It is estimated that 3500 new offences have been created since the 1997 election so the prospects of coming to the attention of the criminal justice system have never been greater. Whilst the number of new offences has increased, access to legal aid has decreased through the introduction of means testing in the magistrates’ court. Means testing is being extended to the Crown Court nationally during 2010.

The consequences of being arrested or convicted of a criminal offence are now greater than they ever were before. On arrest, police officers will try to obtain and retain samples of your DNA. Details of your arrest may appear on an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check even if you are not prosecuted or convicted of an offence and under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons scheme your involvement in an investigation may bar you from certain types of employment. A conviction for any offence may increase the cost of or prevent you obtaining insurance and in some cases can prevent you travelling to countries like the USA. Offences involving motor vehicles can often lead to disqualification from driving and the consequential loss of employment.

We believe it is important that our clients receive effective representation throughout the criminal justice process.

Investigations
Experience tells us that effective defence begins at the investigation stage. It is essential anyone who is to be questioned as a suspect during a criminal investigation receives effective advice and assistance when they are interviewed. We offer advice and assistance to those facing interviews by investigating authorities including advice and assistance at police stations, Department of Work and Pensions and Local Authority interviews. If you are asked to attend for an interview call us immediately on 0151 480 4061. Our lines are open 24 hours a day. Advice and assistance is available to those detained in police stations free of charge.

Magistrates Courts Proceedings
The majority of criminal cases that are brought before the court are dealt with by the Magistrates’ Court. Magistrates Courts are usually restricted to imposing fines of up to £5,000 and up to six months imprisonment, but there are offences where they can impose a fine of up to £50,000 and in some cases they can impose 12 months imprisonment. Magistrates Courts are also able to impose driving bans and to place people of the sexual offenders register.

We can provide effective representation in the Magistrates’ Court in all criminal cases. In addition to general criminal cases such as assault, theft and public order offences, our team has particular expertise in dealing with benefit prosecutions and prosecutions brought by local councils in respect of education, environmental, planning or health and safety offences.
 

Crown Court Proceedings
The Crown Court deals with the most serious criminal cases and has sentencing powers which are limited only by the maximum penalty Parliament set for any given offence. The Crown Court also has the power to impose confiscation orders under proceeds of crime legislation which is in addition to its powers to impose all of the ancillary orders that were available in the Magistrates’ Court.
 

We also provide representation in the Crown Court using our own Solicitor Advocate or one of our specially selected team of barristers. We have particular expertise in dealing with death by driving cases, drugs offences, violent offences and proceeds of crime applications. We also deal with customs and fraud offences.
 

Divorce/Separation
Separation and divorce are rarely easy. From issues regarding your children to dividing up assets, it can be a difficult and often distressing time because of the sensitive and personal issues which will be raised. At Parry Welch Lacey LLP we will guide you through the process and do everything we can to find the settlement that works for you and your family. Our legal advice will always be explained to you in clear, no-nonsense way so that you know exactly what to expect. Our easy to talk to team will steer you clear of the legal pitfalls whilst trying to keep emotional and financial costs to a minimum.

Financial Arrangements at the End of a Relationship
At Parry Welch Lacey LLP we understand that sorting out the finances at the end of a relationship can be very stressful. Following a separation or divorce, agreements will need to be made between a couple about property, child support, maintenance and the division of other assets. In an ideal world, you and your spouse or partner may be able to reach agreement amicably. If this division and sharing of financial assets can be agreed between you then this agreement can be formalised simply by submitting a consent order to the court and, once approved and sealed by a judge, will become a binding order .

Relationship Breakdown and Property
Various orders can be made by the courts regarding the family home which can include: sale and division of proceeds, transfer of property ownership and/or lump sum payments. Courts can give short-term rights to the home such as the right to stay in or to have access to the property or long-term arrangements.

Domestic Violence
Domestic violence covers a wide range of situations where one person, either male or female, in some way harms another person with whom they have a form of relationship. This not only includes physical violence, but also verbal abuse, mental abuse, pestering, bullying and also harassment. Domestic violence can occur in a range of intimate relationships but can also include situations such as relative abuse within extended families. All are difficult and distressing to deal with.

Injunctions
An injunction, such as a non molestation order or occupation order, is a civil court order which can be used to help keep you safe. It places legal restrictions on your abuser to try to prevent or limit any further violence. Injunctions can be issued for various reasons, the most common being for domestic abuse related incidents, such as assault, harassment or threatening behaviour. Our solicitors can assist you in obtaining injunctions through the courts and explaining the options available to you.

You can get further confidential information about injunctions and other legal measures from one of our experienced solicitors by calling us today. Meeting with solicitors and proceeding through the court system can be a daunting prospect for anyone, but at Parry Welch Lacey LLP we aim to make the whole experience as quick as possible whilst providing you with the expert legal support you deserve. 

Children Matters
Children are especially vulnerable to the effects of divorce and separation. Both parents will naturally be concerned and have thought long and hard about the effect on their family. In all matters relating to children, the welfare and interest of the child is of paramount importance and comes before anything else. Your children will be going through the upset of seeing their family break up; not an easy thing to deal with.   The trouble is, if parents let their own bitterness get in the way of compromise when it comes to raising their kids, it can make things even worse.

Parry Welch Lacey LLP encourages parents to try to come to a sensible arrangement for the best interest of the children. It is to the advantage of everyone involved, and part of our professional duty, to try to settle any disagreements out of court. Mediation can often help parents to keep calm and productive discussions ongoing.   We can also help you in the negotiating process on access arrangements for your children and a range of other concerns, and where appropriate record any agreements made thus helping your family to keep the emotional impact to a minimum.

