Harrow Crown Court on Hailsham Drive tries the serious cases of north-west London: robbery, grievous bodily harm, drug supply, sexual offences, fraud and the occasional murder. For a borough that otherwise feels quiet it is a busy building, and the criminal defence solicitors in Harrow who appear there daily know its judges and its listing practices.
The smaller cases begin elsewhere. Harrow lost its own magistrates' court some years ago, so first hearings, bail applications and summary trials are listed at a magistrates' court elsewhere in north-west London; a local solicitor will know which one. Driving offences from the A41, the A409 and the Watford Road account for a large share of them: excess speed, drink and drugs, phones at the wheel, no insurance, and the totting-up cases where an exceptional hardship argument can save a licence and a livelihood. Assaults, domestic abuse allegations, drugs, shoplifting and fraud follow, along with regulatory prosecutions of landlords and businesses by the council.
The police station is where cases are won or lost. Anyone arrested, or asked to attend a voluntary interview, has the right to a solicitor at public expense whatever their income, and the choice between answering questions, giving a prepared statement and saying nothing should never be made alone. Interpreters are routine in Harrow, and a solicitor who can explain the process in Gujarati, Tamil or Romanian is a real advantage. Court representation is funded by legal aid for most defendants, subject to a means test before the magistrates and sometimes a contribution at the Crown Court, and several Harrow firms hold contracts; privately paying clients, most of them in driving cases, are generally quoted a fixed fee.
Criminal defence firms serving Harrow appear below, verified firms first. The criminal law explainer describes what happens between arrest and sentence, the general criminal law solicitors page describes the service, free legal help covers legal aid eligibility, and firms across the capital are on the London criminal law page.
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