About Us

Ronan Maguire – Principal Solicitor, Higher Court Advocate, Director

Claire Sutton – Practice Manager

Rebecca Caulfield – Senior Solicitor & Higher Court Advocate

Emma Hough – Senior Legal Assistant

Seraj Khan – Duty Solicitor

Maguires Solicitors have been awarded a contract to carry out Legal Aid work. Wherever possible we will obtain funding for your case from the Legal Aid Agency. Different types of funding depend on your case and where the hearings take place.

Most of our clients are entitled to receive legal aid or funding for their case and our criminal defence solicitors will provide you with all the information you need.

• In the Magistrates Court Legal Aid is available to you if you qualify for it, this depends on your financial situation and how serious your case is (the interest of justice test) – our solicitors can advise further.
• In the Crown Court Legal Aid is always available for prosecutions against you, however depending on your financial circumstances you may need to make contributions. Our solicitors can advise you further once we know your circumstance.
• Funding your case yourself – we will be able to provide you with an estimate of our costs for you to consider and we can discuss payment options if legal aid is not available for your matter.

You are entitled to a free initial consultation where we will discuss your case and options.

Maguires Solicitors uses only the best experts in helping prepare cases for the magistrates and crown court. Our many years of experience in dealing with criminal cases means that we have built up a significant contact with the best experts in their field both in the UK and abroad.

It is of the utmost importance that the right expert for the job is used and we waste no time and take no chances when its comes securing these services, we know the best experts and interpreters in the field, having used them many times before, not only do they need to have the weight of authority behind them but they must also be self assured and confident giving evidence in court, giving strength to the defence case.

Some of the types of experts that we use on a regular basis are:

• Forensic Accountants
• Interpreters of any language (we have even sourced abroad to obtain the correct dialogue of a language in the past)
• Pathologists
• Toxicologist
• Facial recognition experts
• Handwriting analysts
• Accident Scene Investigators
• Enquiry Agents
• Ophthalmic Pathologists
• Orthopedic Pathologist
• Cell siting Analyst
• Expert Telephone & Digital Analysts
• Computer Data Analyst
• CCTV analysts
• DNA Experts & Analysis
• Fingerprinting Analysts
• Psychiatrists
• Psychologists

What will I have to pay for a solicitor?

In the police station it is free for everyone. (See Funding/Legal Aid Above)

In the Magistrates Court, the majority of our cases are funded by legal aid, some clients, if earning over a certain amount may need to pay privately, our solicitors can advise you of our rates and charges.

In the Crown Court everyone is entitled to legal aid, however those who earn over a certain amount of money may have to make a contribution towards the cost, which is refunded if you are found not guilty.

Will I go to prison?

Obviously every case is different and our experienced solicitors will be able to advise you on the possible sentence of any charge you may face. No one case is the same and there are lots of factors that are taken into account when a judge or magistrate considers sentence. Our solicitors aim is to get the best result that they can for their client and that doesn’t just stop once a case has been decided by the court. We make sure that the best mitigation is put to the court for the client so that they have the best chance of getting the lowest sentence possible for their case.

Who should I talk to about my case?

In the first instance you should call us and our friendly and knowledgeable staff will be able to identify the best person for you to talk to and you can either initially talk on the phone with them or make an appointment to come and see us at our office on Deansgate in Manchester. Contact us on 0161 835 9872.

My friend or family member has been arrested, what should I do?

In the first instance call us as soon as you can, our office number diverts to an out of hours solicitor from this firm who will be happy to make some enquiries and represent your friend or family member for free at the police station, if required.

I was interviewed at the police station and bailed, what should I do now?

You will need to attend back at the police station at the time and date stated on your bail sheet, however you should call us and we can make enquires with the police on your behalf to find out what is happening with the investigation and whether the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) have made a decision about what to do next. We may be able to avoid you having to attend the police station if they have not made a decision yet.

I have received a summons to go to court, what should I do?

Call us and let us know what the summons says. We will be able to advise you at this point on the best way of dealing with the matter and discuss your options for funding.

I have been charged with an offence and bailed to go to court, what should I do?

You must attend court. Call us and we can make an appointment for you to discuss your case with one of our solicitors we can discuss your options with you and apply for funding and represent you at court.

If you are charged with an indictable only offence, or if the magistrates decide that they cannot deal with your matter, then your case will be sent or committed to the Crown Court.

In the Crown Court it is a Crown Court Judge that hears your case and if you have a trial it is a Jury that decides whether you are guilty or not.

It is here that you see the advocates (barristers) and judges wearing wig and gowns. Maguires Solicitors have advocates who are experienced and qualified to represent you in the Crown Court. Ronan Maguire has been a Higher Court Advocate for 12 years.

Maguires Solicitors will regularly be in touch with you to take your instructions and to go through all of the evidence with you so that you have the best possible chance of being acquitted (found not guilty).

I am not happy with my current solicitor but they hold the legal aid order, what can I do?

