This page has contact details for some of the best Legal Aid Solicitors in Cheltenham.
The Public Defender Service
Company History
The Public Defender Service (PDS) was established in 2001 as the first salaried criminal defence service in England and Wales. Its aim was to provide an alternative to private criminal legal aid providers, ensuring high-quality legal defence work under a model where lawyers are employed rather than paid per case.
The Cheltenham office of the PDS opened in 2002 to serve Gloucestershire and the surrounding region. Over the years, PDS Cheltenham has become well-established as a provider of criminal defence advice and representation, with a staff of solicitors, accredited police station representatives, duty solicitors and solicitor-advocates. The team handles everything from police station interviews through to higher courts, for both adult and youth clients.
PDS overall is funded by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. The service is independent in its decision-making, though its operations are publicly funded. The PDS also acts as a “test bed” for policy and quality benchmarking in criminal defence work.
Legal Aid Services They Offer
Public Defender Service Cheltenham provides criminal legal aid services across a wide spectrum. Below are the key features and conditions of the legal aid work they do:
- The PDS offers free legal advice, assistance and representation for people who are under arrest, being questioned at the police station (whether under arrest or voluntarily), or involved in non-police prosecutions, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.
- Their work covers all stages of criminal proceedings where legal aid is available: police station representation, magistrates’ court, Crown Court, and in relevant cases up to appeal and beyond.
- They handle serious offences as well as less serious ones: theft, assault, drug offences, sexual offences, and more serious crimes up to murder in some cases.
- The Cheltenham office operates 24/7 for police station duty solicitor work, so if someone is arrested or is being interviewed, they can obtain legal aid representation at any time.
- All legal aid work is subject to eligibility tests: a means (financial) test, a merits test, and whether the case is in a category covered by legal aid. Even where full legal aid isn’t available, PDS can help clients understand whether they qualify, and sometimes assistance may be provided under limited publicly funded schemes.
- PDS advocates (including higher court advocates, barristers, solicitor-advocates, and QC where needed) are available for clients who require representation in higher courts.
Address:
Lower Ground Floor
65 Regent House Rodney Road
Cheltenham
GL50 1HX
https://publicdefenderservice.org.uk/
Tel: 01242 548 270
Shelter – Gloucestershire Housing Aid Centre
Outreach service
Cheltenham CAB
6 St James’ Square
Cheltenham
GL50 3PR
Tel: 0344 515 1286
www.shelter.org.uk