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Legal Aid v Privately Funded

Legal representation via legal aid is not always an option for individuals as there are a number of factors which must apply before this is made available. Even if individuals are eligible for legal aid, the quality of representation provided very often leaves individuals dissatisfied with the service they receive and the outcome secured.

If you receive representation by way of the legal aid scheme, then your defence is paid for by the Legal Services Commission (LSC).  The LSC is therefore responsible for the payment of your fees and therefore has full control over what work is done, how much work is done and how much will be paid. Under the legal aid scheme, the amount the LSC are willing to pay outside agencies such as medical/ forensic/ technical expert witnesses and barristers is therefore limited. As a consequence, this not only reduces the choices available to you but may also impact the quality of evidence secured and representation received. The restraint imposed by the LSC often means that the vast amount of preparatory work is often carried out by unqualified paralegals.

This means that although you are the one facing criminal proceedings, there is very limited control you have in respect of your matter and how your case is prepared.  This can leave you feeling exasperated especially in light of the vast amount of resources that may be available to the Prosecution in building the case against you.   The police expend huge resources on serious criminal proceedings whilst publicly funded lawyers are limited by the LSC body.  In these circumstances, especially where the allegations against you are of a serious nature, it is crucial that you secure the best representation possible from highly experienced lawyers who are not bound by any restraints in respect of the preparation of your case.

If you instruct us and fund for your case privately, then you will have complete control of your case.  You are guaranteed to receive the best legal representation as your choices will not be limited. We will ensure that the barrister instructed in respect of your matter, is not a generic barrister, but rather will have specific expertise in respect of the allegations that you face.  Highly experienced lawyers will carry out the preparation of your case working at all times under a specialist criminal solicitor to ensure that we assemble the best evidence possible and identify and exploit various avenues of defending your case and not just the obvious.  The extensive knowledge of our solicitors and their perseverance in striving to secure the best outcome means that we adopt a no stone unturned approach to all of our cases.

We have a panel of experts who are arguably the best in the country whom we instruct on a regular basis. The quality of evidence they offer should not be undervalued as it could potentially make the difference between success and failure.

We only provide our services on a privately funded basis and the mere reason for this is we aim to provide the best representation to our clients and do not like the quality of our work to be compromised in any way.  As we are the best in our field, we do not like restraints nor do we like being dictated in respect of how our cases should be prepared.

If you would like more information, please contact us on 0800 644 1544. Alternatively, complete the Contact us form and one of our Criminal litigation solicitors will make contact with you at a time convenient for you.

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