Funding
O’Keeffe Law has been awarded a contract with the Legal Aid Agency. This enables us to represent clients at the Police Station free of charge and we can apply for legal aid for court proceedings.
Legal Aid is granted in the Magistrates Court if the application passes two tests.
- If there is a risk of the Applicant going to prison (the Interests of Justice Test)
- If you pass the Means Test. This is dependent on the applicant’s income, family circumstances and outgoings.
We can advise on both aspects when we take initial instructions.
Matters in the Crown Court are automatically granted legal aid but depending on the applicant’s income/capital etc there may be a contribution payable. The amount of the contribution is determined by the Legal Aid Agency and is not paid to us.
Private Fees
If legal aid is not available, we can arrange funding on a private paying basis. This is generally done on a fixed fee basis. We will try to agree a fixed fee once we have sight of the case papers and we know how much work is involved. We will not ask for large sums on account. Many of the motoring law websites will ask for £1000 plus without even knowing what the case is about. Do not part with any money until both you and your lawyer know what is involved. Our dedicated motoring law website www.motoringbrief.co.uk has details of our fees for motoring cases.
