Best criminal defence lawyers in London

Criminal defence advice is often most valuable before charge, not only once a case reaches court. What is said during a police interview, how digital evidence is preserved, whether representations are made to investigators and how bail conditions are challenged can affect the entire direction of a case. The right solicitor depends on the allegation, urgency, funding position and whether the matter involves general crime, financial investigation, extradition, professional regulation or an appeal.

A London criminal-defence firm may be instructed at several different stages: before a voluntary interview, following arrest, during a long-running investigation, after charge or when reviewing a conviction or sentence. Some practices focus on privately funded, high-complexity cases. Others combine legal-aid representation with serious Crown Court work, while a small number offer direct access to a barrister.

The strongest choice is therefore not necessarily the largest or most expensive firm. It is the team with relevant experience, sufficient capacity and a funding arrangement that can be maintained throughout the case.

If you are at a police station

Legal advice at a police station is free.

A person who has been arrested and detained can:

• Ask for the independent duty solicitor
• Ask the police to contact a named criminal-defence firm
• Request telephone or in-person legal advice before interview
• Decline to answer substantive questions until legal advice has been received

The duty solicitor is independent of the police. Asking for legal advice does not imply guilt, and using the duty solicitor does not require the person to retain the same firm later.

A voluntary interview under caution should also be treated seriously. “Voluntary” generally means the person has not been arrested and may leave, not that the interview is informal or without consequences. Free legal advice is normally available for a qualifying interview under caution.

Before attending, preserve relevant messages, documents, photographs and electronic records. Do not delete communications, alter files or contact witnesses in a way that could be interpreted as interference. A solicitor can advise how material should be stored and shared securely.

Check the solicitor and firm

Before instructing a practice:

• Search the firm and proposed solicitor on the Solicitors Regulation Authority register
• Check the individual’s experience in the relevant type of criminal case
• Ask whether they hold police-station or higher-court advocacy qualifications
• Confirm who will attend an interview or hearing
• Establish whether the firm offers legal aid
• Ask whether a barrister is likely to be instructed
• Request a written fee estimate
• Ask how conflicts are checked
• Establish the emergency contact procedure
• Confirm who will handle routine communication

Law Society Criminal Litigation Accreditation can provide additional reassurance that an individual or firm meets relevant practice standards, although accreditation is not the only indicator of suitability.

Barristers are regulated separately by the Bar Standards Board. Where a service operates through the Public Access scheme, the client should establish whether the barrister is also authorised to conduct litigation or whether a solicitor will be needed for parts of the case.

Legal aid and private fees

Police station

Advice and representation at the police station are generally free, regardless of income.

Magistrates’ Court and Crown Court

Legal-aid eligibility depends on the case and the applicant’s financial circumstances. Some defendants qualify without a contribution, while others may have to contribute or fund the case privately.

A solicitor should assess eligibility and explain what is covered before substantial work begins.

Private representation

Private fees may be:

• Hourly
• Fixed for a police interview
• Fixed or staged for a hearing
• Capped for a defined phase
• Quoted as a trial package
• Charged separately for counsel and experts

Partner rates at established London private practices may be substantial. The headline hourly rate is only one part of the likely cost.

Ask whether the estimate includes:

• VAT
• Police-station attendance
• Conferences
• Written representations
• Court advocacy
• Barrister fees
• Expert evidence
• Travel
• Disclosure review
• Digital forensics
• Trial preparation
• Appeals
• Post-hearing work

A staged estimate can be particularly helpful during a lengthy investigation because it separates immediate work from costs that may arise only if the matter proceeds.

Kingsley Napley

Main contact: 020 7814 1200

Website

Kingsley Napley has one of London’s most substantial private criminal-litigation practices. It acts for individuals, professionals, families, businesses and public figures facing investigations or prosecutions in the UK and overseas.

Its criminal work includes:

• Police-station advice
• Voluntary interviews
• Pre-charge representation
• Serious and general crime
• Sexual allegations
• Financial crime
• Bribery and corruption
• Corporate investigations
• Proceeds-of-crime matters
• Extradition
• INTERPOL Red Notices
• Youth crime
• Appeals

The breadth of the practice is especially useful where a criminal allegation carries consequences beyond the immediate investigation. Employment, professional registration, immigration status, directorships and public reputation may all require careful consideration alongside the defence.

The firm can draw on colleagues in regulatory, employment, immigration and reputation-related work where those issues genuinely form part of the case. This does not mean that every client needs several departments, but the capability can be valuable in professionally sensitive matters.

