Areas of Expertise
Search Warrants & Seizures
Immediate action to protect your position. If your home or business has been searched, or your property seized, the earlier we are instructed the greater the scope to challenge what has been done.
Why timing decides outcome
What Has Been Done Can Be Challenged
A search of your premises is one of the most disruptive steps the authorities can take. Officers may arrive without warning, enter with legal authority, and remove property before you have had any opportunity to take advice. What they are entitled to do depends entirely on whether the warrant was lawfully obtained and properly executed. Both can be challenged.
We move immediately to examine the legal basis for the warrant, the conduct of the search, and the scope of the material taken. Time is critical — early intervention preserves options that narrow quickly.
Our services
Our Search Warrant & Seizure Services
Search warrant challenges are separate from any criminal investigation that may follow. Even where no charges have yet been brought, the lawfulness of the search must be addressed in its own right.
- Review of warrants issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984
- Challenges where searches exceed the scope of the warrant
- Crown Court applications for return of unlawfully retained property
- Production orders and restraint/asset freezing orders under POCA
- Immediate response advice for businesses facing unannounced searches
- Challenges to the underlying warrant application and disclosure
- Applications under s.59 Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001
- Urgent protection of legally privileged material
- Judicial review proceedings in the High Court
- Recovery of seized digital devices, phones and computers
Why Chess Law
Why Chess Law Solicitors for Search & Seizure Defence
Immediate technical analysis
Urgent protection of privileged material
Coordinated criminal and search challenges
Judicial review where appropriate
Acting nationwide at short notice
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between murder and manslaughter?
In most cases, yes. A warrant must be issued by a magistrate and specify the premises and material sought. There are limited exceptions allowing warrantless searches in defined circumstances.
What are the partial defences to murder?
Officers may seize items specified in the warrant and, in some cases, other items they reasonably believe to be evidence of an offence. Material outside the scope of the warrant may be recoverable.
What happens at the police station after a murder arrest?
Legally privileged material includes confidential communications between a client and their solicitor or barrister. It is protected from seizure and examination.
Can I be convicted of murder if I did not intend to kill?
Yes. A warrant can be challenged by way of judicial review in the High Court. Evidence obtained unlawfully may also be excluded from any subsequent proceedings.
What is joint enterprise in a murder case?
A production order requires a person or business to provide documents or material to investigators. It is commonly used in financial investigations and can be challenged or limited where appropriate.
How long could I go to prison for manslaughter?
Record the officers’ details, ask to see the warrant, and ensure you receive a record of items seized. Then contact us immediately.
Speak to us now.
If your premises have been searched or your property seized, the time to act is now. You will receive a clear assessment of whether the search was lawful and what steps can be taken.
