We are located at:

Smith Dawson Solicitors

8 King Street

Wolverhampton

WV1 1ST

Contact us now:

Telephone: 01902 310007

 

24-hour emergency police station assistance: 07860 632220

 

E-mail:

criminal-department@smithdawson.com

 

family-department@smithdawson.com

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I get 'Legal Aid'?
A lot has changed about Legal Aid in recent years, but it is still available in most cases and in all cases if you are unlucky enough to be arrested.  The rules about eligibility in criminal and family court cases often change and we would need to see you in order to assess your particular case before we would be able to tell you whether you are likely to benefit from publicly funded legal representation.  If you are not eligible, we will tell you as soon as possible.  It costs nothing to ask.

 

Do I really need a solicitor?
That's a question that only you can answer.  What we can say is that the law is not as straightforward as it often seems to be.  Do not be fooled into thinking that you can find out everything you need to know from the Internet, a newspaper article or a man in the pub based on his personal experiences.  Every case is different and decisions that you make during the early stages of legal proceedings can have potentially devastating consequences later on.  If you need help, just give us a call.

 

If I've been arrested, will asking for you delay my release from custody?
Our police station assistance team aim to be at the police station within 30 minutes of the police indicating that they are ready to interview you, irrespective of the time of day or night or where you are detained.  When we arrive, we'll find out what evidence the police have, assess its strength, take your instructions and advise you prior to interview about whether to answer questions or not.  This means that you have the advantage of knowing what the evidence is against you and how strong it is before the police interview tape is recording your every word.  Your account in interview can be the difference between a guilty verdict and an acquittal if your case goes to court.  The police know this which is why they might try to persuade you that if you ask for a solicitor you'll spend more time in custody.  They are allowed to keep you in custody for up to 24 hours in even the most straightforward of cases and in most instances we are in attendance within 30 minutes.  We're on your side.  Are they?

 

Do you do privately funded work and will I get a better service if I pay you privately?
Both our criminal and family teams deal with privately funded work, either because the client concerned is not eligible for 'legal aid' or because they would simply prefer not to apply for it.  Although we welcome privately funded work, we can reassure you that we do not treat Legal Aid work as second class or less important.  You can expect the same high standards of care and attention if your case is publicly funded as if you had paid privately.  In the event that you do pay us privately, we now have a credit/debit card facility for your convenience and believe that our charging rates are both highly competitive and affordable.

 

I am disabled.  Does your office have wheelchair access?
Our premises in Wolverhampton are wheelchair-accessible and a wheelchair ramp can be placed into position to assist you in getting up the step if needed.  We also have two ground floor conference rooms for your convenience.

 

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© Kay Brown (K.Brown@smithdawson.com)