Criminal Defence Services

Finlay Solicitors is a well established firm of Criminal Law Specialists covering the East and West Sussex area.  We operate a free 24 hour Police Station Advice and Assistance Scheme. This means that if you have been arrested you can request our services for free by asking for Finlay Solicitors at the Police Station at any time of the day or night or by making an appointment with us to attend the Police Station.  Our office is situated very close to Littlehampton train station which means that we are able to attend at Worthing and Chichester Police Stations on short notice.

We have extensive experience in covering a range of offences from relatively minor motoring offences up to Murder and you are guaranteed to get access to a fully qualified and experienced solicitor rather than a legal representative which other firms often provide.

We have represented a defendant through a particularly complicated and high profile murder case which resulted in him being found to be Not Guilty of the offence following a high profile Police Station and Court case that lasted well over a year.

In addition to Police Station representation we provide representation in the Magistrates, Youth and Crown Court for all criminal offences at competitive private rates or using Legal Aid where appropriate.

We are a Legal Aid Franchise which means that in the event that you are charged with an offence we can offer free Legal Aid representation at Court if you are unable to pay privately for your representation.  This is mean-tested and we can offer free advice and assistance in the completion and submission of the relevant Legal Aid forms.

It is worth noting, however, that at the present time representation at the Police Station is not means tested, and can therefore be provided free of charge. Similarly, representation at the Youth Court is not means tested for people under the age of 18, which makes it easier for a legal representation order to be obtained in these cases.

In privately paying cases we offer a fixed rate initial appointment for £100 plus VAT (£120) and other rates for court attendances depending upon the complexity of the case. 

Mr Finlay's hourly rate for private cases is £195 + VAT per hour and we operate competitive fixed fees of £300 + VAT for the initial court hearing in the majority of cases.  This does not apply to Trials which often involve issues of a greater complexity.

Richard Finlay is an experienced Criminal Defence Duty Solicitor with fifteen years post-qualification experience in Criminal Defence and a further two years experience in Commercial Litigation.  He graduated from the University of Surrey in 1995 with a 2:1 Joint Honours Degree in Russian and Law and from the College of Law with a Commendation in 1996.  He subsequently spent two years working in Japan with the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme based North of Tokyo.  He speaks French, Russian and Japanese.

Our aim as a firm is to provide an efficient and practical approach to our clients' legal problems.  We understand that the legal process can be stressful, particularly for those who have little or no experience of the Criminal Justice System and we provide help through situations that can otherwise be confusing and daunting.

We offer fixed fee legal advice and representation so that our costs are upfront with no hidden charges.

Finlay Solicitors is regulated and authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Finlay Solicitors is run by Richard Finlay with its head office at 2A Arcade Road, Littlehampton BN17 5AR.  It is a family-run business with a focus on providing a high quality and personal service.