Most criminal cases that begin in Tower Hamlets have their first hearing at Thames Magistrates' Court on Bow Road, one of the few magistrates' courts left in east London now that several neighbouring boroughs have lost their own. The duty solicitors who work its courtrooms, and the custody suites at Bethnal Green and Limehouse police stations that feed them, know each other well.
The first decision comes before any court. Anyone arrested in the borough, or invited to a voluntary interview, can have a solicitor at the police station free of charge whatever their income. A Tower Hamlets criminal defence solicitor will find out what the police actually have before the interview starts, advise whether to answer questions, and press for release rather than a charge where the evidence is thin.
The local caseload reflects the borough: drug supply and knife offences linked to the estates, public order and assault around the bars of Shoreditch's southern edge and Brick Lane, domestic abuse allegations, driving matters on the A12, A13 and the Limehouse Link, and a steady flow of benefit, housing and immigration-related fraud. Canary Wharf adds a different kind of client: professionals facing interviews under caution by the Financial Conduct Authority, HMRC or the Serious Fraud Office. Cases too serious for the magistrates go to Snaresbrook Crown Court or the Central Criminal Court.
Legal aid remains available for most defendants, means-tested in the magistrates' court and with possible contributions in the Crown Court, and several Tower Hamlets firms hold contracts and offer Bengali-speaking solicitors. Privately funded clients should ask for a fee for each stage; motoring cases are often fixed.
Criminal defence firms in Tower Hamlets are listed below, verified firms first. Read what criminal law involves, the general page on criminal law solicitors, whether you can get legal help for free, and the capital-wide criminal law solicitors in London page.
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