Hiring a DUI Lawyer – 4 Things to Consider

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels

DUI charges are no joke. They can ruin your life, so it’s imperative that you do research on the attorney you’ll be hiring. Everything to consider to help you find the right one is discussed. 

License

The lawyer you’re interested in may be one of the best DUI lawyers in the country. However, he may not be licensed in your state. He likely won’t be able to represent you. He could hire a co-counsellor; this would let him represent you. But this would lead to you paying more. 

Speaking of his license, where did he go to law school? Was it reputed? And make sure that he wasn’t removed from the bar association. If he was disbarred, he’s not allowed to go to court with you. 

Communication Skills

You’re supposed to inform the lawyer of every detail that took place. This won’t be easy if you can’t communicate with him.

By knowing everything about the case, he would get the best idea on how to represent you. This is especially important if you’re dealing with a second DUI charge. 

If you don’t fully inform the attorney, something you didn’t mention could pop up in court. It could seriously injure your defense. With him being aware of it, you’d be the most prepared to mitigate damages. 

You’d also need to give him all the records on your case. Each DUI case is unique; he needs to see exactly what violations of law your police report states. 

Payment

A DUI is a criminal case. You can’t go for a contingent payment plan – this is where the attorney would receive a payment only if the case was won. 

Negotiate with him how much you’d have to pay. Make sure that there are no hidden legal fees. He might require you to pay additional costs for expert witnesses. 

As you can imagine, working with the best criminal lawyer to hire would lead to you paying hefty fees; the more acclaimed of an attorney, the more his charges would be. If he is very acclaimed, there is a chance that you won’t be working much with him. He’d show up at trial. However, you’d be briefing with his representatives most of the time instead. 

Experience

The best lawyer to hire would have handled thousands of DUI cases. There are specific attorneys that specialize in drunk driving, so look for them. 

Even if the lawyer you’re interested in went to a top law school and has a lot of successful cases under his belt, there is something else to consider. He could be someone who has a history of unethical work. Attorney disciplinary records are available for the public to access. Go through them. 

There isn’t a lot to keep in mind when hiring a lawyer. However, it’s important that you hire someone that has a lot of experience under their belt. Be sure to tell your attorney everything. He would be able to save you from things that could ruin your defense.