Our Services

Keepmedriving aim to provide as wide a range of driving offence-related services as possible. If you have a driving offence-related problem you should contact us without delay and we will advise you as to your best course of action. Whatever we recommend, you can be assured that the advice which we have given you will be in your best interests and designed to ensure for you the best possible outcome.

Making an initial enquiry will not cost you anything. What it will achieve, however, is that keepmedriving will be able to advise you as to your best course of action and, if you want to defend any allegations made, the likelihood of you being able to do so successfully. Normally we would expect to deal with that enquiry by email or telephone. To help us to deal with that enquiry as quickly as possible, it would help us if you completed one of the forms in the Getting help section of this web site and then we can call you back having had a chance of considering the matter fully. Alternatively, request a free, no obligation call-back using the call-back form to the right or phone us during office hours on 084 4804 4804

Keepmedriving can offer you a range of services tailored to fit your circumstances precisely. These services may include:

Review of prosecution evidence

We will give preliminary consideration to the evidence which the prosecution have brought and advise you whether there is a defence or whether there are likely to be technical faults which we could look at on your behalf

Plea mitigation

If you do not wish to dispute that you have committed an offence, but you want the Court to give consideration to personal or other factors which could reduce any punishment you receive, then you will need to enter a plea of mitigation. A good plea in mitigation can often result in a lower fine, fewer penalty points or even be the difference between losing and keeping your licence. Keepmedriving can help you to put together a plea in mitigation so that you will be able to ensure that you represent yourself as fully as possible.

Hearing

Even if you intend to plead guilty, sometimes there is no alternative but to go to court.

If you are comfortable presenting your case yourself, then keepmedriving can provide you with the assistance you require in order to do so most effectively and give you an understanding of how the courts work, what will be expected of you and what you should and should not say.

If however you would prefer to be represented in court, perhaps because there are technical issues about which you are unsure or simply because you are not confident that you could conduct the matter yourself, then keepmedriving will be more than happy to provide you with whatever level of representation and assistance you require and is appropriate. This could range from one of our solicitors or specially instructed barristers turning up at court on the day of the hearing and taking your instructions at the court through to handling all aspects of your case including dealing with correspondence leading up to the court hearing, entering into negotiations with the prosecution and gathering evidence to assist in your defence.

Coroner's inquest

Whether you are there as the relative of someone who has died in a fatal accident or as the driver involved in the accident itself, you may find it helpful to be represented at a coroner's inquest.

The legal procedures and processes involved in ascertaining the facts surrounding a death can be both confusing and traumatic. Added to the shock and distress caused by a death, whether that be of a loved one or someone for whose death you have been responsible, such legal processes are often the last thing with which you will wish to cope. Our experience can help to take the pressure off you and ensure that you are able to cope with the procedures and arrive at a satisfactory outcome.

Police Station Interview

Unless you are careful, an interview with the police can lead to admissions being made from which prosecutions follow.

The pressure of being in a police station and being interviewed is often enough for many people to admit to the commission of an offence. Whilst it is often better not to a agree to a police station interview, you may feel that an interview is the best way forward. In such circumstances, it is advisable for you to have legal representation at the interview - if only to ensure that you do not admit to anything you have not done!

Appeals against conviction

If you have been convicted of a driving offence it may still be possible to appeal against that conviction. Whether you are someone who has conducted your own defence, or you simply want a solicitor other than the one who last represented you to consider the matter we will be happy to advise you as to whether there are likely to be grounds for an appeal and if there are, how you can best take the matter forward.

An appeal can be a time consuming matter and could result in substantial costs being incurred - especially if we have to look in detail at evidence and at the reasons why the inital trial was not a success. For that reason we would be very realistic in our assessment of your chances for success.

Costs and Fees

At keepmedriving we believe strongly in being upfront about what it will cost you to be represented by us - and remember, if you are found to have committed an offence and lose your licence as a result, the real costs to you and your family could be far higher.

When you make an initial enquiry we will, wherever we can, let you know the likely cost to you of instructing us. For the more straight forward matters our charges are likely to be far less than for dealing with more complex matters, and we will always ensure that you know what the options are and how you can take steps yourself to minimise the overall cost.

The cost of instructing us in all matters will be based on a number of factors including:

• the type of case;
• the complexity and length of time it is likely to take;
• the amount of evidence against you;
• whether we need to explore technical defences - for example checking whether road signs etc were in the right place and correctly displayed;
• the seniority of the lawyer who deals with your matter;
• whether we need to use a barrister in court,

and many other factors.

Like many firms of solicitors we generally charge a fixed fee for the work we do which is set by what evidence needs to be gathered and the other circumstances. The advantage of this to you is that you know from the outset what the costs of your case will be. If this is not possible, as it may not be in the more complex cases, then we will need to charge an hourly rate, base on how much work we have to do - thus the more complicated or serious the case, the more will be the charge. In such cases our charges will therefore be dictated by the amount of evidence we have to gather, the number of witnesses from whom we need to take statements, whether medical experts are involved and the manner in which the case is handled by the police.

keepmedriving will discuss with you at the outset the likely level of cost so that you can make an informed decision as to whether, or how, you want to proceed with the matter

Payments on account

If we do agree to represent you then we will normally ask that you pay us a sum on account of the costs which we will incur. That amount will depend upon the complexity of the matter and whether we need to make any other payments on your behalf.

Payments by credit or debit card    

In most circumstances we can accept payment from you by means of a credit or debit card.

We are able to accept payment by means of VISA, Mastercard and American Express - please contact us for more details

Legal Aid

You may, in certain circumstances, be eligible for legal aid. Normally this will be available in the more complex cases where, for example, you run the risk of losing your liberty and where you are unlikely to understand the proceedings or there is a substantial question of law involved. If we feel that we may be able to represent you on a legally aided basis then we will discuss this with you at the appropriate time.

No Win No Fee

From time to time we are asked if we can represent someone on the basis of “No Win No Fee”. Regretably this is not possible. It is against the law to fund any criminal case in this way.