Much of Britain's lorry traffic to the Continent passes within a few miles of Canterbury, and a share of the city's criminal work comes off the A2 and M20: drivers over the limit, tachograph and overloading offences, vehicles stopped with the wrong goods or the wrong people on board, and the immigration offences that follow. Add a cathedral city's night-time economy, two universities, the coast and a rural hinterland with its own poaching, firearms and farm-theft cases, and criminal law solicitors in Canterbury see a wider range than many of their big-city colleagues.
Advice starts at the police station. Anyone arrested by Kent Police, or asked to attend a voluntary interview, is entitled to a solicitor free of charge whatever their income, and a local firm will send someone to the custody suite at any hour. The interview often decides the case; whether to answer questions, stay silent or hand in a prepared statement is a decision to take with advice rather than alone.
Cases that stay with the magistrates are dealt with at the magistrates' courts serving east Kent. The more serious ones, including most sexual offences, serious violence, drug supply and fraud, are sent to Canterbury Crown Court, which takes trials from across the eastern half of Kent, so local defence solicitors are in front of its judges every week. Motoring work, from speeding on the A2 to totting-up and exceptional hardship arguments, is a steady part of the caseload.
In the magistrates' court legal aid is means-tested; in the Crown Court it is more generous, and several Canterbury firms hold contracts. Private fees should be agreed per stage, with fixed prices for most motoring cases.
The criminal defence firms below serve Canterbury and east Kent, verified first and then by distance. The explainer on what criminal law involves and the general criminal law solicitors page give the background, and can I get legal help for free covers legal aid in more detail.