Pre-charge representation is a notable part of the practice. The team can advise before interview, communicate with investigators, review available material and consider written representations before a charging decision. The purpose is to ensure that relevant evidence and legal issues are considered at the appropriate stage rather than to promise a particular outcome.

Kingsley Napley also has a well-developed extradition and INTERPOL practice. This work can involve international warrants, Red Notices, foreign proceedings, human-rights arguments and urgent applications. Clients should ask who will coordinate overseas lawyers and whether translations or foreign expert evidence are likely to be required.

The firm is primarily positioned for privately funded work of this kind. Its broader structure is most proportionate where the allegation is serious, complex, international or likely to affect a career or regulated profession.

Pros

• Large specialist criminal-litigation team
• Strong police-investigation and pre-charge capability
• Serious crime, financial crime and corporate investigations
• Established extradition and INTERPOL practice
• Access to related regulatory, employment and immigration expertise

Best for: Serious private criminal cases involving professional, reputational, financial or international consequences.

What to confirm: Lead partner, day-to-day solicitor, interview coverage, written-representation strategy, counsel arrangements and likely budget by stage.

Hickman & Rose

Phone: 020 7702 5331

Website

Hickman & Rose is a litigation specialist acting in serious crime, business crime, appeals and civil cases involving the police or other public authorities.

Its criminal work includes:

• Police investigations
• Serious and general crime
• Sexual allegations
• Homicide
• Drugs offences
• Fraud
• Business crime
• Appeals
• Youth matters
• Professional and reputational consequences

The connection between criminal and civil litigation is one of the firm’s clearest distinctions. A person may need a defence solicitor while also considering whether police powers were used lawfully, whether a caution or decision can be challenged or whether a separate civil claim should be explored.

Keeping those issues within one specialist litigation firm can provide strategic continuity. The criminal and civil work will not always form a single retainer, however, so the scope and funding of each strand should be agreed separately.

The serious and general crime team represents clients from investigation through trial and appeal. It also acts for professionals for whom even an allegation that does not lead to charge may create employment, licensing or regulatory concerns.

Appeal work requires a fresh review of the earlier case rather than simply repeating arguments made at trial. Prospective clients should ask who will examine the previous papers, whether transcripts are required and when specialist counsel will become involved.

The firm also advises complainants and witnesses in selected matters. This can provide useful insight into different parts of the criminal process, although the conflict position should be checked at the beginning of any proposed instruction.

Hickman & Rose is best suited to serious, contested or unusual cases, particularly where police conduct or another public-law issue forms part of the wider circumstances.

Pros

• Serious and general criminal-defence practice
• Strong police-investigation work
• Criminal appeals and business-crime capability
• Connected expertise in actions against the police
• Useful crossover with public law and civil-liberties work

Best for: Serious criminal cases involving police powers, public-law questions, appeals or connected civil claims.

What to confirm: Conflict position, funding model, lead solicitor, division between criminal and civil work, counsel selection and likely timetable.

Berkeley Square Solicitors

Phone: 020 3858 0851

Emergency mobile: 07798 767156

Availability:

• Emergency criminal-defence contact available 24 hours

Website

Berkeley Square Solicitors is a focused London criminal-defence boutique providing partner-level representation in serious crime, fraud, tax investigations, cyber-related allegations and international cases.

Its practice includes:

• Police-station representation
• Serious crime
• Sexual allegations
• Fraud and tax investigations
• Money laundering
• Cybercrime
• Insider dealing and market abuse
• Extradition
• INTERPOL Red Notices
• International criminal matters
• Appeals and post-conviction advice

The compact structure is central to the firm’s appeal. Berkeley Square Solicitors states that clients receive partner-level support throughout their cases, which may suit those seeking direct senior involvement and continuity during a sensitive investigation.

Its fraud and financial-crime work covers investigations involving bodies such as HMRC, the Serious Fraud Office, the Financial Conduct Authority and the National Crime Agency. These cases can generate substantial volumes of banking information, corporate documents, email and device material.

An effective defence may therefore require a structured disclosure plan, forensic accounting, digital analysis and specialist counsel. Clients should establish who will supervise the evidence review and which external costs are included in the initial estimate.

The firm also advises on cyber-related allegations, where issues may include account access, device attribution, cryptocurrency transactions, cloud data or material held outside the UK. Its role is to coordinate the legal strategy and identify where independent technical evidence may be necessary.

Berkeley Square has a developed extradition and INTERPOL practice. Extradition proceedings and applications concerning Red Notices are distinct processes, and the likely route, timetable and overseas legal requirements should be explained clearly.

