Drivers in Leicester can find themselves under investigation following a roadside stop, a collision, camera evidence or a notice arriving unexpectedly through the post. Our Leicester motoring solicitors advise from the earliest stage and represent clients at Leicester Magistrates’ Court, drawing on experience of cases investigated by Leicestershire Police.
We defend allegations ranging from speeding, drink and drug driving to careless or dangerous driving. We also help motorists who have accumulated 12 penalty points and need to argue that a disqualification would cause exceptional hardship. Whatever the allegation, our first task is to establish what happened, examine the evidence and explain clearly what it could mean for your licence.
Our Leicester motoring team is led by Clare Galo, a Senior Solicitor with more than 20 years of experience defending driving cases. You will deal directly with a senior solicitor who understands the evidence to look for, the issues that can affect sentence and how best to present your case in court.
Fixed fees are available for many motoring cases, giving you certainty about the cost from the outset. Reeds Solicitors has been named a Times Best Law Firm every year from 2023 to 2026 and holds top-tier status in both of the leading legal directories.
Driving offences we cover in Leicester and Leicestershire
- Drink Driving and Drunk in Charge
- Drug Driving
- Failure to Provide a Specimen
- Dangerous Driving or Careless Driving
- Causing Serious Injury or Death by Careless or Dangerous Driving
- Exceptional Hardship and Totting-Up Applications
- Speeding
- Failure to Provide Driver Details (Section 172)
- Driving Whilst Disqualified
- Failing to Stop or Report an Accident
Leicester Magistrates’ Court address
Leicester Magistrates’ Court
15 Pocklingtons Walk
Leicester
LE1 6BT
Most motoring cases arising in Leicestershire are dealt with at Leicester Magistrates’ Court, including matters from Leicester, Loughborough, Hinckley, Coalville, Melton Mowbray, Market Harborough and surrounding areas.
We regularly represent motorists from across the county and wider region, including Oadby, Wigston, Blaby, Lutterworth, Oakham, Uppingham, Syston, Birstall and other surrounding towns and villages.
Your Motoring Solicitor: Clare Galo
Specialist motoring lawyer, Clare Galo, has spent her career in motoring and criminal defence. With over 20 years of experience, she is Reeds’ most experienced driving offence specialist and the lead solicitor covering Leicester and the wider Leicestershire area.
Clients consistently highlight her ability to explain complex legal issues clearly, to pursue every available defence thoroughly, and to present mitigation in a way that makes a real difference at sentence.
Voluntary Interviews for Driving Offences in Leicestershire
Leicestershire Police may invite a driver to a voluntary interview where they suspect an offence but do not consider an arrest necessary. By this stage, they may already hold witness statements, dashcam footage or CCTV, particularly following a collision.
Although described as “voluntary”, this is a formal interview under caution and anything you say may be used in evidence. We attend police stations across Leicestershire, including Hinckley Road in Leicester, Loughborough and Hinckley.
Before the interview, we can contact the investigating officer, obtain disclosure and advise you on how to respond. We can also make representations seeking a driver awareness course or another out-of-court disposal instead of prosecution.
We regularly attend police stations across Leicestershire, including Hinckley Road in Leicester, Loughborough and Hinckley police stations. Before any interview takes place, we can contact the officer dealing with the case, obtain disclosure about the allegation and advise you on the best approach. In some cases, we can also make representations seeking to persuade the police that the matter should be dealt with by way of a Driver Awareness Course or other out-of-court disposal, rather than prosecution.
For immediate motoring offence advice and representation, contact our team on 0333 240 7373, or email us at [email protected] or send an enquiry online.
Motoring Offences We Defend in Leicester
Leicestershire Police regularly carry out drink driving enforcement across Leicester and Leicestershire, particularly during weekends, Christmas and New Year periods, and other targeted campaigns.
Drink driving carries a mandatory minimum 12-month disqualification for a first offence, rising to three years for a second offence within ten years.
