The Circuit Criminal Court tries serious charges before a judge and jury. We prepare your defence from the first hearing, not the week before trial.
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What to expect
The Circuit Criminal Court tries indictable charges more serious than the District Court can deal with.
It deals with charges that are too serious for the District Court, but that do not have to go to the Central Criminal Court or the Special Criminal Court. It sits with a judge and a jury, and in Dublin it sits at the Criminal Courts of Justice.
A case can arrive here in one of two ways.
The District Court sends a case forward once the charge is one the Circuit Criminal Court has to try, or once a person facing a charge that could otherwise be dealt with in the District Court chooses trial by jury instead. Either route leads to the same court, and the same series of preparatory hearings before trial.
Because it deals with more serious charges, the sentences available here are higher than in the District Court.
The exact sentence depends on the charge and the circumstances of the case, and a court has to give reasons for the sentence it imposes. A plea in mitigation, prepared properly and in good time, sets out everything the court should weigh before it decides. Putting that together well is part of preparing the case from the start, not something left until the last hearing.
Tony Collier appears in the Circuit Criminal Court, alongside the District Court, the Central Criminal Court and the Special Criminal Court.
A solicitor from our criminal defence team prepares your case with Tony from the first hearing, including any decision about electing trial by jury.
The questions people ask most often about the Circuit Criminal Court.
Both sit with a judge and jury. The Central Criminal Court deals principally with murder and rape; the Circuit Criminal Court deals with other serious indictable charges that do not have to go to the Central or Special Criminal Court.
The sentences available in the Circuit Criminal Court are higher, because it deals with more serious charges. The actual sentence in any case depends on the charge and its circumstances.
For some offences that could otherwise be dealt with in the District Court, you can choose to have the case tried before a judge and jury in the Circuit Criminal Court instead.
It depends on the case. A straightforward plea can be dealt with quickly; a contested trial takes longer, and the court schedules preparatory hearings along the way.
Tell us about the charge. We will explain what to expect and prepare your defence from the earliest stage.
This page provides general information about the law in Ireland. It is not legal advice and should not be relied on as legal advice for any particular situation. No solicitor/client relationship, duty of care or liability of any nature arises between you and Ferrys Solicitors LLP unless and until you have received a written letter of engagement confirming our appointment as your solicitors.
In contentious business a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement.
Ferrys Solicitors LLP is regulated by the Legal Services Regulatory Authority.
