Lewisham's criminal cases are heard outside the borough. A person arrested in Deptford, Catford or Sydenham is normally taken to the custody suite at Lewisham police station, but the first court appearance is usually at Bromley Magistrates' Court, and anything too serious for the magistrates goes to Woolwich Crown Court, the court beside Belmarsh prison that takes the heaviest cases from across south-east London. Criminal law solicitors in Lewisham therefore spend their days on the A21 and the A2, and a good one knows the listing habits of both courts and the practical business of getting a client there on time.
The work has the mix of an inner suburb: drugs and knife cases involving young people, public order, domestic abuse allegations, driving offences on the South Circular, burglary and theft, fraud and benefit cases, and a growing number of investigations into people who have never been in trouble before, from online offences to allegations at work. Goldsmiths students appear more often than they expect, usually for drugs or drink-related matters, and a solicitor who can secure a caution or a diversion rather than a conviction can save a career.
Everything starts at the police station, where legal advice is free whatever your income, including at a voluntary interview, which is rarely as voluntary as it sounds. What is said there shapes the case, so ask for a solicitor and wait.
Most defendants qualify for legal aid, subject to a means test in the magistrates' court and possible contributions higher up; many Lewisham firms hold a contract, and the duty scheme covers the station. Privately funded clients should ask for an estimate for each stage; motoring cases are often fixed-fee.
Criminal defence firms serving Lewisham are listed below, verified first. Read what criminal law involves, whether you can get legal help for free and the general criminal law solicitors guide; criminal law solicitors in Southwark cover the Crown Courts at London Bridge and the Elephant.
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