There has to be a good reason for the court to transfer a representation order for legal aid from one solicitor to another, however there are certain circumstances where this does happen. We know just how important it is for you to trust and have confidence in your solicitor, especially when there is so much at stake. If you are unhappy with your current solicitor you can call us in confidence and we can advise you if there are any steps you can take.

I have received a letter from the council regarding my benefits, they want to interview me under caution, what should I do?

Call us and we can advise and assist you before and during the interview. With this support you will be able to take the best course of action based on our advice with us to help you along the way. You should not be interviewed under caution without the help and advice of your own solicitor. This service is free to most people.

My case is now over but I have been told there is a POCA, what does this mean?

POCA stands for Proceeds of Crime Application and is a hearing at the Crown Court to decide whether someone who has pleaded guilty or been found guilty of a criminal offence should hand over any money to the Crown if they decide it was made due to criminal activity. For example, if a person is found guilty of supplying drugs the prosecution will use an expert to determine how much money they think that person will have made from that offence. It is extremely important that you have a solicitor with experience in this area of expertise so that they can guide you through the process and represent your best interests. The court can order that any assets can be taken from you in order to pay this money back, this can mean losing your house, car or other significant item of value.  Maguires Solicitors have dealt with numerous POCA cases and successfully reduced the amounts to be handed over significantly and sometimes even to zero.

I have been ordered to hand money over to the Crown after my POCA hearing, what can I do if I do not have the funds to pay for it?

In some instances it may be possible to appeal the POCA order, you should call us for further advice on this matter and an experienced solicitor will discuss any options with you.

Can I talk to my solicitor in complete confidence? 

Yes, anything that you tell us is completely confidential, please see our page on confidentiality

I have heard that someone is going to report me to the police, what can I do?

You can call us and let us know the circumstances of the situation and if appropriate we can contact the police on your behalf. Every situation like this is different so the best think to do is give us a call and we can advise you further.

‘I just wanted to thank you and all at Maguires for your help and support in my recent case. I was struck by the professionalism shown by all of the staff.

You really do provide an essential service.

Again many thanks’

Mr P B

I would recommend you to anyone for your prompt action to my request when I needed you most. I thought there was nobody there for me. I had this problem and you came to my aid immediately’

Mr E E

‘I have no suggestion that may help you improve – I would recommend Ronan to anyone who needs help with their case’

Mr A G

‘The advice I received was prompt, concise and most of all there was no condescending attitude from my brief.’

Mr W T

‘The service given was excellent, the solicitor was very understanding and reassuring I will definitely recommend friends and relatives to your firm for all legal matters.’

Mr A N

‘You were sympathetic, calm and listened to us – thank you’ 

Client

‘You helped me so much and were very supportive, I would definitely recommend you. When I was in court I didn’t have a solicitor then Ronan  Maguire came to help me and I’m so glad that I had him and Chris to help me.  Thank you for all your help’ 

Miss LT

‘Damian was very polite and professional he made things easy to understand and made me feel at ease. Thank you for your help and support.’

Client

‘I will be certain to recommend Maguires Solicitors because all contact with Maguires staff has been excellent, prompt and very friendly. The only comment I would have to improve your level of service is to do more of the same!’

Mr GH

‘I was introduced to Maguires as the duty solicitor, after my first appearance I asked if they would represent me again in the future because Chris was very understanding and professional’ 

Client

‘The solicitor was very good, all information and advice was clear. Thank you for providing a good and fast service, if I needed I will use you again’

Client

‘You guys are very professional, very friendly and very informative.’

Mr SH

‘Damian and Ronan were great, they gave their mobile number in case of any problems and when I was worried they helped a substantial amount. They are perfect, 10 out of 10.’

Mr OC

‘I would be certain to recommend Maguires Solicitors because they provided a professional service and obtained the required result, despite obstacles.’

Mr RW

‘Maguires is in fact number one, now we can make a future.’

Mr PL

‘I was very happy with everything and it was nice of Ronan to just sit down with me and have a chat.’ 

Client

‘I was impressed with the level of professionalism offered to me.’ 

Mr ML

‘You exceeded my expectations, Ronan Maguire is a very good solicitor he provided me with an excellent service.’

Mr RC

‘Maguires Solicitors gave excellent advice and instilled great confidence at a time of great stress. Keep up the excellent work.’

Client

‘I am certain to recommend you because you are simply the best that I have ever come across, the police picked you for me, at least they done something right for once!’ 

Client

‘I felt reassured after talking with Mr Maguire, he knew what he was doing and that was important to me. After being arrested I asked for a duty solicitor and was given your contact by the police. Mr Maguire is the best at reassuring people in times of distress, this shows that he really cares about his clients’ 

 LB

‘Thank you so much for the hard work you did in putting my case together for over a year I am very grateful for the outcome that we got’

H

‘Thank you very much for everything you have done for us.’

Mr MH

‘Thank you Damian for all your help and support please pass on our thanks to the rest of the team’

Mr and Mrs H