http://www.rtlegalpractice.co.uk
It's on the QBiC too!!
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
"Edinburgh's First Road Traffic Law Firm"
(25 posts)-
Posted 12 years ago #
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We offer advice and representation on all Road Traffic Offences including:
Death by Dangerous Driving
Dangerous Driving
Careless Driving
Construction & Use
Drink Driving
Driving In Charge
Driving Uninsured
Drug Driving
Failure to Identify Driver
Failure to Provide Specimen
Failure to Stop/Report
HGV Drivers
Mobile Phones
No MOT
Special Reasons
Disqualified DrivingI hope the advice is: "Don't do it, or we can't do much." rather than "How can we help you get away with being a criminal?" ;-)
Posted 12 years ago # -
"I hope the advice is: "Don't do it, or we can't do much." rather than "How can we help you get away with being a criminal?" ;-)"
Hmmm, yes, I think the term is 'no hope'. Sounds like a clone of a firm based in Glasgow that covered this sort of thing, and the website was full of various loopholes and tactics (of course one of the senior partners then lost his licence in a wonderful moment of irony).
Of coruse everyone is entitiled to representation, and road traffic offences are no different in that respect, and this organisation (going to read their website) may lack the downright 'nasty' feel of the Glasgow solicitor's website (it really was Dail Wail meets Top Gear meets UKIP kind of thinking).
Posted 12 years ago # -
of course one of the senior partners then lost his licence in a wonderful moment of irony
Lol. I love the smell of schadenfreude in the morning!
Not much info on the site really but it does rather smack of "Are you a dangerous driver? We can get you off!" I never saw the Glasgow one, sounds pretty awful.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Wow. I wish I hadn't just eaten. :-(
Posted 12 years ago # -
Speeding (89mph in a 40mph limit), Dunoon Justice of the Peace Court
I contacted Michael Lyon regarding a charge of speeding at 89mph on my motorcycle in an alleged 40mph limit. I instructed Michael to represent me. For a professional service from a specialist who is exemplary in his field, I could not have put myself in better hands. I cannot recommend his Firm highly enough.
J.W., DunoonEh?
I was recommended to Michael Lyon Solicitors Ltd. as Michael has represented a number of my teammates in the past. I was charged with speeding at 106 mph and was extremely concerned I would lose my licence. Thanks to Michael, I am still driving and wish to thank him for all his help.
Cha Du Ri, Celtic and South Korean InternationalReally the police should be having a word with the club about the illegal activities of its staff...
Speeding, Dumfries Justice of the Peace Court
I excitedly picked up my long awaited car during the X Factor tour and was driving on a very picturesque motorway between Glasgow and Newcastle when my journey hit a snag. As I glided along I saw a police camera unit parked on a bridge up ahead, I broke quickly but to my disappointment, I received a notice of intended prosecution a few days later. The secret of successfully avoiding a ban was Michael Lyon Solicitors. I was recommended these guys by an English Law Firm that I use and from the word go they were more efficient than the bloody German car that got me into all this trouble in the first place! I would use these guys any day of the week, so please take your traffic misdemeanours to them so they can get another kick out of saving you penalty points and bans.
Jeff Brazier, X Factor presenterSo it was the car's fault? Riiiiiiight....
Posted 12 years ago # -
Oh my - reading those testamonials is a bit sickening. You would have expected more remorse and suggestions that they got a "fair hearing"
Posted 12 years ago # -
Plus there seem to be more than a few repeat customers. Plus all the terrible "inconvenience" of being convicted of dangerous driving/death by dangerous driving/repeated speeding/mobile phone offences. What a lot of horrible people all in one place. And they are all still driving.
Posted 12 years ago # -
This is just sick-making.
How can these "specialists" live with themselves?
What if one of their "clients" goes on to kill someone? As Min says, thanks to the above firm these folk are still driving.Posted 12 years ago # -
Like I say, everyone is entitled to representation, and to say otherwise is a genuine (non-Daily-Wail) denial of a basic human right (otherwise we would live in the Nazi state often referred to by Daily Wail commenters where justice was entirely one-sided).
