Funding

Many accused people believe their case will be resolved quickly. Some are not concerned because they know they are innocent and have done nothing wrong.  Some think justice will honestly prevail.  Some want to wait and see if the expenditure is really necessary. Many find that the cost of attempting to reverse a conviction, the approximate 2 years (and sometimes more) they will remain in prison waiting for the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court to reverse their conviction, and then going right back to trial again and facing a possible second conviction, can be far more costly than if they had done things correctly the first time. Some are in a panic, not thinking rationally and grasping at straws.

Many of these people are simply incapable of making a decision that is really in their overall best interest.  Most have no idea what is ahead of them, nor the work that will be involved. Most have no idea what it takes to prepare a proper defense. Some do not take the allegations against them seriously until they are convicted.

Very few people have the necessary funds to properly defend against these types of serious false allegations, so, for all practical purposes, there is not such a thorough investigation, or expert examinations and the Barrister(s) and/or Solicitor(s) chosen are normally legally aided. It's almost always the case that privately funded criminal solicitors; barristers and experts have better success rates in defending clients against serious criminal charges rather than those choosing to have legal aid.

We as a firm are acutely aware that there exists a two-tier justice system. Those who can afford it, and those who cannot, we did not implement it and make no apology for this two-tier system. Therefore, we must stress we do not believe that it is always possible to work at the highest level within the constraints of public funding (legal aid), we will discuss the funding options at the start of any new matter and we are always totally up front and transparent in this regard (and any part of our work).

Legal Aid has become a much talked about and much debated phrase in recent years and the government has announced major changes to the system of legal aid in England and Wales. Now everyone is “means tested”, this of course will have a drastic effect on the way people are represented.

The individual selected to represent the accused in court will, for all practical purposes, have the accused entire life and future in the palm of their hands. The question becomes, "What will they do with it?" Basic legal aid Solicitors and Barristers are under enormous pressure and consequently can rarely afford the time to prioritise and effectively investigate or re-investigate these complex cases. That combination may attempt to respond to the Prosecution's case, but where is the defence? There is not much of one - that is one of the reason’s why there are so many innocent people in prison today.

falselyaccused.co.uk are a specialist firm dealing solely in false allegations and wrongful convictions. We are here to assist in individual cases for people who really want our help and input and who face or who have been convicted a false allegation of any type of serious criminal offence whether it is before going to a criminal trial or to the criminal appeal courts.

While this site provides lots of information and advice online, and information that you can download free of charge, it does not attempt to provide it’s services for free, it is not a sustainable business model therefore until we are instructed by the client to take on their case we cannot give comments or opinions about individual cases. As previously stated our service is not a voluntary one, we are not a support organisation, charity, campaigners or protestors.

Of course the funding of any case is obviously crucially important therefore the client must understand what they are getting into should they decide to instruct our firm on a private basis. This would be a long-term commitment by you and of course by us. Cases can last anywhere between a year and four years and sometimes even longer.

Private work can be carried out at an agreed fixed fee for a specific stage of the proceedings. This has the advantage of quantifying the exact cost a case for any given stage or we can agree a total fee until completion of the case. As the potential client can appreciate, we base our fees on our experience, time and on numerous avenues that may be available to us whilst an investigation and preparation of the case is taking place.

We start by recording all the time spent on a matter in minimum units of 6 minutes per item of work. Charges are calculated mainly by reference to the time spent in dealing with the case and investigation and of course our previous experience of these complex cases. This includes advising and attending the Client/Defendant/Appellant and others, dealing with papers, correspondence, telephone calls, statement taking, travelling, waiting time and anytime spent attending Solicitors, Counsel and others as necessary. The charge rate also does not include other expenses (for example: transcripts) and disbursements such as travel abroad, etc. The above is not an exhaustive list and there are numerous other matters, which, from time to time, need to be attended to. We then have to consider what profit is appropriate having calculated what time will be spent on the matter and cost in salaries and overheads to arrive at a figure that is "fair and reasonable".

You'll also have to pay value added tax (or 'VAT') on top of our fees. The amount of VAT you have to pay is set by the government and is a form of tax.

Our time & proven experience is our only tangible asset. It is our standard policy to charge for all time we spend including, but not limited to, consultations, reading and responding to emails, sent and received letters and all telephone calls, travel etc.  Once a client pays a retainer to us, there will be no refund of any money paid. It takes time for us to schedule work, make necessary arrangements and prepare a client file. It would not be practical for us to attempt and fill that time slot with another case.

It would be totally absurd to believe that we can offer the accused a guarantee that they will not be found guilty (It is the jury’s decision based on the facts placed before them) and it would be equally absurd to believe that if the accused is appealing their conviction we would guarantee that it would be quashed, we simply would not. We believe that our commitment to the falsely accused and wrongly convicted is demonstrated every day through our promise to go above and beyond our legal obligations, our team offers only three guarantees, absolute discretion, the highest possible professional standards giving 110% to our clients, and by operating our own business in a sustainable manner by helping and advising our clients once instructed. The information within this site clearly states what services are offered to the accused.

Investigative fees are normally insignificant compared to the overall cost of a total defence for someone falsely accused or wrongly convicted. At the very least, a defence team will possibly include a Queens Counsel (QC), and or Barrister, Solicitor, Investigators, support staff and various experts. Someone falsely accused may be told that they do not require an elaborate defence, or if appealing a conviction they are often told “We’ll go with what we have” but common sense dictates the opposite. Serious offences of a false allegation such as rape, murder, serious fraud allegations are cases where the accused without question, must prove their innocence beyond any reasonable doubt. Unless they are successful, a Prosecutor will prosecute, a jury will convict and a lengthy prison term is inevitable. There is far more involvement to a defence than simply preparation whether it be for a trial or appeal. Considering the cost of the trial or appeal alone does not just consist of being in the courtroom.

falselyaccused.co.uk is able to refer the client to an Independent Financial Advisor (who is regulated by the FSA) should they require further information about funding their case.

Under no circumstances should anyone retain our services unless they fully understand and agree to this policy. This policy appears both here and on our Client Care Letter so there can be no misunderstanding. So when falselyaccused.co.uk receive a payment, it is automatically applied to time purchased by the client. falselyaccused.co.uk do not give refunds. This is a standard policy and if the client does not agree to it, under no circumstances should they place us* in funds.

Money Laundering Regulations

Please note that under current money laundering regulations we are obliged to carry out the appropriate checks on any private funds we receive. We are also required in some instances to report receipt of private funds to the appropriate authorities. In this instance we will be unable to advise any client of this due to the restrictions imposed by these regulations. We require original documents to prove the identity and place of residence (passport or driving licence is sufficient for ID, and a recent utility bill as proof of address) of any persons supplying funds. These will need to be certified by a solicitor before accepting your instructions in any matter. We will also require proof of the source of funds such as a copy of Bank or building society statements. Without your cooperation in this regard we will be unable to proceed.

Terms and conditions apply to all of falselyaccused.co.uk (A trading name of falsecrime Ltd) services. We will forward a Client Care letter within 7 days to anyone wishing to instruct us from the point of consultation. This helps set the boundaries of your agreement and protects both you and your defence professional from failure.

If the Client does NOT understand our Terms of Business or anything in it, he or she is strongly advised to ask an independent person for an explanation.