How To Choose the Right DUI Lawyer
So you need a good DUI lawyer but aren’t
sure what you should be doing to get the best deal for the drink driving
offense you’re facing?
DUI Legal Fees
You can’t tell what any lawyer might charge
for handling DUI cases, but watch out for the high up-front cost that is
followed by a guilty plea at the end of the day. Similarly, you need to watch out for a low up
front charge, followed by an endless progressioin of fees for the work.
The Lawyer’s Reputation
Make sure you do some checking about the
drunk driving lawyer’s reputation by asking about, doing some online
checking. Find out what sort of
reputation he or she has with the judiciary and the prosecutors, which can be
vital if you are seeking the best possible result for the charges you face.
DUI Knowledge
Ensure your lawyer knows exactly what
you’re likely to be receiving in terms of penalty. Does he or she know the sentencing options
for the locality where you’re going to go to Court? Do they know the options and
requirements? Do they know the criminal
and sentencing guidelines that need to be followed? You need local knowledge
here.
Drivers License Issues
Your DUI lawyer needs to know what the
licensing laws are and be completely familiar with how the actual DUI will
affect your license, as well as delays and other license suspension issues that
will liekly arise.
How do you choose the right DUI Attorney
for you?
Being arrested can be overwhelming and even
more so if you’ve never hired an attorney. You know you need one, but how do
you know which is the right one for you? Reynolds Defense Firm focuses all of
our time and expertise on one very small area of the law, and we do it very
well – we represent good people facing DUI charges, primarily in Multnomah,
Washington, and Clackamas Counties. Our attorneys have a combined 35 years of
local Oregon DUI law experience, both on the prosecution and the defense sides,
and we are second to none.
First, is specialization. You want to make
sure that your lawyer specializes in Criminal Defense at the very least and
preferably in DUI Defense. DUI laws are complicated, so you don’t want an
attorney that does a little bit of everything because how can they be the best
at everything? I’d rule out all firms that don’t specialize exclusively on DUI
and Criminal Defense. There is a reason brain surgeons don’t do heart
transplants. Law is the same way – specialization allows you to hire the best
attorney in their field.
The second thing you want to look for is
level of experience. How long has this person been doing Criminal Defense of
DUI Defense? Has this attorney or someone in their law firm ever been a
prosecutor? I know that my experience as a District Attorney helps our firm and
our clients every day. It allows our team to better understand where the DA’s
and police officers are coming from. This helps us to better craft our
strategies for how to move forward with the clients case with strength and
success. I’d personally rule out attorneys with less than 5 years of experience
and those without a prosecutor background to give them better perspective.
The third thing that you should look for is
how long has this attorney or law firm been in business? Running a business is
challenging and complicated with many moving parts. Many criminal defense
attorneys don’t understand or appreciate that and because of that, they often
don’t do a good job managing the business portion of their firm. This can
affect their clients negatively in lots of different ways. Most importantly,
you want your lawyer to focus their time on you and your case, not the 100
other things required to run a business instead. You don’t want your attorney
to choose between working on your case or answering the phone when potential
new clients are calling. The last thing I’d want to do is hire a lawyer whose
business is so chaotic that he or she can’t focus all their attention on their
clients. At Reynolds Defense Firm our attorneys focus 100% of their time on
their clients and the cases they are working on so that they can do the best
job possible without distractions.
The final thing is customer service. Pay
attention to your interactions with the law firm staff and attorney before you
hire them. Are you treated with respect? Are they willing to answer your
questions and listen to you? Can they spend the time necessary to help you
understand the process? Trust your instincts. If I had any concerns about
giving my complete trust to this attorney and law firm, I’d keep looking.
Because when you hire someone to represent you on a DUI arrest, you are giving
them complete trust, which can have an effect on your life, your family and
your career. Pretty important and you want to be absolutely sure that you’re
hiring someone that you feel comfortable talking to.
How To Find The Best DUI Lawyer By Yourself
Sometimes we make irresponsible choices and
have to live with the consequences. According to MADD, over 1.1 million drivers
were arrested in 2014 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.