Its partner-led private model is especially relevant where senior continuity, international coordination or specialist financial and digital evidence are priorities.

Pros

• Focused criminal-defence boutique
• Partner-level involvement advertised
• Fraud, tax and financial-crime work
• Cybercrime and digital-evidence experience
• Extradition, INTERPOL and international capability

Best for: Private clients seeking senior involvement in fraud, cybercrime, extradition or sensitive serious-crime matters.

What to confirm: Named partner, urgent attendance arrangements, scope of any fixed fee, counsel and expert costs, and responsibility for large disclosure reviews.

Customer reviews

Clear advice and consistent support

“Patrick O’Hanlon gave clear advice throughout and was available when I needed support or had questions. His work made the process less stressful.”

Safiye Dogan, Google review

Calm guidance through the process

“Patrick walked us through each stage calmly and professionally. Communication was strong, and we felt supported from the first contact.”

Amy Bergs, Google review

Bindmans

Main phone: 020 7833 4433

Crime team contact: 020 7014 2020

Police-station service:

• Free legal advice and representation available 24 hours a day

Website

Bindmans combines criminal defence and extradition with established public-law, human-rights and civil-liberties work. It is also one of the clearest options in this guide for people who may require legal aid rather than exclusively private representation.

The criminal team acts in:

• Police-station interviews
• Magistrates’ Court proceedings
• Crown Court cases
• Court of Appeal matters
• Serious crime
• Drugs offences
• Youth crime
• Public-order and protest-related allegations
• Extradition
• Terrorism allegations
• Human-rights-related cases

The firm provides free police-station advice and representation around the clock. A person in custody or attending a voluntary interview can ask the police to contact Bindmans. Availability of a particular named solicitor will depend on the time and circumstances, but the service provides an immediate route to independent advice.

Bindmans is particularly distinctive where criminal defence intersects with state powers or civil liberties. Its wider practice can address judicial review, police conduct and human-rights questions when they genuinely form part of the legal problem.

Its youth-crime work is another meaningful strength. Representation of children and young people requires attention to age, vulnerability, appropriate-adult arrangements, education and welfare consequences, not simply the allegation in isolation.

The firm also acts in extradition and international cases. These may involve foreign warrants, procedural challenges, human-rights issues and coordination with lawyers in another country.

Legal advice at the police station is generally free, while legal aid for later stages depends on eligibility and the type of proceeding. Bindmans can also accept private instructions. The selected funding route and any contribution should be confirmed at the beginning.

Pros

• Free 24-hour police-station representation
• Legal-aid and private capability
• Magistrates’, Crown Court and appeal work
• Strong extradition, youth and protest-related experience
• Connected public-law and civil-liberties expertise

Best for: Police-station emergencies, legal-aid cases and criminal matters connected with youth justice, protest, human rights or public law.

What to confirm: Funding eligibility, assigned solicitor, court advocacy, availability of a preferred lawyer and whether any public-law work requires a separate retainer.

Holborn Adams

London office: 125 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1AR

Phone: 020 3840 3421

Availability:

• Emergency contact available 24 hours
• Private representation only

Website

Holborn Adams is a privately funded criminal-defence firm with a pronounced focus on pre-charge representation. It advises during police investigations, voluntary interviews, serious crime, fraud, sexual allegations, regulatory matters and cases carrying substantial professional or reputational consequences.

Its work includes:

• Police investigations
• Voluntary interviews
• Pre-charge representations
• Fraud
• Serious crime
• Sexual allegations
• Regulatory investigations
• Professional consequences
• International cases

The firm’s approach centres on becoming involved before a charging decision where possible. That may include advising before interview, corresponding with investigators, reviewing available material, commissioning expert evidence and preparing representations.

The usefulness of each step depends on the evidence and procedural stage. A considered pre-charge strategy can improve the quality of information before the decision-maker, but it cannot guarantee that an investigation will end or conclude within a particular period.

Holborn Adams also acts after charge and through trial, using external barristers and experts where required. Clients should ask whether the initial estimate includes counsel, conferences, expert reports and trial preparation.

The firm states clearly that it is entirely privately funded and does not accept legal aid. That transparency helps clients understand the model at an early stage. It also makes a staged and realistic budget particularly important where an investigation may continue for months.

The practice represents clients nationally and internationally, with its London office based at Old Broad Street. The precise arrangements for police-station or court attendance should be confirmed when urgent assistance is requested.

