• We answer your dangerous motoring offence question free. Please call or email us without obligation to find out how to defend your offence accusations

The Patterson Law Team

We work as a team. We believe that you get a better service as a result.

Dominic Smith will oversee and supervise the running of your motoring offence case. As a team we will often get together in a meeting room and discuss open cases. We will mull over any unusual issues, new road traffic law legislation, case specifics, and discuss tactics in order to work out the best way forward to achieve the result that you need.

We recognise that every case is unique. Road traffic law is complex and cannot be dealt with by people who do not understand the law and the way that the court system works. Your case will be dealt with by expert lawyers who specialise in road traffic law.

Your Road Traffic Law Defence Team:

Dominic Smith – Director – Senior Case Progression Officer

Dominic is a Chartered legal Executive, a specialist in road traffic law and the Head of the Road Traffic Department.

He joined Patterson Law in 2009 and has become one of the UK’s leading Road Traffic Lawyers. He has a keen legal brain and an excellent ability to expertly analyse technical areas of road traffic law.  Dominic has specialist knowledge in driving with excess alcohol, drug driving and failing to provide a specimen cases.  He has obtained great results in very difficult cases where it has been his client’s word against that of a police officer.

Dominic is the first choice of many of the UK’s largest firms and regularly advises companies with fleets of thousands of vehicles. Notably Dominic has represented the Nation’s largest providers of roadside recovery and was the leading lawyer in the nationally recognised case of DPP v Barreto, which led to a change in the UK legislation for driving whilst using a mobile telephone.

https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/19-07-31-DPP-v-Barreto-Ref.-CO2702019-Judgment.pdf

Dominic provides regular legal advice to Motoring Magazines including Private Hire and Taxi Monthly, and has represented some of the UK’s most high profile defendants including film stars, international footballers and royalty.

Dominic is regularly asked to provide legal advice and commentary to national newspapers:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/bad-weather-snow-uk-driving-fine-b2236039.html?amp

https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/19240714/driving-expert-challenge-tickets-tips/

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/drivers-warned-over-leaving-aggressive-27830136

Dominic has developed a team of experts in UK motor law who will always strive to save your licence and get you the best possible result. Each of our experts are road traffic specialists. We do not dabble in any other area of law. All of our experts only work in the area of traffic law, guaranteeing you will get a specialist lawyer working on your case.

“Just wanted to thank you for your services and especially to thank you for the excellent work of Dominic Smith. He was readily available, very helpful, efficient and he has helped achieve a favourable outcome of which I wasn’t initially expecting.”

Hilary Moon – Senior Legal Advisor

Hilary has a Law Degree from the Open University where she achieved a 2:1 as well as over 18 years’ experience in the legal profession.  Hilary moved from general crime to specialise in Road Traffic Law as she has an aptitude for this technical and often complex area of law.

Hilary’s knowledge of Road Traffic Law is extensive, and she has the ability to assimilate the facts and provide advice in a calm and practical way. She has been with Patterson Law since 2011 and is an asset to the industry.

“Many thanks again for all your help, I’ve been really impressed with the level of service throughout. I’ll be hanging onto your contact details, just in case……”

Hannah Penny – Senior Legal Advisor

Hannah joined Patterson Law after graduating from University with a first-class degree in Criminal Investigation BSc (Hons) and has become a specialist in road traffic law. She has a Diploma in Law and Practice and is an Associate of CILEx.

Hannah has a considerable insight into Police and Crown Prosecution Service procedure, which she has used to her advantage when representing clients, especially when trying to persuade them to withdraw before a trial hearing. She is highly organised and has exceptional client care and approaches each case with determination to achieve the best result.

Hannah has extensive experience in road traffic law and has progressed through the firm from managing a caseload to now offering comprehensive legal advice to prospective clients. Hannah will often consider solutions that many other lawyers may not think about. She has a good all-round knowledge of the court process from start to finish and can apply her specialist knowledge to any road traffic scenario.

Ellen Finch – Legal Advisor

Ellen had a keen interest in criminal law when she joined Patterson Law and her ability to absorb knowledge meant she became a highly regarded member of the Case Progression Team very quickly. She also has impeccable attention to detail and is very thorough in her work.

Ellen has a good understanding of law and procedure and moved to become a Legal Advisor. She has a calm approach and has considerable empathy which helps her to provide initial advice in a sensitive way at what can very often be a very distressing time.

Graham Brown – Senior Case Progression Officer

Graham obtained his law degree from Plymouth University in 2010 and went on to complete the SQE. He is now practicing as a qualified solicitor. He has worked exclusively in road traffic law since joining Patterson Law in 2013.  Prior to this he worked at management level for a number of years in the retail industry.

