Waltham Forest once had a magistrates' court of its own. It closed some years ago, and with it went the convenience of a local hearing: a defendant from Chingford or Walthamstow now travels to Thames Magistrates' Court in Bow or to Stratford for a first appearance, and a Crown Court trial means Snaresbrook, a short walk from Wanstead station. Criminal law solicitors in Waltham Forest have adjusted, and most now spend their days in those three buildings and the custody suites that serve the borough.
The case begins at the police station, and the advice there is free whatever the client's income. A solicitor who attends the interview sees the disclosure first, decides with the client whether to answer questions, and pushes for release under investigation or no further action where the evidence is weak. That hour often matters more than anything that happens in court.
The borough's caseload has a distinctly outer-London shape. Driving offences on the North Circular, the A12 and the M11 approaches are a large part of it, from speeding and totting-up disqualifications to drink and drug driving, and many Waltham Forest firms offer fixed fees for them. Burglary and vehicle crime in Chingford and Highams Park, drug supply and knife offences around Leyton and Walthamstow, domestic abuse, and the fly-tipping and licensing prosecutions brought by the council and by the keepers of Epping Forest make up the rest, with younger defendants dealt with in the youth court.
Legal aid is available for most people charged with an offence, means-tested in the magistrates' court and with contributions possible in the Crown Court. Privately paying clients should ask for a fixed fee per stage.
The criminal defence firms serving Waltham Forest are listed below, verified firms first. See what criminal law involves, the general criminal law solicitors page and whether you can get legal help for free; the courts themselves are covered on the Newham and Tower Hamlets criminal law pages.
Verified