Appearances at Westminster Magistrates' Court
Westminster Magistrates’ Court hears a wide range of different adult criminal cases. Some of these cases will be dealt with exclusively at the Magistrates’ Court, but more serious cases may instead be referred to the Crown Court at Harrow Crown Court, or the Central Criminal Court ‘Old Bailey’.
If you have received notice that you are required to attend a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court (known as a postal requisition or postal charge), or you have been bailed to attend court, you may not know what steps to take next. For this reason, it is vital to seek the right advice, as this can ultimately make the difference between being acquitted or convicted.
Our criminal defence solicitors regularly help people accused of crimes in the city of Westminster and the wider London area. When you get in contact with a member of our team, we can provide advice and attend the hearing with you at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
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Why choose JD Spicer Zeb?
- 1000's of Cases Dropped
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- 100's of Years Combined Experience
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There is limited recourse for you if you are falsely accused. Click a selection of the cases we have covered. The best thing you can do is to instruct an excellent solicitor from the outset.
Contact our criminal defence solicitors in Brent & Camden for advice today:
Call: 020 7624 7771
Email: solicitors@jdspicer.co.uk
Emergency number: 07836 577556
How do you find out what court your hearing is at?
When being prosecuted for a criminal offence, you are likely to receive a postal requisition or charge sheet from the police.
A postal requisition is a document that informs you that a hearing has been listed for your case. It also tells you which court you will need to attend, as well as the date of the hearing. In certain cases, you may also receive additional documents relating to your hearing, such as evidence or a statement related to the criminal offence you are accused of. A Charge Sheet is a document that notifies you of the same information as previously listed.
How can we help?
Common questions
We always work with the most experienced and best leading UK barristers, KCs (Kings Counsel). We cover all criminal cases 24/7 at the police station and court. Offices in London, Birmingham, and Manchester cover cases across England and Wales. We can offer Legal Aid and affordable Private fee agreements. We can see you the same day, including virtually. Our Senior Partners supervise all of our cases.
How quickly do you respond?
We respond quickly even during out of hours. We do not get our work by paying for online adverts but based on the fact that few criminal law firms can match our 45 years of experience. Most of our cases are still from word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied clients. We are called daily by dissatisfied clients from firms with less experience than us. We respond very quickly to new enquiries. We know what clients seek and so we update clients rapidly.
Can you get cases dropped?
Yes, read about the recent cases we've helped our clients with here.
We always keep you updated and give straightforward advice. We will get cases dropped early where the case is weak or should not be prosecuted. We will be upfront with you about where you can benefit from a good result with an early guilty plea, such as a discount on your sentence. As we work on cases across all levels with clients from all walks of life, we are excellent at giving clear, spot-on advice. As an established firm, we can allocate a whole team to your case often at short notice to secure evidence to minimise the damage to you.
Have you won any awards?
OUR PROFESSIONAL BODY THE LAW SOCIETY AWARDED US IN OCTOBER 2020 WITH THE EXCELLENCE IN CLIENT SERVICE AWARD AND STATED -
"JD Spicer Zeb demonstrated a clear commitment to client service through their work with vulnerable and diverse individuals in what can be severely traumatic circumstances".
Do you offer free consultations?
Where it is possible, we aim to provide an initial consultation to you. If we can speak to you, we can if required inform you about –
- Whether we can take the case on and our relevant experience.
- Public and private funding benefits.
- Assistance in applying for legal aid where we are likely to accept instructions.
- An outline of options in police interview only. We will not advise you on which option to adopt.
- Providing our free written guide explaining the police station process.
- The gravity of routine and day-to-day offences you face.
- Consequences of not attending the court or police station.
- Consequences of interfering with any witnesses.
- Retaining any evidence in support of your case.
- If possible an outline of the elements of the offence that the police or CPS must prove.
- This consultation will normally be by telephone or email and will only be for as long as we deem necessary to establish if we can act for you. If we cannot usefully give you any advice in this manner then we will not continue with the consultation. We will not discuss the case in depth for you to be able to decide on your plea or any significant aspect of the case, as this cannot be undertaken informally.
- Referring you, if possible, to other firms for matters out of our specialism or if we cannot help.
Consultations do not apply to the following cases –
- If we do not intend to take the case on.
- Road Traffic cases, drink driving, drug driving, driving bans, speeding, no insurance, mobile phone use, points etc.
- In all cases where we do not have the capacity to take your case or the availability of suitably qualified staff to provide an initial free consultation. This is applicable in all cases but especially where a more senior lawyer is required because of your personal needs or the complexity of the case.
- Harassment/stalking/ coercive behaviour/malicious communications or road traffic cases and most sensitive cases. These cases are often too complicated to assess in short consultations.
- The locations concerned may be too distant to represent you adequately or it may not be cost-effective for you or us.
- The case is too complicated to assess or raises various charges or facts, complexity, or history to be considered informally or in a short consultation.
- In most Legal aid transfers where legal aid is granted to another firm except in very grave cases, we may assess the case and merits for a transfer.
