A trusted team of lawyers with a proven track record in defending drink driving cases across London.
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Established over 10 years ago, M.A.J. Law has unparalleled experience in defending drink driving cases. Our team of specialist solicitors have first-hand knowledge of all magistrates’ courts across London, so we know what to expect when defending drink driving offences.
We are often asked ‘Who are the best drink driving solicitors in London?’ M.A.J Law is an experienced team of specialist drink driving solicitors that can help save your licence or reduce the penalty. We understand the ins and outs of all drink driving charges and have supported hundreds of individuals.
We defend all drink driving cases where the accused measured over the legal limit for breath, blood, or urine, and for those who fail to provide a specimen.
Your first court appearance at a London Magistrates’ Court will undoubtedly cause you considerable stress and anxiety, but please try not to worry.
Our team of drink driving solicitors will be happy to discuss your options with you, completely free of charge. Remember that you can still win a case even when you’re over the legal limit.
Several technical defences apply in a drink driving case.
Whether this relates to the roadside arrest, police station procedure, or prosecution disclosure, if mistakes have been made, you should not be convicted.
Likewise, please also remember that we are entitled to negotiate lesser charges where appropriate. We regularly secure ‘plea deals’ with the CPS to avoid driving bans after you’ve committed a criminal offence with your motor vehicle.
So, whatever your drink driving charge, we’re here to help you.
A drink driving conviction for excess alcohol consumed must have evidence from a breath, blood, or urine sample.
This sample must prove that you were over the legal limit for alcohol at the time you drove.
The first thing to check is whether the testing procedure was conducted correctly. If the police have made mistakes at any point while taking a specimen from you, they may be unable to rely on the results.
Once they have the alcohol reading, we will check whether it’s reliable.
With a breath reading, our job is to examine the results from the breathalyser to confirm that it worked as intended.
For blood or urine tests, we may instruct a toxicologist to examine the testing to check if the police did their jobs correctly. Lots of things can go wrong in the process, including the incorrect storage of the specimen to errors in the laboratory that can undermine the results.
If the court cannot be sure that the alcohol test results are reliable, the judge must acquit you.
Defending an ‘unfit to drive’ charge is different. You can still be convicted of this offence even if your alcohol test results are below the legal limit. All that’s required for the police to push ahead with a conviction is to convince the court that you were unfit to drive because of some alcohol or drugs you had consumed.
Our defence is to prove that you were fit to drive, or at least that the prosecution cannot prove you were unfit.
To prove this, we could instruct a medical professional to conduct an examination and assess the evidence of the case to determine if you were fit to drive.
We could also look into questioning the police’s credibility and whether they were qualified to determine if somebody could be unfit to drive, whether the driver had consumed alcohol or drugs, or another cause, such as a medical condition.
Drink driving law dictates that a drink driving offence carries a mandatory driving disqualification. You will lose your driving licence from 12 months to 3 years upwards, depending upon the seriousness of the offence and any aggravating or mitigating factors.
Alongside the driving ban, the court will also impose a financial penalty, community service, or a custodial sentence (prison). You are more likely to go to prison if:
Prison is always a ‘last resort’ for the court when a person is charged with drink driving, but this does not mean that it is not possible. As reliable drink driving lawyers, we’re proud of our track record of keeping our clients out of prison.
If you’re found to have committed a drink or drug driving offence, you could receive:
Other issues you may face:
You can use our penalty calculator to work out the length of your ban. You can also look at the Magistrates’ Court Sentencing Guidelines.
You must hire a drink driving solicitor if you’ve been charged with a drink driving offence.
Why? Because traffic laws and extremely complex and only legal professionals possess the expertise to navigate the intricate details of a case.
A qualified drink driving solicitor understands the nuances of the Road Traffic Act and drink driving laws, as well as any potential loopholes. This gives you the best chance of success when defending yourself in court.
As your drink driving solicitor, we will examine every minute detail of your case, from the moment you were pulled over by the police to how the test was conducted and how the results were handled.
