There were celebrations in Stafford Magistrates’ Court this week after our client, Peter Davies, was told by a District Judge that his Exceptional Hardship application had been accepted by the court.

For Peter, who works as a Roadside Technician for a well-known motoring organisation, this means that not only does he avoid the automatic 6 month disqualification he faced as a result of ‘totting up’ to 12 penalty points.  Importantly for him and his young family, it also means that he keeps the job he loves.

Peter explained during his first conversation with us that a disqualification would mean he would be dismissed by his employer.  Peter, who had worked hard to become a Roadside Technician, told us with modesty that he had received several certificates for his customer care skills, based on excellent customer feedback following his roadside assistance.  In fact, Peter’s Manager attended the court hearing with him – something he said he would not do for every employee!

All the staff at Forrest Williams were delighted when Steve Williams, the firm’s Senior Partner, called into the office with news of Peter’s successful outcome.

Peter was relieved to hear that he can continue to drive, as this means he can carry on doing the job he loves – helping motorists in their hour of need!

We at Forrest Williams are delighted that our careful preparation of Peter’s Exceptional Hardship application, together with Steve Williams’ presentation of his case, resulted in yet another life-changing result – for the motorists’ friend!

Paralegal case worker Katie Forrest was delighted to successfully prepare an Exceptional Hardship case for a client recently.

The case, which came before Sheffield Magistrates Court, asked the Court to allow the client to continue driving despite his latest offence taking him to 14 penalty points.

The case was extremely difficult and complex, due to the client’s business arrangements.

A great deal of preparation was conducted before the case was presented by Forrest Williams’ principal, Steve Williams.

“I knew this was a case that our strongest advocate needed to present, so there was no doubt in my mind that only Steve Williams was the right person to manage this case.” says Katie Forrest.

The magistrates considered all of the evidence and ultimately decided to grant Exceptional Hardship, allowing our client to avoid a ban.

The client, naturally, who had been warned that his case was very difficult and therefore attended Court feeling very aware of the potential outcome, was delighted.

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EXCEPTIONAL HARDSHIP FOUND – Case Fully Prepared In Just 4 Working Days!

An excellent result for a client last week in Sheffield Magistrates Court, who managed to retain her driving licence despite having ‘totted up’ to 12 penalty points within a 2 year period.

Our client had told us that she had been deeply affected by a traumatic incident, which had meant that she had had to stop work and give up her accommodation.

The client’s specialist motoring law barrister initially addressed the bench as to whether the most recent speeding matter (35mph in a 30mph zone) could be dealt with by way of a short disqualification, or whether they would be imposing 3 penalty points.  While not common practice for a minor speeding offence to be dealt with by way of  a disqualification, this can be requested and at times can work in a client’s favour.  After consideration, the bench confirmed they felt it appropriate to impose 3 points – which meant the client was definitely in a ‘totting up’ situation.

A full Exceptional Hardship argument was advanced by the barrister, as prepared in our offices within just 4 working days – one of our quickest preparation periods as the client had appointed us very close to the hearing date and was adamant the hearing should not be adjourned.

The chair of the bench discussed the evidence with the barrister, following which the bench retired to consider their position.  Upon returning, the bench confirmed that they found that Exceptional Hardship would exist if the client were to be disqualified from driving for a significant period of time.

In an unusual turn of events, the bench confirmed they would disqualify the client from driving for a period of 7 days, confirming that after this period had expired her licence would be clean again.

Even the barrister was pleasantly surprised by this outcome.  Not only had the automatic 6 month disqualification through ‘totting up’ to 12 (or more) penalty points been avoided, but our client had avoided having to ‘carry’ the 12 penalty points on her licence until they started to come off.

Our client told us that she was delighted with the result.  She can now move forward with her life, taking up the offer of a new job and moving into her own property.

Another very satisfied client who tells us that she would not hesitate to recommend our services – especially when time is of the essence!

INITIAL ADVICE IS ALWAYS FREE: 01623 397200