I am leaving this review based entirely on my own personal experience with Hines Solicitors and, in particular, my dealings with Luke Jameson.
I initially had Hines Solicitors acting as my duty solicitors when I was arrested. I was subsequently released under investigation and, approximately two and a half years later, I was charged and given a date to attend the Magistrates’ Court.
I contacted Hines again because they had represented me during my original police interview. Initially, I found it difficult to get the communication I needed. I was repeatedly told that someone would call me back, but I often found myself waiting for responses. I had a lot of questions and, understandably, was extremely anxious about what was happening.
After speaking with one of Luke’s colleagues and explaining all of my questions and concerns, I was told that I would receive a call back. Shortly afterwards, Luke Jameson called me directly. This was the first time I spoke with him.
Initially, I found Luke to be extremely helpful, reassuring and knowledgeable. He spoke with me at length, answered my questions and gave me confidence that I was in good hands. He also told me that he would personally be there to represent me at the Magistrates’ Court.
However, the day before my hearing, I was informed that Luke had a BBC interview and would therefore no longer be able to attend. I was told that someone from his team, Courtney, would attend instead.
This was where my concerns really began.
At the Magistrates’ Court, I was advised to plead guilty to all of the charges. I explained that I disputed some of the allegations and that there were parts of the case that I believed were simply untrue. Despite explaining this, I was still advised to plead guilty.
I am not legally qualified and did not fully understand the potential consequences of following that advice. I trusted the legal advice I was given and therefore followed it.
I was subsequently sent to the Crown Court.
I was then informed that I would need to pay additional money for a barrister. I was initially told that the barrister would cost approximately £800–£900, with a further £300–£400 or so being payable to Hines. I was encouraged to use a more experienced barrister rather than someone cheaper, on the basis that their additional experience would be beneficial to my case.
At this point, my financial circumstances were extremely difficult. I had a family to support, as well as normal household and living expenses, and the increasing legal costs were becoming very difficult for me to manage.
Unfortunately, I felt that the communication from Hines became increasingly poor. Calls were not returned, and when I did manage to speak to someone, conversations would often focus on money I had not yet paid rather than the questions and concerns I was trying to raise about my case.
This was an incredibly stressful period of my life. I needed my solicitor to communicate with me, explain what was happening and help me understand my options.
Then, on the day of my Crown Court hearing, I was informed that the barrister I had originally paid for was unavailable and that another barrister would be representing me.
I was understandably concerned because I had agreed to pay for the original barrister based on the information and assurances I had been given.
However, I want to make it absolutely clear that the replacement barrister was fantastic.
Despite having fewer years of experience than the barrister I had originally been told about, she did an outstanding job. She carefully examined the evidence, identified problems with the case and recognised the issues surrounding the advice I had received about pleading guilty to allegations that I disputed.
She successfully challenged these matters with the prosecution and police. Where allegations could not be proven, the pleas were changed.
As a result of her work, my categorisation and potential sentence were significantly reduced. I went from potentially facing around 10 years to around 5 years, and then finally 3 years after taking into account my guilty plea and personal circumstances.
I cannot praise that barrister enough for the work she did for me. I am genuinely grateful for the effort she put into my case and the way she represented me.
What I found particularly frustrating was that my Crown Court hearing had to be adjourned for approximately four weeks because I could not immediately afford to pay the outstanding fees to Hines.
The barrister was kind enough to recognise the difficult position I had been placed in and carried out work for me pro bono. From my perspective, she appeared to understand the difficulties I was experiencing and the issues surrounding the advice I had received at the beginning of my case.
Despite this, I was still required to pay Hines a further amount for them to deal with the necessary paperwork so that the barrister could attend.
I was subsequently told by Luke Jameson that the barrister had essentially “taken pity on me” and was doing the work for free, accompanied by laughter.
I found this comment particularly upsetting.
From my perspective, this was not simply a case of someone taking pity on me. I believe the barrister recognised the seriousness of my situation and the difficult position I had found myself in.
Had I been properly advised at the Magistrates’ Court about the allegations I disputed and the potential consequences of pleading guilty, I believe the situation could have been very different. The subsequent issues and adjournment may potentially have been avoided.
I want to be very clear that this review is not a criticism of the barrister who ultimately represented me at the Crown Court. In fact, she was the strongest part of my entire experience with Hines, and I am extremely grateful for everything she did for me.
My concerns are with my overall experience of Hines Solicitors, particularly the communication, the advice I received at the Magistrates’ Court from Courtney, the financial pressure I experienced and the way the situation was subsequently handled.
When you are facing a potentially life-changing prison sentence, you need to be able to trust that your solicitor is listening to you, properly explaining your options and giving you advice that you can understand.
Unfortunately, I personally did not feel that I received that level of service.
I also felt that once it became apparent that I was struggling financially and having difficulty paying the fees, the attitude and level of communication I received changed. I felt that my calls were no longer given the same level of attention and that I was left without the support and communication I needed during an extremely serious and stressful period of my life.
I am sharing my experience because, if someone is considering using this firm, I would want them to make sure they fully understand the advice they are being given, what they are paying for and the potential consequences of any decisions they make before proceeding with their case.
I would also encourage people not to assume that the person who initially gives them reassurance and confidence will necessarily be the person who ultimately deals with their case. In my experience, I was given the impression that Luke would personally represent me, only for this to change at the last minute because something else had come up. Ultimately, my case was passed to someone else within the team.
My experience has taught me that it is important to ask questions, understand exactly who will be dealing with your case, what you are paying for and what will happen if the solicitor you have been dealing with becomes unavailable.
This is my personal experience and my account of what happened to me. I appreciate that other clients may have had completely different experiences, but I believe it is important that I share mine honestly and fairly.
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