Out of these numbers, three times as many males were arrested for drunk driving
than females. Guys….society begs you to be more careful and considerate of
others!
Deciding to drive under the influence is
not only dangerous to you, it endangers the lives of those around you. If you
have been caught driving under the influence, you are going to need a lawyer.
Of course, you could go with a government-appointed lawyer, but it is a much
wiser decision to hire an attorney on your own.
Do your research
A good DUI lawyer who will listen to you,
understand your case, and help you in court isn’t just going to jump right out
at you. It is essential to research various DUI attorneys in order to choose
the one that is best for your specific case. Thankfully, the internet and
social media has made research easy. In addition, it is always a good idea to
ask trustworthy friends and family for their suggestions and recommendations on
who to, or who to not, hire!
Make a list of potential lawyers
Create an Excel spreadsheet or written log
and keep a list of the lawyers you are interested in reaching out to. Your list
should include their name, area of speciality, phone number, email address, and
address. If you have already spoken to them and know their price, you should include
a column for “cost” in your document as well
Determine if your attorney is qualified to
handle your case
Just because someone is a lawyer does not
mean he/she is qualified to take on your case. Check your State Bar website to
see if any of the lawyers on your list have a history of malpractice or have
been subject to any disciplinary actions. Make sure that the people on your
list are all licensed to practice in your state and that they are familiar with
the legal system in your area.
How to Choose the Best Defense Attorney for
Your DWI Case
If you have never been through the DWI
process before, you are probably wondering how to choose a quality DWI lawyer
that will truly fight to protect your rights.
Additionally, not knowing what to look for in a defense lawyer makes the
task of finding the right lawyer extremely difficult.
You need a professional who can evaluate
both factual and legal defenses to your DWI, compel the government to produce
any reports, videos, or other evidence, and know how to attack the government’s
case.
Find an attorney who focuses exclusively on
defending DWI and DUI cases.
Additionally, you should look at the
experience your lawyer has both in and out of the courtroom. Make sure your attorney spends a great deal
of time in the court where your case is pending and that he or she has handled
many cases in front of the judge in your court – you want an attorney familiar
with where your case’s outcome is to be decided.
DWI law is one of the most complex areas of
law. The laws are constantly evolving
and changing with each opinion of our appellate courts. Your lawyer needs to be familiar with the
current state of the laws pertaining to your case. A quality lawyer has to use the law, science,
and careful examination of the government’s witnesses to protect your
Constitutional rights.
Just as importantly, get references. For example, the defense attorneys at
Johnson, Johnson & Baer, P.C. have represented clients referred by judges,
other criminal and civil lawyers, police officers and former clients. These referrals speak for themselves – let a
successful defense lawyer assist you through your experience.
Important Aspects to Consider When Choosing
a DUI lawyer
Driving Under Influence is a grave offense
in most jurisdictions. Working with a DUI lawyer is imperative when charged
with such a crime. However, most people tend to ignore the need to work with a
lawyer or fail to choose a DUI lawyer carefully.
If by any chance you are charged with
driving under the influence offense, the first thing that should click your
mind is to find a reputable DUI lawyer. However, finding a good lawyer can be a
hectic process, but this should not worry you. This article highlights several
things to consider when searching for a good DUI lawyer.
Specialization
Choosing a professional who is an expert in
Dealing with DUI Cases should be a top priority. You can be guaranteed that
only a professional in this field is well versed with laws relating to driving
under the influence. This increases your chances of winning your case.
Therefore, choosing a specialized DUI lawyer is no option.
Experience
Besides looking at specialization, you also
have to pay close attention to experience. The lawyer you settle for should
have experience in handling DUI cases. An experienced lawyer knows the defense
tactics to use, and this is precisely what you need. Therefore, in your search
process, it is vital to consider someone with years of experience.
References
A good DUI attorney should be in a position
of giving you testimonials and references to people he or she has helped
before. With a list of their past clients, you can contact these people to have
a picture of the level of satisfaction they got from this lawyer. If you get
positive feedback, then you can go ahead and hire this attorney.