Is it worth getting a solicitor

Convicted Driver Insurance

Guygibson

Established Member
Since I got caught drink driving last year I have abstained from drinking and joined AA which have helped me loads I got a 3 and half year ban as it was my second in 10yrs I saw on here the other day you can apply to the court after 2yrs if you have turned things around and you are not a risk and have good reasons for the ban to end early which I have my work as a mental health worker is restricted and my daughter lives away from me just wondering if its worth getting a solicitor if its worth paying out any advice would be appreciated ta
 
Hi The court who banned you needs to receive a letter stating why your ban should be removed. Not just that life is difficult without a car but solid reasons. As this is your second ban, you will need to address especially how your drinking is lowered. You can write this yourself or may prefer to get an experienced DD solicitor to do so on your behalf. Happy to look at your wording if you decide to DIY. My ban was lifted in Jan seven months early but due to DVLAs current slowness and medical booking delays, not sure I'll have my licence back early at all.
 
Agree with RSC. You will need to get evidence from your employer that your ability to help clients will be enhanced by you being able to drive. You will have to show how difficult it is to see your daughter - why can’t you use public transport?
If you just show that things are awkward for you.... they are supposed to be because you got 2 convictions in 10 years and presumably you had a high reading to justify all 3 1/2 year ban.
It is something that you can do yourself but you need to understand what the court is looking for. Sometimes the reasons someone puts forward do more harm than good to their case.
As has been pointed out, even if you get your licence back early from the court, you will still have to go through the DVLA medical process which can quite a time to go through, and they may well want evidence (not just your word) that you have abstained from alcohol for n12 months or more.
 
Thanks for the replies much appreciated just don't know weather to fork out on a solicitor or not
 
That can only be your choice, based on how confident you are with presenting a case yourself.
Make sure that if you do get a solicitor that they have done applications like this before, it is not just routine mitigation.
 
How are you supposed to prove you have been abstinence for 2yrs thats the part I am confused about had blood test done last December they all came back normal but apart from that how on earth you supposed to prove it any ideas
 
You can read on here about what others have done, but in a nutshell the best way is getting Liver Function Tests done with your GP as 3 month intervals or so. They look for evidence of 12 months good results.
 
I'm going to be doing the same, applying early. I was banned for 3 years gonna reapply after 2. Personally I wouldn't fork out for a solicitor for something that if you do enough research you can do yourself. My situation is very different to yours, my mother is mentally and physically disabled and on some some sort of vulnerable persons register and since I've been banned I can't spontaneously go and check on her myself so have to call for the police to attend to carry out welfare checks so it would save public resources if I get my licence back early. The bit about working with mental health patients, I would imagine your strongest bet would be if you were to actually be able to prove that you used to actually used to transport your patients as part of your job and better still if you could even get a job lined up. That's not to say that being able to drive to and from work wouldn't benefit the community but like price said the bit about your ability to see your daughter and having a good enough reason why you either cannot or it is very difficult for you to use public transport would probably also apply to your your work I.e in my case I suffer from ADHD with a symptom being sensory issues in relation dressing appropriately for the weather in the winter, I struggle with a summer jacket let alone a big winter one, in fact I don't even own a winter jacket which obviously makes public transport an issue. Im assuming your daughter is young, I would emphasise this in your letter to the court the fact that she is too young to travel alone and therefore compromises such as meeting her half way are not an option and that her mother/carer is unable to travel with her due to other commitments. You've got a bit of time to put it all together anyway. But in regards to a solicitor, there is so much help on here and such compassionate ppl who know what you're going through so no I definitely would bother
 
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