Appeals Solicitors

We provide expert advice on appeals following conviction or sentence at the Crown Court. When your liberty is at stake, getting the right legal representation is absolutely essential.

We have a dedicated appeals team of solicitors and barristers who can help those who believe that they have been wrongly convicted and want a new team of specialist lawyers to advise them on their appeal.

The quality of legal advice you receive at all stages of the criminal justice system can have an impact on the outcome of your case, from the moment you are initially arrested to the last day of trial. We have helped countless individuals who were dissatisfied with the advice they received during the course of their case. We have a strong track record of taking these cases in hand and producing positive results, whether this be getting a conviction overturned or a sentence reduced.

Our team includes experienced solicitors, solicitor advocates, and barristers so we can represent you in all courts, including the Crown Court and Court of Appeal.

Unfortunately due to constraints on public funding and Legal Aid we are not generally able to undertake appeal work under Legal Aid unless we represented you at your original trial.

We will be able to give you a very competitive quote for our services. We will not be cheapest but if you want a team of expert lawyers who know what they are doing then please contact us.

Contact our criminal appeals solicitors today

For expert advice about appeals against conviction, get in touch with our criminal appeals solicitors in Hounslow or the City of London. Alternatively, please fill in our simple online enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch shortly.

Can I appeal?

How you appeal will depend on the court your case was originally heard in:

Magistrates Court

If your case was heard in the Magistrates Court, you have an automatic right to appeal to the Crown Court. However, if your appeal is unsuccessful, you may have to pay costs. We will therefore provide advice about your prospects for success and whether it is worth making an appeal.

Once you have been sentenced, you have 21 days to lodge your appeal so it is important to contact us as soon as possible to avoid missing the deadline (although the time period can be extended in certain circumstances).

Crown Court

You can only appeal a Crown Court decision if it is “unsafe”. This means you must have specific reasons to appeal and you cannot appeal just because you do not like the original decision. Again, if your appeal is unsuccessful, you may be required to pay costs.

You have 28 days from:

• The date you were convicted (if appealing against conviction)
• The date you were sentenced (if appealing against sentence)

to apply for permission to appeal the decision (called leave to appeal) so it is important to contact us as soon as possible to get the ball rolling.

We will provide clear advice about whether you have grounds to make a Crown Court appeal and handle the entire process on your behalf.

Appeals against conviction

There are three main ways you can appeal against your conviction:

• Appeal where new evidence has arisen
• Appeal due to an error of law, for example, the judge incorrectly interpreted a law
• Appeal due to “material irregularities” during the trial, for example, issues with the jury

Appeals against sentence

Most people choose to appeal against their sentence, either because it is:

• “Manifestly excessive” (too long)
• Wrong in principle or in law

When a judge chooses a sentence, they typically use the sentencing guidelines which set out the law, previous cases and the sentences they carried. They will also take into account a number of factors, such as:

• Whether you pleaded guilty
• What stage you entered your plea (for example, if you enter an early guilty plea, you may receive a lesser sentence)
• Your criminal history, particularly if you were previously convicted of a similar offence

Where there is a cut and dry error in your sentencing (for example, you are sentenced to 12 months imprisonment but the maximum sentence in law is 6 months) appealing can be a simple process. However, because of the many factors that go into sentencing a person, it can sometimes be difficult to say that your sentence is wrong.

We are also particularly skilled at re-examining cases and picking up on key points that we can use to form your grounds of appeal, such as:

• Remarks made by the judge during sentencing – if the judge took into account incorrect or irrelevant factors when deciding your sentence, you can appeal your sentence.
• Reliance on inadmissible evidence during your sentencing
• New evidence that was not available during your sentencing, for example, expert evidence that is relevant to your case
• Procedural errors – if the judge did not use a pre-sentence report where they should have referred to one, you can appeal against your sentence

Our criminal appeals expertise

MPR Solicitors is a boutique firm of criminal defence solicitors with expertise across a wide range of complex criminal matters. We are particularly skilled in defending individuals in white collar crime and fraud cases.

We combine rigorous criminal defence experience with impeccable client service. We appreciate that this may be the first time you have faced criminal proceedings and, whether you pleaded guilty or you were convicted at trial, we understand the pressure and stress appealing can cause. Many of our clients come to us because they were unhappy with the quality of advice received during their initial criminal investigation and prosecution. Therefore, our aim from the outset will be to make you feel as confident as possible in our abilities. 

We make it our business to fight injustice. We will ensure your legal rights are protected at all times and take all possible steps to achieve a successful outcome, whether this is getting your conviction overturned, getting your sentence reduced, or convincing the court to order a retrial.

We are members of the Law Society Criminal Litigation Accreditation scheme for the high level of our skills and practical experience in criminal defence.

Alongside our own team’s expertise, we also enjoy close relationships with some of the leading Barristers’ Chambers. So, if you need representation at court, you can feel confident that you will have the very best legal representation on your side.

Contact our criminal appeals solicitors now

For expert advice about appeals against conviction, get in touch with our criminal appeals solicitors in Hounslow or the City of London. Alternatively, please fill in our simple online enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch shortly.