There are however situations where mutually acceptable agreements simply cannot be reached. Where it is not possible to come to your own arrangements, Parry Welch Lacey LLP  can apply to the court for the following applications to be issued:

Name Changes
If you don’t want to wait for your divorce to change your name back to your maiden name or you just want to change your name we provide a quick an efficient service that could see your name changed within hours.

Prosecution for a motoring offence is frightening prospect that can lead to the loss of your driving licence and your job and leave you feeling as though all the odds are stacked against you. Being represented by a solicitor can help you equal the odds.

We believe that defending a prosecution for a motoring offence should be an option open to everyone, not just the rich and famous, which is why we provide cost effective reliable advice, assistance and representation to motorists and bikers facing prosecution. We also believe that you are entitled to know how to challenge the prosecutor's case and we believe in fighting for our clients.

If you are worried that defending your case might be too expensive call us on 0151 480 4061 or e mail us and we will give you a no obligation interview and explain how you may be able to recover the costs of being represented at the end of your case.

Our service extends from providing advice and assistance in the police station to representation before the Magistrates' and the Crown Courts, so we can help you at every stage of the process. If you receive a fixed penalty notice or a notice of intended prosecution we can help too. Don't wait until your third or fourth penalty notice when you are facing a 'totting up' disqualification - it may be that we could have done something about one of the earlier notices so you wouldn't have been in that position. Just call us or use the e mail reply box on this page and we will call you back.

We defend all motoring offences including:

.    Drink driving
.    Death by driving cases
.    Careless and Dangerous driving offences
.    Speeding
.    Defective vehicle cases

and any other offence linked to the use of a motor vehicle.

We also have a dedicated service for professional drivers who may face action by VOSA or a Local Authority in addition to facing a police prosecution.

Loss of Licence
A conviction for a motoring offence does not always mean that you will lose your licence, even if you are at risk of "totting up". If you think your licence is at risk call us or use the e mail reply box. 

Short notice cases
We know that sometimes the police like to arrange for motoring allegations to be put before the courts at very short notice making it more difficult for you to arrange representation. We can meet that challenge and our telephones are available 24 hours a day simply by calling 0151 480 4061.

Costs
All our first interviews are free and without obligation and we will advise you about legal aid and other sources of funding that may be available to you. If your case is not proceeded with or it is dismissed after a trial you will be entitled to recover all or some of your costs from the court. We will give you advice about that during your first interview.
 

We offer a comprehensive service to individuals, voluntary organisations, clubs and businesses requiring alcohol or entertainment licenses or gambling licences which are now administered by Local Authorities.

Temporary Events
If you are organising an event that involves the sale of alcohol or some form of regulated entertainment, which includes dancing, the performance of a play or live music you may have to obtain a temporary event notice if the premises where the event is to take place does not have a premises licence. We can advise you about whether or not you need to apply for a temporary event notice and assist you with the procedure that you will need to follow. Please contact us for details.

Premises Licences
Our licensing service provides a comprehensive service that is accessible and affordable to small businesses, clubs and voluntary organisations that have premises that require to be licensed under the Licensing Act 2003.

A premises licence is required under that Act where:

or indoor sporting events, wrestling or boxing which takes place before an audience.

If your premises are already built we can help you with the application process but if your premises are being built we can assist you obtain a provisional grant. We can also assist with transfers and variations of existing licences.

We can provide representation at hearings before the Licensing Committee and the Magistrates’ Courts should your matter progress to an appeal.

If you have encountered difficulties with the enforcement authorities we can help you resist a review where they are seeking to vary or revoke your licence or in defending any offences that may have been brought against you in the magistrates’ court.

Personal Licences
Personal Licences are issued to people over 18 who are of good character and who have successfully undertaken specified training. We provide representation where an application for a personal licence is referred to the Licensing Committee or where the committee holds a hearing in respect of an existing licence.

Other Local Authority Licences
Other business activities may also need to be registered with the Local Authority. These businesses include activities ranging from running dog kennels and catteries to sex shops. We can assist you decide whether you need to apply for a licence and help you with the application process if you do.

We offer a comprehensive legal service for the private hire and hackney trades for vehicle operators and drivers.

Help and Advice
We offer advice and assistance in relation to all aspects of taxi licensing from policy issues through to individual problems. We have set out how we can help with some common problems but if you encounter any licensing problem please contact us to discuss how we can assist you.

Representation at Committee Hearings
We provide representation before Licensing Sub Committees throughout the North West of England and North Wales where a new application has been referred to the committee or where a driver or operator has been called before the committee because of a complaint.

We always provide realistic advice about the prospects of success at such hearing and being properly prepared and represented at committee hearings can often increase the prospects of success.

Disciplinary Interviews and Hearings
Many taxi licensing officers invite drivers to attend to be interviewed under caution when they are investigating a complaint or an allegation that the conditions of a licence have been breached. These interviews are important because what you say in response to questions put to you in interview can be used as evidence against you to support a decision to revoke or suspend a licence or as evidence to support a prosecution in the magistrates’ court.

We can provide you with advice about whether you should attend the interview or not and represent you during the course of interview.

If your case progresses to a hearing before the licensing committee we can represent you

Licensing Offences
If you are prosecuted for an offence we provide representation before the magistrates’ and Crown Courts and we will advise you whether or not you are eligible to apply for legal aid.