His file management skills have seen him obtain fantastic results in respect of disclosure failings by the Crown Prosecution Service. He has extensive experience in a range of motoring offences and specifically excels at defending cases involving driving in excess of the alcohol and drug limits, failing to provide a specimen and handles the most serious cases such as death by dangerous driving.

He has exceptional client care skills and is highly organised in his approach to helping the clients of Patterson Law achieve the best results in their cases.

Katie Rushton – Senior Case Progression Officer

Katie joined Patterson Law after graduating with a 2:1 Law Degree from the University of the West of England.   She has worked exclusively in road traffic since joining Patterson Law in 2015 and has a passionate interest in criminal law and uses her determination and extensive knowledge of criminal law and procedure to the advantage of her clients by achieving excellent results.

Throughout her time at Patterson Law, Katie has developed a particular interest in taxi licence cases and has developed this area of road traffic into her specialism as well as leading and managing her own team within the firm.  Katie is highly organised and with her exceptional client care she is able to achieve the best results for her clients.

Rebecca Taylor – Senior Case Progression Officer

Rebecca has a Bachelors degree in Law (2.1) and a Masters degree in Human Rights both from the University of Exeter.

During her time at Patterson Law Rebecca has completed the academic part of her training and is now a Chartered Legal Executive. Rebecca has extensive knowledge in all areas of road traffic law and has developed a specialism in DVLA medical revocations.

Rebecca has developed an extensive knowledge of DVLA medical revocations and oversees this department within the firm. She has assisted many clients in obtaining their licences back following medical revocation on all types of conditions both through direct liaison with the DVLA and through Magistrates Court appeals.

Rebecca’s drive and organisational skills make her a valued member of the team.

Rachel Saunders – Senior Case Progression Officer

Rachel has always worked in a legal environment.  She started working with the Crown Prosecution Service in 1996, starting as a Case Progression Officer in the Magistrates’ Court department, progressing in 2006 to a Crown Court Paralegal running a wide and varied caseload, dealing with all aspects of crime including serious road traffic offences.

Rachel has a good knowledge and understanding of the Court processes and Crown Prosecution Service procedures and she uses this to her advantage when representing clients.

Jason Rosser – Senior Case Progression Officer

Jason has an extensive background in management and customer service, who has a great passion for criminal law defence. Jason believes in providing excellent client care. He aims to ensure his clients are comfortable with proceedings and have a stress-free experience. His excellent organisational and communication skills set a strong platform for achieving the best results.

Jessica Dolan – Senior Case Progression Officer

Jessica graduated from the University of Kent with a 2.1 LLB.  Prior to joining Patterson Law, Jessica worked for a large national construction company that won many large contracts.

This was a hectic working environment with tight deadlines and she needed a clear head to think strategically and the ability to communicate.  These skills she now uses as she works tirelessly to get the results her clients want.

Kris Nickels – Senior Case Progression Officer

Kris is a qualified Solicitor, having successfully completed the necessary professional qualification after obtaining a Bachelors degree (with Honours) in Law studied through the Open University and a Masters degree in Law (With Commendation) from the University of Law Bristol. Kris previously worked as a contracts manager in the construction industry, where he gained very strong client care and negotiation skills.

Kris also worked in the motor industry for many years, which gives him an added insight when helping clients with their road traffic matters. Kris is a Solicitor who has a passion for criminal law, which combined with his in-depth knowledge helps him to get the best results for his clients.

Jacob Stroud – Senior Case Progression Officer

Jacob attended Plymouth University and achieved a 2:1 in Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies with Law; he then completed the Graduate Diploma in Law and achieved the highest grade out of everybody on his course.

Jacob subsequently completed the SQE, obtaining results in the top quintile and is now practicing as a qualified solicitor.  Jacob is known for his great attention to detail and ability to consider and implement a variety of solutions to solve any problem.

Jacob is also a member of our DVLA medical revocations team, using his legal knowledge and skills to obtain drivers their licences back following medical revocation.

Jonathan Guscott – Case Progression Officer

Jonathan has a very high standard of client care having spent years working in the motor industry and prioritising the customer service experience.  He also has a strong passion for everything on two wheels.  Jonathan returned to study as a mature student, completing his Law degree at the University of Northampton in two years, rather than the usual three.

He gained a 2:1 degree and has completed the LLM in Law and Legal Practice (inc Legal Practice Course) Jonathan has a strong interest in Criminal law, taking all the available Criminal law electives during his studies and he works hard to achieve the very best results for his clients.

Ryan Butler – Case Progression Officer

Ryan is self-motivated and driven. His working life did not start out in law, but he could not deny his burning passion to study law and work in a criminal practice and he made that happen.

Ryan prides himself on his attention to detail and his resilient working attitude, he will stop at nothing to get his clients the best result he can.