Pros

• Clear specialism in pre-charge representation
• Serious crime, fraud and regulatory capability
• Experience with professionally sensitive allegations
• Private funding model stated clearly
• Access to external counsel and specialist experts

Best for: Privately funded clients seeking early strategic involvement before a charging decision.

What to confirm: Scope of the retainer, hourly or fixed fees, work planned before charge, expert and counsel costs, and budget reviews if the investigation is prolonged.

Customer reviews

Available when guidance was needed

“Adam Rasul provided clear guidance and reassurance across personal and business matters and remained accessible when support was needed.”

Charles Freimuth, Google review

Calm professional support

“The team provided calm professional advice during important legal matters and gave me confidence in the next steps.”

Scott Quigg, Google review

Bark & Co Solicitors

Phone: 020 7353 1990

Office hours:

• Monday to Friday: 9 AM to 6 PM
• Emergency criminal contact may be available outside office hours

Website

Bark & Co is a City criminal-defence and fraud practice representing both legally aided and privately funded clients.

Its work includes:

• Serious crime
• Murder and violent offences
• Drugs cases
• Sexual allegations
• Fraud
• SFO investigations
• FCA investigations
• Money laundering
• Bribery and corruption
• Corporate criminal defence
• Appeals
• Confiscation and proceeds-of-crime matters

The general criminal practice represents clients at police stations and throughout Magistrates’ and Crown Court proceedings. Its ability to undertake legal-aid cases is important for defendants who require experienced serious-crime representation but cannot fund an extended private case.

Financial crime is also a major part of the practice. Bark & Co publishes experience in investigations involving the SFO, FCA, HMRC and other agencies. These cases may require analysis of corporate structures, banking records, communications and material obtained from several individuals or jurisdictions.

The firm also handles restraint, confiscation and proceeds-of-crime matters. These can affect access to money and property independently of the main prosecution, so clients should establish whether such work falls within the original retainer.

Its combined legal-aid and private capability allows clients to discuss the most appropriate funding route. Legal-aid eligibility, contribution requirements and any privately charged work should be confirmed in writing.

In larger cases, the team may include a supervising partner, solicitor, caseworker, barrister and experts. That can provide useful capacity for document-heavy litigation, provided the client understands who is responsible for strategy and routine updates.

Pros

• Legal-aid and private criminal-defence work
• Serious and general crime
• Strong fraud and financial-investigation practice
• Experience with SFO, FCA and HMRC matters
• Crown Court, appeals and proceeds-of-crime capability

Best for: Serious Crown Court cases, fraud investigations and clients requiring either legal-aid or privately funded representation.

What to confirm: Legal-aid eligibility, supervising partner, day-to-day contact, advocacy arrangements, disclosure staffing and expert budget.

Customer reviews

Clear and reassuring communication

“Vanessa Wiggins communicated clearly and promptly throughout the case. Her efficiency and compassion made a difficult situation easier to navigate.”

Tanya, Google review

Honest explanation of the options

“The team explained the options, facts and possible outcomes openly and provided strong support during a serious case.”

Yasmin, Google review

Astons Law Chambers

Phone and WhatsApp: 07922 247999

Availability:

• 24-hour police-station representation advertised

Website

Astons Law Chambers is a criminal barrister practice rather than a conventional solicitors’ firm. It accepts instructions directly from members of the public under the Public Access scheme and publishes authorisation to conduct litigation.

That structure can allow a barrister to advise, manage defined litigation tasks and represent the client in court without a separate solicitor in suitable cases.

Its work includes:

• Police-station representation
• Magistrates’ Court proceedings
• Crown Court cases
• Court of Appeal work
• Serious and general crime
• Fraud
• Violent offences
• Drugs cases
• Sexual allegations
• Youth crime
• Direct-access advocacy

The direct-access model can suit a client who wants early contact with the advocate likely to present the case in court. It can reduce layers of communication and may support a clear fixed-fee arrangement for a defined hearing or piece of advice.

Not every matter is suited to this structure. Multi-defendant trials, extensive disclosure, substantial evidence gathering or cases requiring a larger litigation team may be better served by a solicitor-led model.

Authorisation to conduct litigation is important because most barristers cannot automatically carry out every task traditionally handled by a solicitor. Clients should nevertheless clarify which work is included, who will manage correspondence and evidence, and whether another professional may become necessary.

Astons advertises 24-hour police-station representation. Anyone requiring urgent assistance should confirm who will attend, the likely arrival arrangements and whether the work is covered by free police-station funding or a private agreement.