There are two potential routes to avoiding a ban. The first is successfully defending the allegation itself. The second is advancing a special reasons argument, such as a spiked drink, an emergency situation, or other unusual circumstances.
It is also important to understand where the case falls within the sentencing guidelines. Does the officer describe slurred speech, glazed eyes or erratic driving? Are there aggravating features alleged by the prosecution? These factors can make a significant difference to the outcome.
See our Drink Driving Leicester Solicitors page for more information.
Drug driving prosecutions are increasingly common across Leicestershire, with Leicestershire Police regularly carrying out roadside drug testing following collisions and traffic stops. The legal limits for many substances are extremely low. Someone can test over the prescribed limit long after any effects have worn off, and prescribed medication can sometimes result in prosecution. A positive roadside drug swipe does not automatically mean a conviction.
Obtaining the papers early allows us to review the evidence and identify any aggravating features being alleged. We can also assess whether a viable defence exists, such as procedural issues, problems with the testing process, or special reasons which could avoid a ban altogether.
If a conviction cannot be avoided, we focus on mitigation and careful presentation of the facts to achieve the best possible outcome. In some cases, relatively small details can make a significant difference to sentence.
Failing to provide a specimen when lawfully required by the police carries the same mandatory minimum 12-month disqualification as drink driving. Many drivers are surprised to discover this only after they have been charged.
The allegation is not limited to an outright refusal. It can arise from an inadequate breath sample, conduct interpreted as non-compliance, or a genuine medical inability to provide a specimen.
The key issue is often whether there was a reasonable excuse. Medical conditions, anxiety-related difficulties, and procedural issues can all be relevant, but these cases are highly fact-specific and depend on exactly what happened at the police station.
We obtain the prosecution papers promptly, assess whether a defence is available, and advise on the realistic prospects of avoiding a conviction or disqualification. If that is not possible, we focus on presenting the strongest mitigation to minimise the period of any ban.
Roads across Leicester and Leicestershire, from the M1 and M69 to the A46 Western Bypass, the A6 and busy city-centre and residential routes, generate serious driving allegations every week. We defend clients facing allegations of dangerous driving, careless driving, and causing serious injury or death by dangerous or careless driving.
The distinction between careless and dangerous driving is often far narrower than people realise. Cases frequently turn on the quality of the evidence, including witness accounts, dashcam footage, CCTV, vehicle damage and road conditions.
Early legal advice can be critical. We can advise before any police interview takes place and, in appropriate cases, make representations that a lesser charge is more appropriate or that no charge should be brought at all.
Speeding allegations in and around Leicester commonly arise on the M1 corridor, the M69, the A46 Western Bypass, the A6 and other major routes across Leicestershire. Enforcement ranges from fixed and average speed cameras to mobile camera units operated by Leicestershire Police.
The consequences depend on the speed alleged and the number of penalty points already on your licence. In some cases, a further three points can be enough to trigger a totting-up disqualification, while higher-speed offences can result in an immediate ban.
Where 12 points is in sight, our focus shifts to exceptional hardship and whether there is a realistic basis for avoiding a totting-up disqualification.
Under the totting-up rules, reaching 12 penalty points within three years triggers a minimum six-month disqualification. An exceptional hardship application asks the court to consider whether that ban would cause hardship going beyond the ordinary consequences of losing your licence.
What courts will not accept
Needing your car for work is rarely enough on its own. Difficulty commuting across Leicester or Leicestershire, or finding public transport inconvenient, will not usually amount to exceptional hardship. The court is looking for consequences that go beyond those normally associated with a driving ban.
What courts will consider
Third-party impact is often what persuades magistrates. Staff who may lose their jobs, family members who depend on you for care, or a business that would suffer significant harm. These cases are won and lost on the quality of the evidence presented to the court.
A critical distinction: exceptional hardship and special reasons are not the same thing. Special reasons relate to the circumstances of the offence itself. Exceptional hardship applies only to totting-up disqualifications.
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