- If your relationship has broken down with your existing solicitor or several solicitors.
- If you have been released under investigation and have already had a police station attendance.
- If you hold legal aid with another firm and seek a second opinion.
- If you are calling on behalf of the client as a friend or family member unless you have full authority and full facts.
- To businesses.
- Advising whether you were given good advice by your other solicitor.
- Whether to decide to plead guilty or not guilty.
- Whether you have an arguable defence in law or factually complicated defences.
- Any advice you have had after your first court appearance.
- Any advice on appeal on conviction or sentence.
- If we feel we are unable to communicate with you.
- If we are likely to be conflicted or breach our professional rules.
About Westminster Magistrates’ Court
Westminster Magistrates’ Court opened in September 2011 as a replacement for the City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court. The Chief Magistrate of England and Wales sits at the Court.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court primarily serves the police stations in Paddington, West End Central, Euston and Charing Cross.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court contact details
Westminster Magistrates’ Court address
Address:
181 Marylebone Road
London
NW1 5BR
Westminster Magistrates’ Court phone numbers
For general enquiries: 0300 303 0645
For fine queries: 0300 123 9252
To pay a fine: 0300 790 9901
Fax: 0870 761 7629
For the Citizens’ Advice witness service: 0300 332 1384
Westminster Magistrates’ Court email address
For general enquiries: southlondonmc@justice.gov.uk
For payments (such as fines): lccccollectionunit@hmcts.gsi.gov.uk
For citizens advice: westminster.mc@citizensadvice.org.uk
Westminster Magistrates’ Court opening hours
The court’s opening hours are Monday to Friday: 9am to 4:30pm. The court counter is open for enquiries between 9am to 11:30am and 1.30pm to 2.30pm.
How to reach Westminster Magistrates’ Court
Westminster Magistrates’ Court is in the City of Westminster on Marylebone Road. It’s possible to reach the Court on foot or by public transport. There are a number of bus stops which are located just outside the court, served by bus numbers 18, 27, 205, N18, N27 and N205.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court is just a five-minute walk away from Marylebone Underground Station on the Bakerloo Line. Edgeware Road Station, on the Circle, District and Hammersmith and City Lines, is also a short walk away.
You can also reach the Court on the overground line, at Marylebone Station. This is also just a five-minute walk away and is easily accessible.
Is there parking at Westminster Magistrates’ Court?
There is no parking available at Westminster Magistrates’ Court itself. There is also no street parking available on Marylebone Road.
There is parking available at various car parks, including NCP Marylebone Road, about a five-minute walk away from the Court, and Citipark on Burne Street, also a five-minute walk away.
If possible, it is beneficial to avoid driving to Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
What other facilities are there are Westminster Magistrates’ Court?
Westminster Magistrates’ Court has the following available facilities:
- Disabled access
- Toilets
- Baby changing facilities
- Interview rooms
- Video facilities
- Loop hearing
Assistance dogs are welcome at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Due to the Court’s busy central location, there are lots of places nearby to buy food, coffee, and other refreshments.
Finding a solicitor for Westminster Magistrates’ Court
Our criminal law solicitors serve Westminster Magistrates’ Court. We also often attend police stations in the local area, including West End Central Police Station, Paddington Police Station, Euston Police Station and Charing Cross Police Station. So, we can provide consistent service from police station interview all the way to court.
To get things underway, all you need to do is give us a call on 020 7624 7771 or send us an email at solicitors@jdspicer.co.uk.
Find out more about our Magistrates’ Court Representation service.
What should you do when you arrive at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for your hearing?
We can agree to meet you at the Court, or, depending on the circumstances of your case, we may agree to meet beforehand. Westminster Magistrates’ Court has meeting rooms that we can often use to talk before your hearing starts. Unfortunately, it may not be possible to know which meeting room will be provided until the day of the hearing.
We would advise that you arrive at the court at least 30 minutes before the time on your postal requisition. This is because you will need to go through security and find out where exactly you need to go. If you are unsure where you are supposed to be, there should be staff on site who can provide you with directions, or show you to certain facilities, such as the toilets and payphones.
Contact our criminal defence solicitors in Brent & Camden for advice today
If you have a hearing coming up at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, contact our friendly, expert criminal defence solicitors for advice.
Call: 020 7624 7771
Email: solicitors@jdspicer.co.uk
Emergency number: 07836 577556
How can we help?
Useful Information
- How can I get the CPS to drop the charges against me?
- How can I get the police to drop charges against me?
- How can I get the police to caution me?
- Police Stop and Search UK
- Pre-charge bail - What You Need to Know
- Read our Police Station Advice Guide
- Recovering Your Property From The Police
- Released Under Investigation - What You Need to Know
- Types of Evidence used in Law
- Voluntary Police Interview - What You Need to Know
- What is a 'No further action' letter?
- What to expect in Police Custody
- Why Choose a Private Solicitor for a Magistrates' or Crown Court Case?
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