When you are involved in a drunken driving case, it is indeed a huge embarrassment for you and it results in loss of reputation as well, if you are a public figure. It is a huge dent to your confidence and goes down as one of the lowest moments in your life. If there is one element that can make this moment any better for you, it is the presence of a good DUI lawyer. When one is legally qualified and has enough experience in dealing with drunken driving cases before, he knows exactly how to bail you out of the situation you are in.
You should remember that you may not walk free when you hire a good attorney to fight your drunken driving case. Nevertheless, you could be rewarded with lower penalty charges or reduced jail sentence than that was offered to you before. Since this attorney plays an important role in your freedom, it is only natural that you should choose him properly. Here are five tips that will help you to choose the right legal partner to bail you out of your drunken driving case.
1. Local flavour
Always look for legal experts in your locality because these people will have a thorough knowledge of the local driving & drinking laws. Also, they could share a personal rapport with the judges or prosecution, and they might know to turn this goodwill into a reduced sentence for you. A local attorney knows exactly how the court functions and how it will pronounce judgements in a drunken driving case. Therefore, you must use an attorney who knows what he is doing and why he is doing so.
2. Great history
Before hiring a legal expert, do a background check on his representation history. Analyse the cases that he has presented and how many he won out of them. Also, check if he was involved in any controversial representations in the past that led to his disqualification from the bar. If yes, you should stay away from such people because they will only bring you more mess than the one that you are already in.
3. References
Choose an attorney who is ready to provide you references from his past clients and success stories. It speaks volumes about the confidence of a lawyer when he gives details of his past cases and clients to you. Check with these clients to understand the expert’s style of working, his winning rate, fee structure, availability, team strength and about his other skills. When an attorney hesitates or refuses to give details about references, it is a clear indication for you to reject this person.
These are some of the basic tips that you need to follow to hire one of the best attorneys to represent your drunken driving case. Apart from these, you should give consideration to factors like user reviews, the flexibility of timings, qualification and additional certifications of lawyers, personal discussions and recommendations from friends & colleague to choose the best possible option to represent your case successfully.