Privately Funded Criminal Cases
We may charges fees based upon an hourly rate (please see below) and will provide an estimate as to the likely costs involved, which will be updated. We may also agree a fee for various stages of the case, ranging from the investigative stage at the police station right up to the conclusion of court proceedings, if relevant.
Hourly Rates:
- Attendance and preparation – £275 plus VAT at 20% (£330)
- Travel and waiting – £135 plus VAT at 20% (£162)
- Routine telephone calls and letters – £27.50 each plus VAT at 20% (£33)
Road Traffic Motoring Offences
It is mandatory for us to provide costs details for the services we provide in respect of summary only (Magistrates’ Courts) driving offences.
We can carry out this work on an hourly basis, as set out above, or where a guilty plea is being entered, we also offer a fixed fee of £1,900 +VAT at 20% (£2,280) payable on account.
Our fee includes:
- Requesting (where necessary) and considering all of the prosecution evidence
- Taking your instructions
- Advice on likely sentence and all relevant mitigation
- Dealing with the provision of references
- Preparation of and submission of supporting paperwork to the Court
- Attendance and representation at a single hearing at the Magistrates’ Court
- Lodging an appeal if required
- One hour return travel by car to court and back from our Altrincham office
Our fee does not include:
- Instruction of any expert witnesses on your behalf
- Taking statements from any witnesses
- Taking your instructions at your home or another location other than our Altrincham office or by remote virtual appointment
- Advice, assistance and representation in respect of a ‘special reasons’ argument
- Advice, assistance and representation in respect of an ‘exceptional hardship’ argument
- More than one hour return travel by car from our Altrincham office (each additional hour/part thereof is billed at £130 +VAT (£162) per hour)
- Additional hearings if the case is adjourned or has to be heard at a higher court
- Instruction of counsel, unless otherwise agreed
- The provision of detailed advice on appeal, (especially where counsel’s advice is needed)
- Pursuing an appeal at a higher court
- Disbursements, such as parking and / or mileage (which is 0.45 +VAT per mile)
The Key Stages of our Services to you
The following key stages of our service to you are based on the presumption that you are entering a guilty plea and have a date for your hearing:
- We will arrange a meeting with you at our Altrincham office to take your instructions about what happened. This is usually (and preferably) face-to-face
- Where relevant we will endeavour to obtain and consider initial disclosure and any other evidence, obtain your instructions and advise you
- We will explain the court procedure to you so you know what to expect on the day of your hearing, and the sentencing options available to the court.
- We will attend and meet you at court on the day of the hearing and present your case to the Court
- Due to the uncertainty of court listing, we cannot say for certain how long your case will take to be dealt with but would expect it to take no longer than half a day
- Following the hearing, we will discuss the outcome with you and will lodge an appeal with the Court if required
Our Team
Roberto Lavorini
Criminal Litigation Solicitor
Roberto graduated at the University of Essex and thereafter at the College of Law in York, before returning to his home city of Manchester where he trained and qualified in a high street practice in 1998, rising up to the position of partner and specialising in Criminal Litigation, with some experience in family matters and will drafting.
After ten years in practice, Roberto changed career path and embarked on six years of teaching in the Primary sector, gaining an insight into the workings of the State Education system.
Roberto deals with all manner of criminal matters including:-
- Road traffic offences
- Police Station attendance
- Advocacy and representation at the magistrates’ courts
- Instructing counsel for crown court matters
Paul Fitton
Dispute Resolution Solicitor
Paul joined McHale & Co in 2011 and qualified as a solicitor in 2013. He heads up the firms dispute resolution work and his approach is to identify the practical and legal issues at the earliest possible stage, to achieve swift and cost-effective outcomes for clients. From Yorkshire, Paul prides himself on providing down-to-earth and pragmatic legal advice to achieve swift and cost-effective outcomes for clients.
Paul has extensive knowledge of a broad range of disputes and uses this knowledge to assist his clients. The types of claim he deals with includes:
- Construction (commercial and residential)
- Contract
- Debt recovery
- Defamation
- Director/shareholder disputes
- Injunctions
- Insolvency
- Intellectual property
- Landlord/tenant disputes (commercial and residential)
- Professional negligence
- Wills & Probate disputes
Paul also assists clients in dealing with Road Traffic Offences.
If you would like to instruct or Paul or discuss a potential case with him, please call on 0161 928 3848 or email at paul.fitton@mchaleandco.co.uk
Victoria Harrison
Solicitor
Victoria graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a First Class Honours Law & Criminal Justice Degree (LLB Hons) in 2018 and completed her Legal Practice Course and combined Masters in Law at the University of Law in Chester in 2020.
Victoria joined McHale & Co in January 2019 as a Trainee Solicitor. During her training contract, Victoria relished in assisting individuals with litigation matters and decided to make this her specialist area upon completion of her training contract. Victoria was admitted to the roll of solicitors on 22 February 2021 and has continued to work within our litigation team ever since.
Victoria continues to assist Paul Fitton, Head of Litigation, whilst having her own case load of complex land matters, landlord and tenant disputes, unmarried property disputes and inheritance disputes.