In terms of your court date, we’ll present your case to the judge with the best defence possible. Our experience in the courtroom is invaluable, as we can argue motions, navigate legal procedures, and present evidence.
At M.A.J. Law, not only do we provide an expert legal service, but we offer clear communication throughout the entire process.
We’ll stay in touch with you to provide updates on your defence so you’re not left in the dark wondering what is happening.
Also, we’re not just your solicitor, we’re your advocate. We’ll work tirelessly to figure out the best way to defend you in court and ensure you get the best possible outcome from such a difficult situation.
This may well be your first time navigating the legal process of a drink driving charge, but we’ve done this hundreds of times, so put your trust in M.A.J. Law.
You may know by now that we regularly win drink driving offence cases in London. Many of our cases are won due to administrative errors and miscommunication within the CPS. Take a look at the example below from a case at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Our client was charged with a serious drink driving offence. Like many others, he assumed that a guilty plea was his only option. He appointed M.A.J Law to consider the evidence and represent him in court. We quickly identified several problems with the evidence, such as unsigned documents and missing paperwork. We therefore advised our client to plead not guilty.
The CPS failed to provide further evidence following the first court hearing, despite a court direction. The CPS blamed an ‘administrative error’ for not serving crucial evidence! Suffice it to say the court didn’t accept the apology and excluded the evidence. Costs were also awarded.
These mistakes are becoming increasingly common in London, most likely due to the unmanageable workload. It’s no secret that London CPS are one of the busiest in the country.
Plus, drink driving cases will always be a low priority when compared to other common offences like knife crime, gang violence, and terrorism. This can lead to silly mistakes being made and long delays in serving evidence. This has contributed to our drink driving solicitors having an unbeatable track record in defending drink driving cases.
‘Many people assume that by pleading guilty they will reduce the driving ban. This is not correct. In our opinion, there is very little to lose by pleading not guilty and checking the evidence. You may be surprised to find that evidence is missing or incomplete. We regularly win cases for these reasons.‘
‘Many people assume that by pleading guilty they will reduce the driving ban. This is not correct. In our opinion, there is very little to lose by pleading not-guilty and checking the evidence. You may be surprised to find that evidence is missing or incomplete. We regularly win cases for these reasons’
Please try not to worry about your drink driving court hearing. Our team of barristers and solicitors have been stood next to our clients for over 10 years. If we’re acting for you, then we will do all the talking.
We are currently the highest rated motoring defence firm in the UK. We would usually start by discussing your case over the phone (or in person if you’re local). Simply call and ask to speak to a solicitor. Our initial advice is free of charge and comes with no obligation. Once we’ve gained an understanding of your case, we can tell you whether you have a defence to the allegation (or a
special reason). Remember that a defence could be technical or procedural (you may not realise it’s a defence until we tell you). If we advise you to plead guilty, we can explain how to minimise the sentence imposed by the court. This sometimes involves negotiating with lower charges with the CPS.
To learn more about drink driving defences, please see our case studies.
‘M.A.J Law are committed to providing a first class service at a competitive price. We have not increased our legal fees for three years’ running.’
The easiest way of finding the correct contact details for the court you are attending is to use the Government’s online service.
Once you locate the correct Magistrates’ Court you will find telephone numbers and email addresses. The map below contains all London Magistrates’ Courts.
Note: We would advise you to speak to a solicitor before contacting the court or CPS. It is in your interests to understand all your options before stepping into court.
Please find all Magistrate courts in London below:
The following resources may help you make a decision.
Don’t panic! We will prepare your case for court, obtain the evidence and explain your options in detail. You may have a defence without realising and could be found not-guilty.
Not always. This offence can carry 10 penalty points. We may even be able to defend the charge if you were not going to drive whilst over the legal limit. Please get in touch and we’ll explain the process.
Failing to provide is often treated more seriously than drink driving and can carry an immediate custodial sentence. It’s important to understand the reason why you failed and whether this is a defence.
Fill in your details below and one of our expert defence lawyers will give you a call for your free initial advice.
