Isleworth Crown Court has heard the cases that begin with a seizure at Heathrow for decades: drugs found in luggage, cash undeclared on the way out, goods smuggled in freight, and the couriers who carried them. It also tries the ordinary serious crime of west London, from robbery and wounding to fraud and sexual offences, and criminal defence solicitors in Hounslow are in it most days, preparing cases, instructing barristers and advising clients on plea, bail and sentence.
The borough's other criminal institution is the young offender institution at Feltham, which holds boys and young men from across London on remand and after sentence. Local firms know the youth court process, the particular rules for interviewing under-18s and the sentencing options that keep a teenager out of custody, and that experience matters to a Hounslow family whose son has been arrested.
Most cases are smaller. Hounslow no longer has its own magistrates' court, so first hearings and summary trials take place at courts elsewhere in west London, and the solicitor will say which. Motoring offences from the M4, the A4 and the A316 make up a large share: speeding, drink and drug driving, mobile phone use and the totting-up bans that cost airport workers their jobs. Assaults, domestic abuse allegations, drugs and public order cases follow.
Advice at the police station is free for everyone, whatever they earn, and the duty solicitor or a chosen firm will attend day or night. Legal aid continues at court for most defendants, means-tested in the magistrates' court and with possible contributions at the Crown Court; several Hounslow firms hold contracts. Private clients, usually in motoring cases, can expect a fixed fee.
Criminal defence firms serving Hounslow are listed below, verified firms first. See the explainer on what criminal law involves, the general criminal law solicitors page and whether you can get legal help for free; the Ealing criminal law page covers the neighbouring borough and its magistrates' court.
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