How We Get Paid

Delivering change sustainably

We are the first criminal law firm in the country to integrate a commitment to social justice into our legal structure. We set up as a Community Interest Company which means all profits we generate through our work are reinvested into the firm’s mission. Our team’s wages are benchmarked to fair pay standards meaning we can focus on delivering social justice over personal profit. We have three streams of funding to ensure our work is sustainable:

  • Legal Aid: for police station cases, for magistrate’s court cases, for cases at the Crown Court, and in the Court of Appeal.

  • Private clients: most working people, even those on a low wage, may not be eligible for legal aid for a criminal defence lawyer. We offer fixed fees for many cases.

  • Grants: charities and institutions fund our project work on criminal justice issues.

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Funding road traffic offences privately


Our solicitors advise and represent people who face criminal investigations and proceedings related to road traffic offences, attending the Police Station, Magistrates’ Court or Crown Court to defend our clients.  If Legal Aid is not available, we accept instructions funded privately.  

The majority of cases involving road traffic offences are heard in the Magistrates’ Court. For these cases, we would usually charge an hourly rate for work done in preparing your case and attending court to represent you. Our private client rates range from £100 to £300 per hour plus VAT, which is charged at 20% to UK residents.  

Our fees include all key stages of work required in your case, up to any advice that is required on appeal. The overall cost to you will depend on the individual characteristics of your case and the amount of work required. In order to prepare your case for court, we will obtain and consider the evidence and meet with you to take your instructions and advise you on plea, court procedure and likely sentence. If witnesses are required, we will interview them. Having prepared your case, we will attend court to represent you in relation to any hearings required.  

The length of time that your case will last depends on a number of factors, including court capacity, and whether you are pleading guilty or not guilty. Cases that proceed to trial after a not guilty plea are likely to last some time longer that those with guilty pleas, and will require further preparation work. 

Some road traffic offence cases conclude at the first court hearing. This is usually when a guilty plea has been entered and the court sentences on that day. For such cases, it may be possible to represent you for a fixed fee of £700+VAT. This fee would include all necessary work to prepare your case for the first hearing, meeting with you to take your instructions and advise you, representing you at the first court hearing, and providing you with advice on appeal. Cases where exceptional hardship or special reasons arguments are raised are unlikely to be suitable for a fixed fee, due to the preparation involved. The fixed fee would not include preparation or attendance for further hearings or appeal proceedings.  

The fees set out here relate to work done by Commons on your case. They do not include disbursements incurred by us on your behalf, such as travel costs, and fees for the instruction of experts, barristers, or interpreters. These fees will be payable in addition to our fees and may also incur VAT.  

If you would like to contact us about taking on your case please call 020 3865 5403 or email info@commons.legal