Pros

• Direct access to a criminal barrister
• Authorised to conduct litigation
• Police-station, Magistrates’ Court and Crown Court work
• Appeals and a broad criminal-defence caseload
• Fixed-fee options available for selected work

Best for: Clients who want direct access to a criminal advocate for a suitable police-station, court or appeal matter.

What to confirm: Public Access suitability, litigation scope, police-station funding, fixed-fee inclusions, evidence management and any need for a separate solicitor.

Customer reviews

Clearly explained and professionally handled

“Everything was explained clearly and handled professionally. The legal support was instrumental in managing the case.”

Ashrafur Rahman Ali, Google review

Urgent court assistance

“Gulam accepted the urgent instruction and attended court the following day. The legal team showed a strong understanding of the law and court process.”

Riyadh Uddin, Google review

How the firms differ in practice

The firms in this guide do not provide identical services under different names. Their structures, funding models and strongest areas of work differ in ways that matter to clients.

Kingsley Napley offers the broadest private platform for cases involving criminal, regulatory, professional and international consequences. Hickman & Rose is particularly distinctive where police conduct, public law or a possible civil claim sits alongside the defence. Berkeley Square Solicitors offers a more compact partner-led model with notable strength in fraud, cyber-related investigations and international criminal matters.

Bindmans and Bark & Co both provide access to legal-aid representation. Bindmans has especially strong connections with civil liberties, youth justice, protest and public law, while Bark & Co combines serious general crime with a substantial fraud and financial-crime practice.

Holborn Adams is a private-only firm with a pronounced emphasis on early intervention during the investigative stage. Astons Law Chambers differs from every other selection because it is a direct-access barrister practice rather than a solicitors’ firm.

These distinctions are more useful than a single ranking. A police-station emergency, a complex SFO investigation, a youth case and an extradition request call for different resources. The right choice is the team whose everyday work most closely resembles the problem at hand.

Choosing a firm by situation

Arrest or voluntary interview

Ask for free police-station advice immediately. Bindmans, Bark & Co and other criminal practices may provide representation, while privately funded firms can also be requested by name.

Pre-charge private representation

Kingsley Napley, Berkeley Square Solicitors, Hickman & Rose and Holborn Adams all publish substantial investigative-stage work.

Fraud or financial investigation

Berkeley Square Solicitors, Kingsley Napley, Bark & Co, Holborn Adams and Hickman & Rose each have relevant practices, although their team structures and funding models differ.

Extradition or INTERPOL

Kingsley Napley, Berkeley Square Solicitors and Bindmans publish specialist international capability.

Legal-aid Crown Court defence

Bindmans and Bark & Co are relevant options, subject to eligibility and case allocation.

Police conduct connected to the case

Hickman & Rose and Bindmans may be particularly suitable where the criminal defence overlaps with public law, civil liberties or a potential action involving the police.

Direct access to a barrister

Astons Law Chambers may suit a case that can be managed effectively through the Public Access model.

Pre-charge representation and voluntary interviews

The period before charge can be one of the most important stages of a criminal case. Police disclosure may be limited, evidence may still be developing and the person under investigation may not yet understand the full allegation.

Early advice can help prevent avoidable mistakes and establish how documents, devices and potential witnesses should be handled.

A voluntary interview under caution deserves the same preparation as an interview following arrest. The solicitor should seek available disclosure, explain the legal elements of the suspected offence and advise on the risks attached to answering questions, relying on a prepared statement or exercising the right to silence.

The correct approach depends on the evidence and cannot responsibly be reduced to one standard formula.

In suitable cases, a defence team may engage with investigators after interview, supply relevant material or make written representations before a charging decision. The purpose is not to promise that the investigation will end, but to ensure that the decision-maker considers material that may not otherwise be apparent.

Clients should ask exactly what work is proposed, what evidence supports it and how that work will be charged.

Long investigations also require practical planning. Bail conditions, travel, professional reporting obligations, seized devices and uncertainty around timescales can affect daily life well before any court hearing.

A useful solicitor should explain which issues can be challenged, which must be managed and when an update from investigators can reasonably be requested.

Fraud, business crime and digital evidence

Financial and business-crime cases often involve a different style of preparation from conventional general crime. The evidence may include years of banking records, accounting data, company documents, emails, encrypted messages and information gathered in several countries.

The investigation may involve the SFO, FCA, HMRC, NCA or a specialist police unit, each with its own powers and procedures.

Clients should ask how the firm will organise large disclosure sets, whether document-review technology will be used and who will supervise junior reviewers.

