Annecto Legal’s private prosecutions service offers businesses the legal knowledge and litigation funding options they need to get justice themselves. Annecto’s network of experienced legal firms has specialists that deal with private prosecutions for businesses with many different types of claim (more details can be found on the right hand side of this page).

Annecto Legal can also help you fund your case. By transferring some, if not all, of the financial risks of legal costs through methods such third party litigation funding or ATE insurance, your business can pursue the justice it deserves, without fear of costs spiralling. You also have the confidence that costs can be recovered from the pursuit of a private prosecution, so long as the case was advanced upon reasonable grounds.

What are Private Prosecutions?

In a situation where the police don’t have the resources to investigate or the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) makes the decision not to pursue a criminal investigation, this doesn’t mean your case isn’t valid. Individuals and companies can still seek justice through a private prosecution service like Annecto Legal.

The right to do so is cited in the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 and is, outside of the fact that the prosecutor is private, carried out in the same manner as Crown prosecutions in all other aspects.

Private prosecutions have many advantages. For example, they are often completed in significantly less time and for significantly less cost than civil litigation. They also give you more direct involvement in the case and thus a higher degree of control. Proceeding with a case can pose some problems for the individual, but Annecto Legal’s private prosecution service is on hand to help you overcome these.

How can Private Prosecutions prove problematic for businesses?

If the prosecution is not brought on by the state and you take someone to court and lose, you can sometimes be liable for the legal costs of both sides. This is a daunting financial prospect, especially for smaller businesses, and often results in rightful claims going unpursued due to fear of the implications of an unsuccessful claim.

But the law is no different to any other sector of business in the sense that you don’t necessarily have to bear the burden of these costs yourself. There are alternative ways of getting funding for litigation, such as insurance and third party funding, that you can benefit from. Also, if your case is run properly, the court can order “reasonable” costs for investigation and legal expenses to be paid out of central funds.

Annecto Legal’s private prosecution service can help with claims against criminal offences, providing specialist legal expertise and enabling access to alternative methods of funding.

Connecting the right case to the right legal team and the right source of funding is the key to a successful private prosecution. With Annecto’s experienced private prosecution service and knowledgeable support you can pull together a team of lawyers, experts, funders and insurers that will make your opponent not just regret their actions, but hopefully come to the negotiating table ready to make an offer to settle. Conversely, cases handled by the wrong lawyers and lacking funds, can encourage your opponent to complicate and delay proceedings – knowing that you are not serious and won’t commit the funds to properly pursue them. You may end up settling for far less than you deserve, or even pulling out completely.

Get in touch to discuss your legal and financial options further with one of our experts and find out how Annecto Legal’s private prosecution service can help you today.