Can I appeal my conviction / sentence?
You might be able to appeal your conviction or sentence. The rules depend on the Court you were convicted/sentenced in and the grounds for your appeal.
What can I appeal?
You can appeal:
- Your conviction - you can appeal to have your guilty verdict overturned entirely.
- Your sentence - you can appeal to have your sentence / other penalties reduced.
Appealing a Magistrates’ Court decision
If you were sentenced at the Magistrates’ Court, you can appeal to the Crown Court. You need not need specific grounds for the appeal, but you must lodge the appeal within 21 days of the disposal of the case.
A fresh trial will be set and a Crown Court judge and lay Magistrates will hear it rather than a jury. They can impose any sentence that was available at your first trial - and there is a risk it could be worse than your original sentence.
Appealing a Crown Court decision
Crown Court cases can only be appealed if there are grounds to do so. You must lodge an application for permission to appeal with your grounds for doing so, and this must be done within 28 days of your conviction (for conviction appeals) or from your sentencing hearing (for sentence appeals).
What grounds can I appeal on?
Your defence solicitor will explain clearly what grounds they believe you can appeal on.
You can appeal your conviction based on:
- Legal errors e.g. misinterpretation of the law by the trial judge, incorrect admission or exclusion of evidence.
- Procedural errors e.g. lack of a fair trial.
- New evidence e.g. new evidence has come to light which was not available at the trial.
- Unreasonable verdict - no jury could have convicted based on the evidence presented.
You can appeal your sentence based on:
- Excessive sentence - it is disproportionate to the offence.
- Incorrect application of sentencing guidelines - the guidelines were misapplied.
- Procedural errors - mitigating/aggravating factors not properly considered.
What is the criminal appeals process?
If you wish to appeal your conviction or sentence, the process generally looks like this:
- Finding grounds for appeal
Your defence solicitors will advise whether you have sufficient grounds to appeal your case, either your conviction or your sentence.
If you wish to proceed, they will take some time to review the entire case to put together their application for appeal.
- Applying for appeal
Your legal team will apply for the appeal on your behalf.
For Magistrates’ Court cases, they simply need to file the appeal, explaining the grounds. This must be done within 21 days of the case ending.
For Crown Court cases, they need to put in an application for permission to appeal. This must be done within 28 days of the conviction or sentencing, depending on which you are appealing.
- Court hears appeal
If you were convicted at the Magistrates’ Court, you can appeal with the Crown Court or the High Court (for legal error appeals only):
- The Crown Court will hear the appeal afresh and can confirm or quash the conviction, and increase/decrease the sentence.
- The High Court reviews the legal error, not the facts, and can confirm, reverse, or remit the case back to Magistrates’.
If you were convicted at the Crown Court, you can appeal with the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) who will either uphold or quash the conviction, and can reduce or increase the sentence. The appeal may involve:
- A hearing on points of law only (rarely considering the case facts).
- Full rehearing (very rare).
Why choose Holborn Adams for my appeal?
Holborn Adams is a team of expert criminal law specialists with over a decade of experience representing clients in complex cases.
We focus solely on private work, which allows us to dedicate the time, attention, and strategic care your appeal deserves - without the constraints often faced by legal aid firms.
Our approach is meticulous, ensuring every legal avenue is explored to give you the strongest possible chance of success. With a proven track record of achieving favorable outcomes for our clients, Holborn Adams combines deep legal expertise with personalised support, giving you confidence and clarity throughout the appeal process.
Nationwide Support
We take on clients across the UK
We have offices spread all across the UK (and even beyond!). We can represent you no matter where you are in the UK.
What we can offer
Extensive experience from successful cases.
Optional visits to your home to discuss case details.
Remote communications to save you travel time.
Ability to work to tight timescales to match the pace of the case.
Transparent pricing with fixed fees*
Respected and trusted
As proud members of the UK’s largest legal sector governing bodies, we are a team you can put your full trust in. We adhere to strict industry regulations, so you can be confident your case is in safe hands.
Independent reviews
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Our Fees
Fixed fee defence
Our team will give you a free, no-obligation quote after your initial consultation. We offer a fixed fee service, free of any hidden extra costs. Our firm is exclusively privately-funded meaning we cannot accept any legal aid clients. Your fees secure you a top-tier team and top-tier treatment, covering
Dedicated, experienced legal team.
Ability to get your case dropped before charges.
Representation at interviews and court hearings.
Requests to vary bail conditions where required.
Negotiating with police or prosecutors
Referrals to various support services.
FAQs About Our Service
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the service we offer at Holborn Adams.
You can make an enquiry call for free, but we cannot provide free legal advice. As a 100% privately funded firm, we offer defence services exclusively to paying clients. During your enquiry call, we’ll learn about your case, confirm whether we can help, and give you a rough estimate of costs. Your case details will then be shared with our team to develop an initial strategy and prepare a formal, no-obligation fixed-fee quote. If you choose to proceed, this fee will cover your full defence.
No - we are a 100% privately funded firm, meaning we charge a fixed fee for our services. We do not take on legal aid cases. We find that focusing on private cases only allows us to dedicate more time and resources to defending our clients to a much higher degree than firms who are stretched thin by intense legal aid caseloads.
Yes - we are proudly accredited by the two largest governing legal bodies in the UK, the Law Society and Legal 500. We are also regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
To decide whether any firm is best to handle your case, you should be asking yourself some key questions:
- How are they funded? - We are a privately funded firm meaning we take on cases for a fixed fee, with no options for legal aid. Some firms are legal aid only or a mix of private defence and legal aid. For the highest level of attention and case preparation, you are best seeking a 100% private firm like us, as we are not stretched thin by a caseload of Government-funded cases.
- Expertise - Our solicitors have diverse experience defending every type of criminal offence. We are, however, specialists in pre-charge defence, fraud, sexual offences, and regulatory investigations, so if your case falls under these categories, we are confident we can secure the best outcome for you.
- Location - We have offices all over the world. We can travel to you and offer remote conferencing services to make things easiest for you.
- Reviews - Our client testimonials speak for themselves. You’ll see hundreds of glowing reviews on our website, as well as on independent review sites like Review Solicitors, Google Reviews, and TrustPilot.
We have a member of our legal team available to speak 24/7, 365 days a year. Whenever you need to speak to someone, you will be connected instantly. All calls are 100% confidential.
Every case is different. After your initial consultation, we’ll determine which services are best for your defence, and calculate a fixed fee quote for you. The price depends on the complexity of the case, how long it will take, which team members are best for the case, and whether we need to instruct specialists. We do not charge by the hour - only a fixed fee for your whole defence.
Yes, when you call us, your call is 100% confidential.
We have hundreds of client testimonials listed on our website, in addition to reviews on independent review platforms TrustPilot, Google Reviews, and Review Solicitors.