Drug Driving Solicitors

Have you been accused of drug driving or driving under the influence? Are you concerned about what might happen next? Our drug driving solicitors are available to advise you and provide rigorous legal representation that will help you reach the best available outcome.

Bespoke Private Fee Service

If you believe your case is likely to have serious consequences for you now, or in the future and you have the means to pay for this service

Do we offer free consultations?

While the consequences of being convicted for drink driving are well known, drug penalties are not as well documented. That being said, if you are found guilty of committing a drug offence, the penalties can be equally severe, if not worse in certain circumstances. If you are accused of a drug driving offence, you will need urgent legal advice to reduce the potential impact on your life.

At JD Spicer Zeb Solicitors, we understand how daunting it can be to face an accusation of drug driving. Our team of experienced drug driving solicitors can provide immediate support, helping you to avoid charges or minimise penalties if conviction is unavoidable.

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Why choose JD Spicer Zeb?

1000's of Cases Dropped
24/7 Emergency Phonelines
100's of Years Combined Experience
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Recent Cases

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.

See all cases

S.18 GBH Dropped After Driving At Man Luton Crown Court 2024

Not Guilty Private Client Charged With Racially Aggravated Assault Road Rage 2024

Driving licence retained Following successful Exceptional Hardship Argument Lavender Hill Magistrates Court 2024

Not Guilty Disqualified Driving Willesden Magistrates Court 2024

Driving without Due Care And Attention dropped Police Station

Drug Driving Charge Dropped Bromley Magistrates Court 2024

Not Guilty Drink Driving - Willesden Magistrate's Court 2023

Not guilty Drunk in charge of a motor vehicle Magistrates 2023

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.

Speak to our drug driving solicitors today

For an initial consultation on your legal position and the available options with our solicitors for drug driving, please call 020 7624 7771.

For urgent advice at any time of day or night, please call our emergency number 07836 577556.

You can also email: solicitors@jdspicer.co.uk or fill out our quick online enquiry form and we will get back to you quickly.

Our drug driving solicitors can represent you at Willesden Court if you are due to make an appearance there. This means that our costs will likely be lower, as we are a local firm to the court.

Our drug driving expertise

Driving or attempting to drive under the influence of drugs

It is illegal to drive if you are considered ‘unfit’ to do so if you’re using legal or illegal drugs, or you have certain levels of illegal drugs in your blood (even if they have not affected your driving).

If it can be proven that you have drugs in your system while driving, you could face a range of penalties, including:

A minimum 1-year driving ban
An unlimited fine
Up to 6 months in prison
A criminal record

If you have been convicted for drug driving, this will also show on your driving licence for a minimum of 11 years.

Defences

It would be a defence if it can be shown that the specified controlled drug had been prescribed or supplied for medical or dental purposes. It also needs to be shown that the drug was taken in accordance with any direction given by the person to whom the drug was prescribed or supplied, and with any accompanying instructions (so far as consistent with any such direction) given by the manufacturer or distributor of the drugs.

However this defence would not be available if the use of the drug was contrary to any advice given by the person who prescribed the drug about the amount of time that should elapse between taking the drug and driving a motor or contrary to any accompanying instructions about that matter.

A more obvious defence is that you were not driving the vehicle.

Special Reasons

Similarly to the situation for offences of driving with excess alcohol, “special reasons” can be advanced for not imposing a disqualification (for example if it can be shown the drugs were administered without a person’s knowledge). Again, it would normally be necessary to produce some form of medical or expert evidence to support such a proposition.

Failing to provide a specimen

If the police suspect you of driving under the influence of drugs, they have the authority to request a specimen from you. This may come in the form of a roadside test, or you may be asked to attend the police station to provide a blood or urine sample.

Failing to provide a specimen for a suspected drug driving offence could potentially lead to immediate prosecution. However, this is not always the case, as there may legitimate reasons which explain why you were not able to provide a specimen.

