South Street in Romford on a Saturday night produces a reliable Monday morning list at Romford Magistrates' Court: assaults outside bars, public order offences, drunk and disorderly, and the occasional serious wounding that will be sent to the Crown Court. Havering is unusual among outer boroughs in still having its own magistrates' court, and the criminal defence solicitors of Romford appear there daily, as well as at Snaresbrook Crown Court in Redbridge, where the borough's jury trials are mostly heard.
Away from the town centre, Havering's crime is largely on the roads. The A12, the A127 and the M25 generate drink and drug driving, speeding, driving while disqualified and totting-up cases, and a solicitor's job is often to keep a client who needs a car for work on the road, through an exceptional hardship argument or a special reasons plea. Older residents are the targets of doorstep fraud, scam calls and distraction burglary, cases that attract heavy sentences when they reach the Crown Court. Drug supply along the county lines routes into Essex, domestic abuse, and fraud and regulatory cases from the logistics and waste businesses at Rainham complete the picture.
Anyone arrested, in Romford or anywhere else, is entitled to free legal advice at the police station regardless of means, and should use it: a solicitor in the interview room is the most valuable step a suspect can take. Legal aid is still granted in most cases, means-tested at the magistrates' court and with possible contributions at the Crown Court; several Romford firms hold contracts and cover the duty rota. Private fees for motoring cases are usually fixed per hearing.
Criminal defence firms serving Havering are listed below, verified firms first. Read what criminal law involves and can I get legal help for free, see the general criminal law solicitors page, and for firms near the central London courts the London criminal law page.
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