Most of us will have heard of or seen on television the top celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman, the solicitor dubbed `Mr Loophole’ for his work defending high-profile people accused of a variety of driving offences.
Over the last few years the media have reported how it is possible to successfully pursue a ’technical defense’ for a drink driving or speeding offence, exposing failings by the police and prosecution.
However, many people in the media are quick to condemn the lawyers who get drivers back behind the wheel, suggesting that this type of work is morally ambivalent. These accusations are strongly refuted by firms specialising in motoring law who argue that this line of attack could be put to any criminal practitioner.
Regardless of your stance on the morality of solicitors pursuing a ‘technical defense’ on behalf of a ‘dangerous driver’, if you found yourself in the situation of possibly losing your licence you would almost always ask yourself the question: ‘How much is my licence worth?’
The current Labour Government is determined to crack down on these loopholes to ensure offenders ‘do not escape justice’. Provisions under the Road Safety Act 2006 have now been introduced to tighten up certain loopholes in legislation.