Expert Solicitors in Wakefield | Criminal Defence, Motoring Law, Immigration & Divorce

Scarsdale Solicitors acts for clients in Wakefield and the surrounding West Yorkshire towns on a fixed-fee basis. We work remotely by phone, email and video, so you do not need a solicitor based in your area. We also represent clients in Ossett, Horbury, Pontefract, Castleford, Normanton and Featherstone.

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Wakefield Magistrates’ Court closed in 2016. Every magistrates’ case from the Wakefield district is now listed at Leeds Magistrates’ Court, and Crown Court cases go to Leeds Crown Court. That closure added travel time and cost for residents attending hearings. Because we handle all preparation remotely, and because Leeds courts now deal with every Wakefield case anyway, your solicitor’s office location is irrelevant. What matters is that the person running your case knows the courts, knows the local prosecution teams, and prepares properly.

If you are arrested or invited to a voluntary interview by West Yorkshire Police, speak to a solicitor first. West Yorkshire Police headquarters is in Wakefield itself, at Laburnum Road, and the force operates several custody suites across the district. Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, you have the right to legal advice before and during any interview under caution. We provide telephone advice during police interviews at any hour, including overnight and at weekends. What you say in that interview shapes the entire case, and getting advice at that stage is the single most important step. If you need immediate help at a police station, see our police station solicitors page.

Wakefield sits at the intersection of the M1 and M62, two of the busiest motorways in England. That junction produces a steady flow of serious motoring incidents. Dangerous driving charges under section 2 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 are heard at the Crown Court and carry up to two years’ custody, with a mandatory disqualification. Where the driving causes serious injury, the maximum jumps to five years. We act for drivers charged with dangerous driving and careless driving across the Wakefield district and prepare cases for Leeds Crown Court.

Public order offences from the Wakefield area typically come from the city centre’s night-time economy or from incidents around the five former mining towns in the district. Sections 4 and 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 cover threatening or abusive behaviour, and affray under section 3 carries up to three years at the Crown Court. We handle all of these charges and review the CCTV and body-worn camera footage that West Yorkshire Police routinely rely on.

Assault charges are common across the district. ABH (actual bodily harm) is an either-way offence that can be dealt with at the magistrates’ court or committed to Leeds Crown Court. GBH (grievous bodily harm) under section 18 or section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 is more serious, with section 18 (wounding with intent) carrying a maximum of life imprisonment. We review the medical evidence, challenge the prosecution’s account of intent, and build the defence from the available material.

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We are a paid-services firm with fixed fees agreed before you instruct us. No Legal Aid, no hourly billing. A solicitor handles your case from start to finish. Our clients rate us 4.6 out of 5 from 258 Google reviews.

For the full range of criminal offences we handle, see our criminal defence solicitors page. We also act for clients in Leeds and Bradford.