But these firms do tread a very very thin line between serving the interests of their clients and protecting the public good. It's clear in a huge number of those cases that there's not much contrition - and I still think that anyone who already has 9 points on their licence has been given enough warning that they really shouldn't break the speed limit, even more so if the car is vitally important to their work or life.
The straplines for these firms are also very heavily skewed towards the 'we can help you keep your licence' mindset, and a lot of the testimonials do have that undercurrent of having done nothing genuinely wrong.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Some more...
Dangerous Driving, Paisley Sheriff Court
"I would like to thank you and your colleague for an outstanding outcome in my case for an allegation of dangerous driving. From alleged speeds quoted by the Police Officers in excess of 120mph, I can only say that I would recommend any and all of my friends that they make use of your services for any element of road traffic law.
I wish you and your partners all the very best in the future"
C.K., PaisleyEven if the equipment used was 10% out that still puts the speed at 108mph. Le sigh.
Drink Driving, Glasgow J.P. Court
"Thank you for your impressive assistance and for your patience. It is quite remarkable that I have retained my entitlement to drive at the end of the case"
G.B., GlasgowYou said it!
Posted 12 years ago # -
"
FORMER Hibs striker Garry O’Connor appeared in court in handcuffs as he admitted speeding at 100mph."
Wonder if he's got a good lawyer.
Don't suppose he'll try driving in handcuffs.
Posted 12 years ago # -
From Chdot's link:-
His lawyer told the court he was driving to Birmingham at the time.
Ah well that's okay then.
(WTF??)
Posted 12 years ago # -
Oh. My. Word.
Drink Driving, Dumbarton Sheriff Court
"Following my trial at Dumbarton Sheriff Court, I would like to thank both Michael Lyon and Martin Black for being utterly professional and extremely reassuring throughout my case. From my first meeting and then my continued dealings with Martin and knew I was in the hands of two of the very best in their profession. In particular a huge thank you to Martin Black for your performance in Court. This was my third drink driving offence and if not for Martin I am certain I would be in prison today. I am eternally grateful and if anyone ever finds themselves in my position they should certainly look no further than Michael Lyon Solicitors."
D.H., Dumbarton
Posted 12 years ago # -
Okay, last one:
Speeding, Dumfries District Court
"Having successfully been defended by Martin Black of Michael Lyon Solicitors a few years back I found myself in the unfortunate situation of needing representation again. This time it was a speeding charge having been caught in a 30mph limit. With nine live points on my licence, my local lawyer had resigned me to the fact that a six month ban was imminent through totting-up. However after discussions with Michael Lyon Solicitors we tendered a plea of not guilty and the Crown dropped the case during trial.
A quite remarkable outcome in what many people would have said was a clear cut case of me being guilty. I would highly recommend Michael Lyon Solicitors. I know that I certainly wouldn’t be in possession of a driving licence right now without them!"
D.M., Dumfries
Posted 12 years ago # -
Hmmm, might be this is a bit of a shift in direction for Mr D'Alvito (principal of the new road traffic firm)...
The revelations, in a 450-page report by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice – came as the Scottish Legal Aid Board banned three lawyers from claiming cash for criminal cases.
We can reveal that Gerard Tierney, Massimo D’Alvito and Andrew Brophy, of Blantyre, Lanarkshire, breached the board’s code of practice. Tierney and D’Alvito have been reported to the Crown Office, who will decide whether to prosecute.
The ban also extends to Tierney’s firm G Tierney & Co, of Auchinleck, Ayrshire, who have raked in £610,500 in Legal Aid over three years, and Edinburgh firm Massimo D’Alvito Defence Lawyers.
Posted 12 years ago # -
This was my third drink driving offence and if not for Martin I am certain I would be in prison today.
Jeez. I wonder who was involved with this guy who is on his second conviction in a matter of months. Still got only got a wee fine and a bit of a ban.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I know this is not very PC but I used to cycle past the billboard for the Glasgow equivalent of these guys when I worked in Maryhill and it was difficult for me not to think that karma might be satisfied if one of their relatives was killed or injured by someone they had got off.
Not nice, i know, but that's what I thought.