Ashleigh Hannan – Case Progression Officer

Ashleigh’s working background stems from customer service, financial claims and administration which has taught her a variety of transferable skills which she uses every day here at Patterson Law. Ashleigh’s background is part of the reason that she feels very strongly about client care. She ensures her client’s experience as little stress possible and are always kept updated in the progression of their case.

Ashleigh has a quiet determination when speaking with the Crown Prosecution Service and other organisations that helps her fight her client’s cases. Ashleigh started life at Patterson Law working alongside one of our most senior Case Progression Officers dealing with cases involving very serious offences, her potential shone and her expertise grew and she now runs a caseload of her with skill and works tirelessly on her client’s behalf.

Connor O’Brien – Case Progression Officer

Connor graduated from the Open University with an honours degree in Law and Criminology. He has an extensive background in business administration, client care and customer relations and understands the importance of organisation and building and maintaining positive relationships with his clients to try and minimise their concerns in highly stressful situations. In his previous roles Connor has demonstrated that he is happy to go above and beyond for his clients, and his persistence has led to obtaining great results.

Sara Kyffin – Case Progression Officer

Sara obtained a BA (hons) degree and after her studies spent many years running well known high-street branded restaurants at senior management level, this instilled a strong work ethic and a desire to deliver consistently high standards to a precise deadline, skills that she utilises daily on behalf of her clients.  Sara took a life changing decision to change career and follow her dream to join the legal profession, initially working in family law before settling at Patterson Law. Sara has a friendly and empathetic manner and works hard to ensure her clients are put at ease during what can be a difficult process.

Isaac Withington – Case Progression Officer

Isaac has an extensive knowledge of the criminal justice system, having studied law and criminology at A-Level and then going on to study pure law at university, achieving an upper 2:1 degree.

Prior to working for Patterson Law, Isaac spent some time working at His Majesty’s Prison Service, which gave him a lot more insight into the criminal justice system at a practical level and he developed a great deal of empathy and a passion to ensure justice for his clients. Isaac is also a keen sportsman and his competitive instincts make him drive for success in everything that he does.

Karen Parsons – Legal Advisor

Karen is by her own admission a bit of a petrol head. Having spent her early career in a general criminal law firm, she then trained as a driving instructor and came to Patterson Law with unique experience of motoring from the road to the office.

Karen has eight years of experience with the firm in a variety of roles having started as a secretary and moving on to legal advice support. Her passion for knowledge and previous customer facing experience has afforded her the opportunity to progress seamlessly into her current role as a legal advisor.

Karen has outstanding client care skills, is calm and empathetic earning her regular positive feedback and making her a valued member of the team.

Clare Hudson – Director – Compliance and Client Care Manager

Clare Hudson is a qualified solicitor with over 20 years experience in private practice. Clare was a family law solicitor for 10 years and became head of a busy family law department. Subsequently she managed a high street legal practice for many years and gained considerable knowledge in amongst other things compliance, firm regulation and client care.

Clare’s extensive experience in practice management makes her an important and valued member of the management team at Patterson Law.

Your Administration Team

Cally Williams – Accounts Manager

Nicola Pye – Accounts Assistant

Chloe Arnold – Support Worker

Hanna Wilkinson – Support Worker

Megan Day – Support Worker

Connor Felix – Support Worker

Megan Daniels – Support Worker

Jack Short – Support Worker

Monika Valaviciene – Support Worker

Joe Trotman – PA to Dominic Smith & Karen Parsons

Andreea Toma – PA to Hannah Penny & Ellen Finch

Stephanie Steele – PA to Hilary Moon

Julie Wall – Legal Secretary

Rosemary Matthews – Legal Secretary

Helen Wilkinson – Office Manager

If you want the Patterson Law team on your side – Ask a FREE question TODAY!

 

We Succeed When You Succeed:

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4.7 1,568 reviews

  • Avatar E9NAM ★★★★★ 3 months ago
    I'm thoroughly impressed by the free consultation I received from Patterson Law today. Their team showed exceptional … More dedication and expertise in driver defence law. They not only provided me with comprehensive, easy-to-understand advice but did so with the utmost professionalism and care. It's refreshing to see a firm that values helping individuals, offering free guidance with genuine interest in my case. Their transparent approach in explaining my options has truly set the bar high for legal services. I highly recommend Patterson Law to anyone needing insightful and trustworthy legal advice. Thank you, Patterson Law, for the outstanding support!
  • Avatar Neil Nicholls ★★★★★ 2 weeks ago
    Excellent. Cannot fault the Patterson Law team at all. Honest from the start, managed my expectations and delivered accordingly. … More Kris and Connor worked on the case proficiently and professionally. Kept me informed at every step of the way and nothing was too much trouble. Highly recommend speaking to them if ever you need assistance.

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