One of my earlier posts, I covered a variety of questions to inquire about the DUI Lawyer prior to making a decision to hire them or her. In this article, I will briefly go over some things you can do to prepare yourself before interviewing DUI Lawyers. There’s a saying that says “knowledge can be a powerful tool” and this is definitely valid. You must have a basic understanding of your background prior to calling DUI Lawyers so that you can assess what they’re telling you. I’ll divide the information into two parts The first is information about the DUI Lawyer themselves as well as information on DUI Laws in your state.
Before you call any DUI Lawyer , it is best to look up their name on Google or other search engines. and visit their personal website whenever possible. It is important to find out whether they are skilled in dealing with DUI cases, or if they generally handle other kinds of legal issues. It is obvious that you need to talk with an Attorney who is able to handle a wide range of DUI cases. That’s your only chance to make sure that the lawyer keeps up to date with DUI Laws in your state. Also, discover what education they received. Did they work as an attorney prior to moving into defense? (Former Prosecutors usually have plenty of knowledge and experience as well as classroom instruction since their employers regularly take them to classes to ensure they’re up-to-date). Are they belongs to any group which is dedicated towards DUI Defense? A lot of these organizations offer instruction for their members. Keep in mind that you do not wish to be representing a civil attorney who’s only pursuing an DUI defense case simply because they believe “how difficult could it be?”
It is also recommended to research DUI Law in your state prior to making contact with DUI Lawyers. Try to locate information about the DUI Statutes on your State government website or other websites for information. If you are looking over your state’s DUI Statute from your state you ought to learn about a few aspects. Are you facing a mandatory prison sentence? If yes, how long is the sentence? Do you have to face an automatic suspension of your driver’s license? What is the duration? In addition is your state offering the pre-trial diversionary program? This program generally allows an offender who is a first-time offenders to be on time on probation and attend classes rather than risk prison time. The programs often have a lower, or even no license suspension. The most important thing is that many of these kinds of programs result in your DUI charges being dropped and extinguished (meaning that you will not have a criminal record due to this). Lawyer
It’s only when you have all the information you need that you consult with an DUI Lawyer. If, for instance when the lawyer doesn’t mention the diversionary program before trial, you need to ask what the reason is? If an attorney tries to convince you to contest the charges, rather than taking the program (usually due to the fact that they charge more for the trial) it is best to inquire attentively about the reason to this suggestion. Always inquire from any lawyer about what percentage of their time they devote to DUI cases and how much of their work is devoted to DUI defense.