Every Crown Court trial in Cornwall takes place in Truro. Whether the arrest happened in Penzance, Bude or Saltash, a case too serious for the magistrates ends up at Truro Crown Court, and the criminal defence solicitors who appear there know its judges, its listing habits and the long drives their clients face to reach it. Less serious cases are dealt with by the magistrates' courts in Truro and Bodmin.
The first decision is made long before court. Anyone arrested by Devon and Cornwall Police, or invited to a voluntary interview, is entitled to free legal advice at the police station whatever their means, and a solicitor in the interview room changes what happens next: whether a caution is offered, whether charges follow, and what the prosecution can later rely on. Cornwall's custody suites are spread across the county, so a Truro firm will often send a solicitor or an accredited representative a considerable distance at night.
The caseload has a Cornish rhythm. Summer brings drink and drug driving, public order and assaults in Newquay and the beach towns, festival drug cases and offences on the water; winter brings domestic abuse allegations, burglary and rural crime, including theft from farms and offences involving shotguns held on certificate. Fishing vessel and marine safety prosecutions, planning and environmental offences and benefit fraud also come before the Truro courts, as do the driving matters that keep rural households on the road: speeding, totting up and exceptional hardship arguments.
Legal aid remains available for most criminal cases, means-tested in the magistrates' court, and the duty solicitor scheme covers the whole county. The number of Cornish firms holding a criminal legal aid contract has fallen, so if you want a particular solicitor, ask early. Privately funded clients should get a written estimate per stage; motoring cases are often fixed-fee.
The criminal defence firms serving Truro are listed below, verified firms first. Read the guide to what criminal law involves, the general page on criminal law solicitors, and whether you can get legal help for free; if you are nearer the Tamar, see criminal law solicitors in Plymouth.
