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Guides
Clear answers to the questions people ask first.
Plain-English guides to police interviews, detention, investigations and confiscation. Read them before you are interviewed, not after.
What happens in a police interview under caution
How a police interview works, what the caution means and why advice before you answer a single question matters.
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How long can the police hold you without charge?
The detention limits in England and Wales: 24 hours, 36 hours, 96 hours, and the longer limit in terrorism cases.
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Released under investigation: what it means
You have left the police station but the case is not over. What ‘released under investigation’ means and what to do while you wait.
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Confiscation orders explained
What the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 allows the court to take after a conviction, and what happens if you cannot pay.
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Facing an HMRC criminal investigation
What happens when HMRC investigates a suspected tax, VAT or money laundering offence, and why the first contact matters.
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Accused of a sexual offence: the first steps
What happens after an allegation, how the process works and what to do and not do in the early days.
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Arrested under the Terrorism Act: what to expect
How terrorism arrests differ from ordinary ones: longer detention, specialist units and the importance of specialist advice.
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This guide is general information about the law in England and Wales. It is not legal advice on your own case, and the law can change. Speak to a solicitor about your own circumstances.
Speak to a defence solicitor
The first hours of a case shape everything that follows.
Call us before you are interviewed. Advice at the police station is free, whatever your means, and our out-of-hours line is answered by a solicitor, day or night.