Liberty and Justice
About Cantaris Locke Solicitors
This firm, Cantaris Locke Solicitors, started operating as a separate legal entity in 2013. Prior to that the partners, Natalia Locke and Costa Cantaris, were involved in other criminal defence enterprises. Each partner has over 20 years of experience in the field of criminal litigation.
We have Russian and Albanian speaking lawyers to assist you.
We are fully accredited by the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority and the Law Society. We hold a contract with the Legal Aid Agency to provide Legal Aid services. Your eligibility for Legal Aid depends on the nature of the case and your financial circumstances. We have secured Legal Aid for numerous clients. Please call us to discuss it in detail. There is no fee for a consultation.
If you are not eligible for Legal Aid we provide competitive rates that can be agreed on a case by case basis.
We specialise in criminal defence, extradition and confiscation proceedings. We represent clients in police stations, Magistrates’ and Crown Courts; we attend interviews conducted by local authorities over allegations of benefit fraud. Over the years we have dealt with the whole spectrum of criminal cases, from road traffic offences and shoplifting to multi-million pound fraud and murder. We ensure our clients receive the best possible results whatever the offence.
We have secured excellent results in high profile heavy weight cases, even when the odds have been heavily stacked against our clients. These include cases that have been vigorously prosecuted by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, Trading Standards Departments, the Department of Work and Pensions, and, of course, the Crown Prosecution Service.
Our experience and knowledge enables us to foresee pitfalls and weaknesses in our opponent’s case from an early stage. We have managed on numerous occasions to prevent investigations turning in to prosecutions and regularly have cases dismissed prior to trial.
Even when the evidence is overwhelming we regularly make representations and negotiate for our clients to limit their role and reduce the enormity of the charges. This often results in our clients avoiding custodial sentences for serious matters.