Criminal Department

Losing your driving licence could have a substantial impact on numerous aspects of your life including, your job, your family and your social life. If you want to try and remain in the driving seat you should seek legal advice.

Whatever the circumstances, whether you have been arrested, interviewed by the police, or have received a postal requisition, make sure you have legal representation from the start.

Do not be tempted to leave it until it is too late.

Free Initial Telephone Options Appointment

We provide a free initial telephone options appointment to see how we can assist in your circumstances. Please call 0330 333 2613 for a no obligation, initial discussion or email enquiries@elliotmather.co.uk and we will call you back.

Motoring Offences

Some of the offences which you may be accused of include:

Driving under the influence of drink or drugs – usually carries a penalty of disqualification for at least 12 months. The court will also impose a fine or worse. In certain circumstances it may be possible to reduce the length of the ban, or even avoid it altogether, by putting forward ‘special reasons’. We can advise you on this.

Dangerous or careless driving – cover a wide range of poor driving, from clipping a car or pulling out without checking through to excessive speed or a police chase, with an equally broad spectrum of penalties. If you are found guilty of dangerous driving the sentence can include imprisonment and you will be banned for at least a year and will have to take an extended retest.

Speeding offences – if you have not been stopped by the police, for example if you are caught by a speed camera, you will receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution and it is at this stage that you should call us. For company cars, the court will expect the business owner to have a system for recording who is driving a vehicle at a particular time. Failure to respond to the request to name the driver of the vehicle could result in points on your licence, or even a ban.

Failure to stop and report an accident – if you have an accident, however minor, and cause damage to someone’s property, you are legally required to stop and exchange contact details with the other person. If you cannot, for example if you cannot locate the owner of the other vehicle, you must report the accident to the police as soon as reasonably practicable (always within 24 hours). Failure to do so is a serious offence and can even result in a sentence of imprisonment. At least 5 points may be put on your driving licence

Totting up penalty points – accumulating a total of 12 penalty points in any 3 year period usually means a disqualification for at least 6 months. However, it is possible to reduce the length of any ban, or even avoid one altogether, in a number of circumstances. We can advise and assist you with this.

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act provides for free and independent advice for anyone detained in police custody. You are entitled to your choice of solicitor, so you can ask the police to contact Elliot Mather on your behalf. We operate a 24hr call out system which means that representation from our expert team can be requested at anytime of the day or night.

Funding

You may be entitled to free initial legal advice and representation under Legal Aid for some offences. On most occasions where Legal Aid is not available, we will offer fixed fees or a transparent hourly rate. Speak to us today to find out more.

How we can help

We understand that losing your driving license could substantially impact on your life, subsequently causing significant distress. Our dedicated team are committed to helping you keep your licence.

Our team are experienced in defending a variety of motoring offences. It is vital that you contact us as soon as possible to discuss your circumstances.

Location

Our solicitors are able to provide expert advice across the country with a network of offices based in: Chesterfield, Nottingham, Mansfield and Derby.

How to get in contact

Our team are on hand to help you and can assist wherever you are based. Please call us on 0330 333 2613 for a no-obligation, initial discussion or email enquiries@elliotmather.co.uk and we will call or email you back.

How to make contact out of hours

We operate a call out system, meaning that representation from our expert criminal law team can be requested at any time of the day or night.  The police will contact a call centre who will then telephone us immediately.

If you require assistance from one of our criminal defence solicitors when out of our normal office hours, it is vital that you call us on:

• Chesterfield: 07717802850
• Derby: 07776240152
• Mansfield: 07741592301
• Nottinghamshire: 07741592301

• Motoring Offence Solicitors Chesterfield
• Motoring Offence Solicitors Derby
• Motoring Offence Solicitors Mansfield
• Motoring Offence Solicitors Nottingham