Salford keeps its name on the door of a court it no longer houses. Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court sits at Crown Square on the Manchester side of the Irwell, and every Salford defendant, from a shoplifter in Eccles to a company director accused of fraud, begins there. The more serious cases are sent on to the Crown Court at Crown Square or Minshull Street. Criminal law solicitors in Salford are therefore Manchester court regulars who happen to have their offices, and most of their clients, in Swinton, Pendleton, Walkden or Eccles.
The work starts earlier than court. Anyone arrested by Greater Manchester Police, or asked to attend a voluntary interview, can have a solicitor in the interview for nothing, whatever they earn, and the decision to answer questions, hand in a prepared statement or stay silent is the most important one in the whole case. A solicitor will press for disclosure before advising.
Salford's caseload has a reputation that is partly deserved. Greater Manchester Police have spent years on organised crime in parts of the city, and the result is a steady stream of multi-handed conspiracy, firearms and drug supply trials that need a firm able to run a serious Crown Court defence. Most Salford cases, though, are ordinary: assaults and domestic abuse allegations, shop theft, driving matters from the M602, the M60 and the East Lancashire Road, public order on match days at the Red Devils' and Salford City's grounds, benefit fraud and council prosecutions for fly-tipping and housing offences.
Legal aid covers most of it, means-tested in the magistrates' court and with possible contributions in the Crown Court. Private clients, mostly in motoring cases, should ask for a fixed fee for each stage.
Criminal defence firms serving Salford are listed below, verified firms first. See what criminal law involves, the general criminal law solicitors guide and free legal help; criminal solicitors in Manchester have a page of their own.
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