It is also important to note that the police are required to follow a strict set of procedures when acquiring a specimen for a suspected drug driving offence. Failing to follow these procedures may mean that they are unable to use any evidence against you.

We can work with you to make sure that your rights are fully protected and advise you on your options for defending allegations of failing to provide a specimen.

Being in charge of a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs

You could be charged for a drug driving offence, even if you were not driving at the time you are stopped by the police. For example, if you are sat in your car, or you are holding your car keys while under the influence of drugs, you may be accused of being ‘in charge’ of your car.

Convictions for being in charge of a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs are often less serious than other offence, but they could still carry punishments like a driving ban, a fine, or a prison sentence.

Causing injury or death by careless or dangerous driving

Causing serious injury or death by careless or dangerous driving are the most serious driving offences you can be convicted for. Under normal circumstances, you could face a punishment as severe as 14 years’ imprisonment, but this could be extended further if you were found to be under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident.

It goes without saying that expert criminal defence is absolutely essential in such situations, as this allows you to build the strongest possible defence to address these types of allegations.

What is a drug driving offence?

Under Section 4 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, it is an offence where someone drives (or attempts to drive) on a road while they are “unfit through drink or drugs”. In terms of a drug driving charge, this can refer to both legally available drugs and illegal drugs.

How long do the police have to prosecute for drug driving?

The police have up to 6 months to charge you for drug driving from the time of the initial alleged offence.

What happens if you get caught drug driving twice?

If you have a previous conviction for drug driving within the last 10 years, the penalties for a drug driving second offence will be more severe. This includes a minimum three-year driving disqualification.

What are the penalties for a drug driving conviction?

For a drug driving first offence, drug driving sentencing guidelines mean that you can expect:

A one-year driving disqualification
A fine, community order or prison sentence of up to 6 months

As stated above, if you are convicted a second time within 10 years of a previous conviction, the drug driving penalties are likely to be more severe, including a minimum three-year driving ban.

Why choose our drug driving solicitors?

If you have visited the police, or have attended court, for a drug driving offence, then it is essential that you seek out legal advice from specialist drug driving offence solicitors at the earliest opportunity.

You will be given the option of using a duty solicitor to defend you for a drink driving offence, but it is unlikely they will have the level of specific expertise required to effectively defend you.

In contrast, our drug driving solicitors have a deep understanding of motoring law and are experienced in defending clients on a wide range of associated matters – including for drug driving offences.

Our team will take you through the entire process with straightforward advice that allows you to understand your situation, rights, options and potential outcomes for a driving on drugs charge.

We are ready to act on your behalf immediately and are available around the clock, including on weekends and bank holidays.

We can represent you at Willesden Court if you are due to make an appearance there for a drug driving offence. This means our costs will be lower as we are a local firm to the court.

Funding your motoring law defence

Funding police station representation

If you have been arrested or are being interviewed under caution, you are entitled to receive free legal representation. This can be from a solicitor of your choosing and is not means-tested.

Funding your legal defence if you are prosecuted

If you are charged with a drug driving offence and are prosecuted, you may be able to have some or all of your legal defence covered by something known as a ‘Representation Order’. This is also commonly referred to as ‘legal aid’.

The level of financial assistance you are likely to receive and the process you need to follow to make an application will depend on the type of court the prosecution takes place in.

Private fees

You also have the option to self-fund your legal representation. If this the route you would like to take, we can clearly explain all of our costs and our fee structures. Whether or not you receive legal funding, any contribution you make to your legal defence will be refunded if you are found not guilty.

Contact our drug driving offence solicitors today

For urgent specialist advice, immediate representation or to speak to our solicitors confidentially about a drug driving offence, please call 020 7624 7771 or email solicitors@jdspicer.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can fill out our quick online enquiry form and we will get back to you quickly.

For immediate representation and advice, call our emergency number 07836 577556 and we will provide you with the urgent assistance you need.

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