Appellate work in the Court of Appeal arising from findings made in the Family Court

If a matter has progressed through the Family Court to final hearing and an adverse finding against the parent(s) or Carer(s) has been made which states that, on the balance of probabilities they did cause harm to their child, then we are often instructed to appeal that finding.

An appeal of an adverse finding in the Family Appeal Court is fraught with difficulty and we will nearly always require an opinion from Counsel as to merit before we are able to process. Without Counsel's opinion it is almost impossible to attract legal aid to conduct the appeal but we have had our successes in the past and, if a case has merit we will continue to pursue justice.

Serious crime at Crown Court level

Appellate work in the Court of Criminal Appeal arising from alleged wrongful conviction.
Following a conviction at trial a defendant can feel let down or abandoned. We are often requested to apply for leave to appeal by people in prison who believe they have been the subject of a miscarriage of justice.

We are pleased to help in cases where we believe there are grounds for appeal or where we are able to submit new evidence to the court.

Regulation & Compliance - CALL NOW: 01722 713370

Regulation and Compliance are now watchwords in all areas of business and it can be all too easy to fall foul of ever changing regulations. It is necessary therefore to ensure that any advice and/or representation you may require is given by lawyers who are experienced in regulatory work.

Our experience in the Criminal Courts and at Disciplinary Tribunals means that we are able to offer expert advice and assistance to those who may need representation in this specialised area of law.

The following are just some of the types of regulatory work in which we have been involved:

• Police Disciplinary Hearings
• Military Disciplinary Hearings
• Medical Disciplinary Hearings
• Civilian Employment Tribunal Hearings
• Prison Tribunal Hearings

If you believe that you may be, or find that you are, in breach of regulations or are non-compliant with regulations and require advice, assistance or representation then please contact our regulatory team who will be happy to help.

Team Members are:

Courts Martial matters

Having had an office in Salisbury for many years means that we have been well placed to assist members of the Armed Forces who have needed legal assistance from time to time. This work involves representing service personnel at interviews with Service or Civilian Police and at any resulting Court Martial proceedings.

It is our strong advice that anyone who is about to be interviewed under caution by either Service or Civilian Police should obtain legal advice BEFORE the interview commences. The interview is a crucial stage of the investigation and having legal advice before it commences can make things easier during the latter stages.

Our practice is able to undertake Courts Martial and other related matters at Army bases all over England and also in Northern Ireland, Europe and Cyprus. We also have experience of Pubic Inquiries involving military personnel.

Domestic Violence

Don't suffer in silence. We understand that domestic violence is very distressing, we have the sensitivity and expertise to deal with all matters involving physical or psychological abuse. We assist both men and women in obtaining emergency injunctions and court orders against violent partners or family members. The law is there to help.

Divorce

By its very nature divorce is never a straight forward matter and can be complicated by concerns in relation to the care of children and financial issues. Our Family team are trained to assist clients throughout the negotiation of this difficult process with the aim of avoiding acrimonious argument and unnecessary court proceedings.

Depending on your circumstances we will be able to assess whether you are eligible for legal aid and. if appropriate will advise you accordingly.

Our team is also able to advice of Cohabitation and Pre-Nuptial Agreements with a view of offering sensible advice which may avoid arguments and increased costs at a later date.

Representation at Inquests

Mr. Bache sat as Deputy Coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon for a period of almost 20 years and has extensive experience in relation to Coroner's Courts. He and his team can advise clients who are vulnerable and grieving on how to approach a Coroner's Inquest and can provide representation if appropriate.

Criminal Appeals

Following conviction and sentence at Crown Court you will be advised by your lawyer as to whether or not you have grounds for an appeal. If there are no grounds of appeal you will normally be given this information by your lawyer immediately after sentence. If he or she believes that you have grounds for appeal then the paperwork (Application for Leave to Appeal) must be lodged by your legal team within 28 days of the sentencing date.

In cases where there are extenuating circumstances leave to appeal may be granted out of time but there would have to be strong grounds for this and these grounds have to be set out clearly by your lawyers in the application.

It may be possible to appeal against conviction and sentence if your lawyers advise that you have strong grounds to do so.

Alternatively you may be able to appeal on sentence alone if you are advised that the sentence was disproportionate or "harsh".

If you have been advised that you do not have grounds to appeal and you disagree strongly with that advice, then it is open to you to approach other Solicitors for a second opinion but this can only be done once your relationship with your original legal team has ended.

If you have already gone through an appeal process which has failed then you will not be able to approach the Court of Criminal Appeal. If, however, strong new evidence is found you may be in a position to approach the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) who will investigate the matter and, if they feel it is appropriate, they will refer it back to the Appeal Court.

Public funding to investigate these matters can be difficult as legal aid is not always available at the investigation stage. However, due to our experience in criminal appeal work, following a discussion either with you or a member of your family, we would be in a position to assess the cost of investigating the matter and give you a fixed fee for the work involved. The estimate would only be in relation to our costs for investigating the matter and would not include fees for counsel or other disbursements.

If you believe you have grounds for an appeal and would like us to investigate the circumstances of your case, then please contact us to discuss the matter.