On Old Elvet, the Crown Court and the prison stand almost side by side, so a Durham defendant remanded in custody has a very short journey to trial. Durham Crown Court hears the county's serious cases, from drug conspiracies across the former coalfield to serious violence, sexual offences and fraud, and the criminal defence solicitors in Durham who appear there know its judges and its lists. Everything else begins in the magistrates' courts at Peterlee and Newton Aycliffe, which between them handle most of the county's summary work.
The first decision is taken at the police station. Durham Constabulary's custody suites are spread across the county, and anyone arrested or invited to a voluntary interview is entitled to free legal advice there regardless of income; a solicitor in the interview room shapes whether a charge, a caution or no further action follows. The city's students add a particular strand: a drugs possession or public order charge after a college event can end a career before it starts, and the handling of a first offence is where a local solicitor earns their fee.
The county's caseload has its own pattern: rural crime in Weardale and Teesdale, including quad bike theft, poaching and firearms certificate disputes; off-road motorcycles on the old pit heaps; drink and drug driving on the A1(M) and A19; domestic abuse; and the benefit fraud and local-authority prosecutions that follow a large council.
Legal aid is available for most criminal cases, subject to a means test in the magistrates' court and contributions in the Crown Court; ask whether the firm holds a contract. Private fees are quoted by stage, and motoring cases are often fixed.
Criminal defence firms serving Durham are listed below, verified first. The general criminal law solicitors page, what criminal law involves and whether you can get legal help for free are the places to start; the Newcastle criminal page covers the region's other Crown Court.
