Youth Crime and the Law

Our experienced youth crime lawyers are committed to understanding your child and finding a solution that protects their reputation.  Applying the law to children and young people is a specialist area of law.  We have considerable experience and demonstrated success in ensuring that their age, lack of willingness to communicate and curiosity are not misinterpreted as illegality.
 
A call to say your son or daughter is in trouble with the law is something every parent fears.  We understand that young people make mistakes and that immaturity sometimes results in errors of judgement.  We believe that such misjudgements should not result in a permanent mark against a young person’s character. 

Our youth crime lawyers are formally trained and experienced in building rapport and trust with your child so that they feel confident in giving instructions and understanding the advice they receive.  We view you as an essential partner in the process and value your input in resolving your child’s case. 

Achieving the best outcome for our clients

Some young people think that offences committed while under 18 years old are wiped from their record when they become adults.  This is not true.  A record will always be kept which can be disclosed at the discretion of the police in the future.  UCAS and college applications routinely ask for information about convictions and cautions which can be determinative in securing and retaining your child’s place in education.  Our representation is targeted at avoiding arrest and conviction and thereby limiting the impact on your child’s future prospects.

Like you, we understand that there is a lot more to your child than the isolated issue that brings them into contact with the youth justice system.  By engaging one of our specialist youth crime lawyers, you give your son or daughter the best opportunity to safely navigate this complex area of law. 

We understand that young people do not think like adults and often cannot foresee the consequences of their actions.  Sometimes their reticence makes it difficult to give an  innocent explanation for what has happened.  We are able to support them in doing this to ensure the law does not mistakenly define their immaturity as youth crime.

We achieve the best outcome by forcing the police and others involved in the youth justice system to apply common sense to your child’s situation.  This includes finding the least onerous outcome which may be as simple as an apology.  We will always look for innovative alternatives to prosecution that avoid a criminal record.  In addition to addressing the immediate crisis, our lawyers aim to equip your child with information and skills that diminish the likelihood of future contact with the criminal justice system.

WHAT CLIENTS AND THEIR PARENTS HAVE SAID about us

"Getting in touch with you was the best and single most important step in coping with this situation."

"You respected the age of your client in your calm but firm and honest dealing with [my child]."

"I would not wish my family’s recent experience on anyone but I would view anyone lucky enough to secure your services extremely fortunate."

“The minute I spoke to Sandra I knew we were in safe hands. So professional yet created a very relaxed environment for my son."

"Gosh I can finally smile again. Thank you so much.”

"[My child and I] are both ever so grateful for having crossed paths with you…you were such a pleasure to work with, you so ably guided us through and were an amazing support to us."

"Thank you very much for all your work on this case – we as a family are very appreciative of your help and support. You helped us at a very difficult time and we are still grateful. [Our child] has certainly come out of it as well as can be expected and I think he is determined to become a Rock Star solicitor having met you all! He still thinks you are one of the coolest people he’s ever met!"

"I was absolutely thrilled [with the outcome] and it has felt like a big weight off my shoulders. These past 4 months have been absolutely horrendous, but ameliorated by being able to rely on all of you to chat and answer questions (however silly). Many thanks to all of you for your hard work. Just saying thank you, feels a trifle insufficient given the gravitas of the situation but I do really mean it."

"I am of course very fortunate that my parents had pulled together the resources so I could have my own solicitor, had this not been possible my future would have been very different."

[Our child] will head back to Uni next week and the difference in his mood and outlook is heart-warming. The future is looking bright again." 

"We cannot thank you enough for all the support, guidance and expertise not to mention the shocking yet amazing outcome."

"Your professional approach was incredibly reassuring to us as we were going through a very difficult time. We are so grateful for all the help and support you gave [our child] and ourselves at that time and would unequivocally recommend you to parents and teenagers going through similar situations. "

Further information about youth crime and justice

Please see our page on frequently asked questions about youth crime and our youth crime blogs for further information and regular updates. 

Should you have any questions, please contact our team of youth crime lawyers in confidence or call us on +44 (0)20 7814 1200.