Posted 12 years ago # -
If the charges were that clear cut and the process was properly applied it would be easy to convict. Lots of these people get off because the solicitors asked very simple questions about the process (delivering a NIP within 14 days) or the measurements (show me the calibration record for the camera) and find simple failures that result in the charge being thrown out. The solicitors are not geniuses. They find slipshod process.
In other cases they simply take a chance on the Crown Office being unwilling to prosecute. Nothing to lose. And they find that, in fact, the Crown Office is willing to let it go. Sorry, but if your client has nothing to lose, that's good legal advice.
Posted 12 years ago # -
@Insto, wasn't so much railing against the system (as I mentioned a few times, everyone is, and should be, entitled to legal representation), but rather that the examples quoted above show such a lack of contrition, and such an undercurrent of 'I got off with it and I'm not going to change my ways' that it's just desperate that they're still ont he road.
The footballer highlights that there's a problem with bad driving amongst emoployees of the football club, but rather than someone (at the club or outside) thinking we need to address that, we simply deal with the consequences;
The 3 times drink driver is himself shocked at keeping his licence - given he's already gone through it three times, and still not lost his licence, will his habits change;
The guy with 9 points already, who himself suggests the case looked clear cut, who keeps his licence and who, given he was willing to speed while on 9 points, is unlikely to change his spots;
The 120mph driver who reckons the speed was 'alleged' (presumably that was one of those cases on the calibration of the equipment), who has now convinced himself that he wasn't actually going that fast (technically probably correct, but as pointed out above a 10% 'out' on the equipment would mean 108mph).
I guess I just find it odd because I've been done for speeding twice, both times only 10mph above on the motorway - and I simply paid up and took the points because I knew I was doing it and knew it was wrong. And I don't drive the same way anymore (and certainly while on 6 points my driving was as if I had Miss Daisy in the back).
I do find playing the system in this way slightly morally reprehensible, but to blame it all on the system having loopholes is like those MPs who defrauded on their expenses blaming the system that allowed them to do it (and they were rightly and roundly condemned). The system does need tightening up; if only because it would help to stop legitimising poor road behaviour by people getting off on technicalities who somehow take that as a verdict of 'innocent'. But above all else this just highlights how 'trivial' people seem to see road traffic offences.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Somebody shared this on twitter yesterday:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-day-i-hit-a-child-at-20mph-ndash-and-realised-the-speed-limit-must-be-cut-1985069.htmlI'm putting it here for this bit at the end:
"Suddenly, a few speeding points on my licence don't seem quite so innocent. If you have any, you should also feel ashamed."Posted 12 years ago # -
Yeah, I get that but I think the problem is systemic. If people could be relied upon to do the right thing, particularly after being caught once, then there wouldn't be a problem. That leopards don't change their spots is hardly news. Maybe I should be more shocked by it.
The solicitors, as far as I can see, are doing their job. Their clients, no matter how reprehensible, are entitled to representation. The solicitor does that and routinely finds flaws in how their clients have been processed. Because of these simple administrative errors, cases fall apart. Their clients are entitled to walk, or drive, away.
These guys are standing with the metaphorical gun smoking in their hand and a body at their feet. They get off because the police and the prosecutors have simply not done their job. It's pretty easy money if you can tap into a continuous flow of clients desperate not to lose their licences, who will keep coming back, and all you need to do it see how the prosecuting authorities have screwed up this time.
As ever, it's not that we actually disagree but I think it's more a question of where you point your anger. The problem for me is that everyone is treating the offences as though they were trivial. We can expect that of repeat offenders and sociopaths. There really is no point in being appalled by their behaviour and their attitudes. We should be truly appalled by the failings of the people responsible for finding them and prosecuting them and the willingness to let these people carry on.
Posted 12 years ago # -
@fimm, that's an excellent article - actually quite emotional to read.
Posted 12 years ago # -
"
Passing sentence, Sheriff Douglas Kinloch said the fact the firm had been fined for a similar offence only a few months before and had previous convictions showed a “blatant disregard” for the law."
Oh sorry, not about the normal activity of defying driving laws.
Posted 12 years ago #
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