Every state in the US considers driving under influence to be a crime. For that reason, DUI charges trials are held in criminal court. You are entitled to legal representation in criminal court. Defendants that have to answer to DUI charges are either represented by public defendants that have been appointed by the court or hire a private attorney for the case.
If you are facing drunk driving charges you need to find the right DUI lawyer to represent you. You need to be fast about finding an attorney as it is crucial to your case. Selecting the right attorney to work on your case can mean that you will have the best possible outcome for your case.
If you are a first time offender and have never committed a DWI or DUI offense you may be wondering how to find the right lawyer for your case. It is crucial that before you settle on a lawyer to represent you, you take the time to review a list of attorneys so you can decide who is best. If you do not know what to look for in an attorney the process of finding the right attorney can be extremely difficult for you.
Selecting a Good Lawyer
Here are some tips that will help you select a good DUI attorney.
Create a List of Potential DUI attorneys
You can use a variety of resources to help in your search for the best DUI lawyer. You can carry out research on the National Associations and state bar associations or seek personal recommendations. Just like you would make other major decisions in your life choosing a DUI attorney should be a well thought idea.
- Personal recommendation: The best place to look for an attorney is by asking the people around you. You can ask someone who has recently used a similar attorney and maybe ask them to give you information on the overall process. They can tell you about the attorney’s performance and the results that they got. They can tell you about how much they were charged as well. However, you should keep in mind that every DUI case is different and the results on your case can be different based on eth facts surrounding your case.
- Ask recommendation from an attorney that you have consulted before on another case: If you have sort the help of an attorney in a different case before you can use them as a resource for your case. The attorney most likely has other attorney friends that they have run into during events, school, or from their network of lawyers who practice in the area of criminal defense. They can help recommend a good candidate.
- Carry out a search on the internet: The internet is your library. You can use the search engines to look for a DUI lawyer in your locality so you have the specific search results that you want. You can type in DUI lawyers in Orlando Park Illinois so you can get access to the lawyers in your area.
Determine if the Attorney is Qualified to Handle Your Case
After you have created your list of potential attorneys you then need to consider the lawyer qualifications that would make a good fit for you. Find out if the lawyer is in good standing with the state bar they are in, their area of specialization, and their educational background.
- Make sure that you hire a licensed attorney: Only a licensed attorney will be able to represent you in court. You can refer to the state bar website in your area to refer to find out of a lawyer is licensed.
- You can hire an attorney from another state: If you decide to hire an attorney from another state you can hire a co-counsel who will represent you locally. It is good to note that this option may end up costing you more.
- Benefits of hiring a local lawyer: A local attorney is likely to be more familiar with the prosecutors, judges, and courts handling your case. The judge knowing your attorney's reputation and having respect towards him is an advantage to you. You can get a sentence that is not as harsh or your case can be dismissed as a result.
- Consider the ethical record of the attorney: As you are checking if the attorney is at good standing with the state bar where you live you want to find out if they have had any disciplinary actions taken against them. You can find attorney disciplinary records on your state bar website where it is available to the public.
- Avoid hiring an attorney that has been disbarred: If an attorney has been disbarred they are not allowed to represent you in court.
- Get a Lawyer to represent you that has extensive experience handling DUI cases: When you are hiring a lawyer you want to make sure that they have extensive knowledge and experience in handling DUI cases. Criminal defense attorneys handle a lot of cases but it is important that you choose a criminal defense attorney that specializes in DUI cases since they will have a deeper knowledge of the subject.
- Where did the lawyer go to school? The American Bar Association has accredited the best law schools. Even though you should take into consideration the law school that the lawyer has attended it should not be the main deciding factor when selecting a lawyer. A lot of attorneys that have gone to less prominent schools have excelled in their careers and are good at defending their clients.
- Check out the attorney's socials: Particularly go through their LinkedIn page you will get to see reviews from peers and see their work history.
After reviewing their credentials you are ready to carry out an in-person interview.
Meet the Attorney at an in Person Consultation
An in-person consultation will help you to decide if a lawyer is a good fit for you by determining how comfortable you feel with them. Here are some of the measures that you can take so that you ensure that you have a productive session.
- Be direct about the facts related to your case: Telling the attorney all the details of your case will help them to be able to advise on how you can move forward. If you withhold information and surprise the attorney later on it may end up hurting your case.
- Carry all of your DUI-related documents with you: Don’t assume that the attorney knows everything about your case since every case is different. Bring with you DMV letters, a police report, and every document that you have relevant to the case.
- Find out who will handle your case: If you visit a big law firm during an initial consultation the attorney that you meet may not be the one handling your case. Find out who will be handling your case and see if you are comfortable working with them.
- Understand the strategy the attorney will use to handle your case: As you walk out of the attorney’s office you should have a clear understanding of the strategy that the attorney will use on your case. It will you gauge the experience that they have working on cases similar to yours
A DUI is a serious matter that can impact your life in many ways so you want to make sure you have competent representation. In the end, you should select the attorney that best suits your individual needs.
A DUI is a serious issue and impacts your life greatly in different ways. For this reason, you want to make sure that you have competent legal representation. You want to choose an attorney that best suits the needs that you have. At Tommalieh law we would like to understand the details of your case so we can outline how we can help. If you are facing misdemeanor charges or felony charges as a result of drunk driving give us a call at (708) 232-0017!
