Today I spoke with someone who was referred to me by an attorney who does some DUI cases. He told me that the attorney he has is a very good criminal defense attorney, but he wasn’t sure that he was comfortable with that attorney. I explained to him that he has a good attorney and that there is no reason to go away from that attorney, but that I could consult and look at the reports if he wanted me to. He told me that he learned more during our short phone call than he had during the many months that his attorney was defending him. That’s not to say anything negative about that attorney’s ability to fight a criminal case, but rather to highlight how much more involved an attorney will be when their practice is entirely focused on DUI defense. We’re reading up on this every day because we have to stay up-to-date. We are on listservs nationally, we go to conferences all over the country and sometimes we lecture.
Everybody is entitled to the best attorney that they can afford. You’re not going to hire a general practitioner to do brain surgery. Similarly, you’re not going to want to hire a general criminal defense attorney to take your DUI case, especially when the stakes are high. You are going to want this thing fought as hard as possible. If you don’t get someone who is a top-rated, educated, experienced DUI lawyer, you are always going to wonder whether or not you could have done better and whether these haunting consequences of a DUI conviction could have been avoided or reduced with the proper representation.
It’s not something to be taken lightly, and I fully understand that not everyone can afford the level of defense that you’re going to get from that type of a DUI lawyer, but there are very few things that I would call emergencies where you need to find a way to pay for them. Obviously your health is one, but so is your ability to provide for your family, to do your job and to keep your professional license. You just can’t take shortcuts there.
For more information on Hiring An Experienced DUI Attorney, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (415) 523-7878 today.