A partner may lead the strategy while associates, paralegals and external specialists handle defined parts of the evidence. That structure can be efficient, provided responsibility and communication are clear.

Digital material deserves particular care. Device attribution, account access, cloud storage, metadata and cryptocurrency transactions can require independent technical analysis.

A criminal solicitor does not replace a forensic expert, but should know when expert input is proportionate and how the findings will fit into the legal case.

Restraint orders, account-freezing orders, confiscation and professional-regulatory action can create immediate consequences separate from the main allegation. The proposed team should explain whether it handles those issues directly or will coordinate with another specialist.

Extradition, INTERPOL and international cases

Extradition proceedings can move quickly and may require urgent representation at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

The court may need to consider identity, procedural validity, human rights, passage of time, health, prison conditions and whether extradition would be oppressive or disproportionate under the applicable legislation.

An INTERPOL Red Notice is not itself an international arrest warrant, although it can affect travel and may lead to detention in some countries.

Advice may involve requests to the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files, coordination with lawyers overseas and careful assessment before international travel.

International cases frequently need foreign legal opinions, translations and evidence about another country’s legal or prison system.

Before instructing a firm, establish who will coordinate overseas lawyers, how urgent applications are handled and whether the estimate includes foreign counsel and expert material.

Appeals and changing solicitor

An appeal is not simply a second trial. The lawyer must identify a proper legal or evidential basis for challenging the conviction, sentence or earlier decision.

That may involve fresh evidence, a possible error by the judge, disclosure problems, defective legal advice or another issue capable of affecting safety or fairness.

A firm reviewing an appeal should obtain the previous papers, counsel’s advice, transcripts where available and relevant unused material.

Clients should be cautious of anyone who predicts success before reviewing the record. A measured initial opinion is more valuable than an immediate promise.

It is possible to change solicitor, although the practical process depends on funding and the stage reached.

Legal-aid transfers may require justification and approval, while private clients should understand outstanding fees, file release and approaching court deadlines.

Concerns about communication or strategy are often best raised first, but the client remains entitled to seek independent advice.

Questions to ask before instructing a firm

• Is the firm regulated by the SRA?
• Is a direct-access barrister regulated by the BSB?
• Who will lead the case?
• Who will handle routine communication?
• Who will attend the police station?
• Is advice at the police station free?
• Is legal aid available?
• What is the private hourly rate?
• Can any phase be fixed or capped?
• Is VAT included?
• Will a barrister be required?
• Are counsel’s fees included?
• Is an expert likely to be required?
• What is the proposed pre-charge strategy?
• Will written representations be considered?
• How will digital evidence be reviewed?
• Who handles emergency calls?
• How often will updates be provided?
• What happens if the case lasts longer than expected?
• What professional or immigration consequences should be considered?
• What is the complaints procedure?
• Who retains the file if the client changes solicitor?

Information to prepare

Where possible, gather:

• Police or agency correspondence
• Charge sheet or postal requisition
• Bail conditions
• Interview invitation
• Previous solicitor’s details
• Court papers
• Dates and timeline
• Witness information
• Relevant messages and emails
• Device seizure receipts
• Financial records
• Employment or professional-registration information
• Immigration status where relevant
• Existing injunctions or orders
• Details of any co-defendants

Do not delete messages, alter files or contact witnesses in a way that could be interpreted as interference.

Ask the solicitor how evidence should be preserved and whether sensitive information should be transferred through a secure system rather than ordinary email.

After the first meeting

The solicitor should explain the allegation, the current procedural stage, the information presently available and the work proposed next.

It may be too early to predict the outcome, especially where disclosure is limited or an investigation is continuing. A careful lawyer will distinguish what is known from what remains uncertain.

The client should also understand who will make strategic decisions, when counsel will become involved and which information is still required.

Any disagreement about scope or cost should be addressed before substantial additional work is undertaken.

Criminal proceedings can continue for months or longer. Clear communication, realistic budgeting and a relationship based on informed instructions are therefore as important as the first urgent response.

Important legal note

Never assume that a voluntary interview, informal request for information or early-stage enquiry is harmless.

Do not provide a prepared statement, sign documents, surrender material voluntarily or contact other participants without understanding the legal position.

Police-station legal advice is free, and using it does not imply guilt.

Private representation can provide additional resources in an appropriate case, but legal-aid work is not inherently inferior. The important factors are relevant experience, preparation, professional independence and a funding arrangement that can be sustained throughout the case.

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