the Service?
This work is carried out by senior members of our criminal defence team. All motoring defence casework is supervised by Ishtiaq Sarwar, Solicitor and Director.