A person should prefer an attorney who is experienced in DUI cases and who stays updated on the latest developments and the law concerning DUI. The organization called the “National College of DUI Defense” is selective in regards to who they allow in and their criteria make sure that their members are well-educated on this particular topic, including things like the science and the penalties involved. A person should consider those factors and look for references and for people who are familiar with the court where the case will be.
It is also important to actually call the lawyers on the phone, talk to them and maybe meet in person to get a feel for how they connect with each other, whether their personalities go well with each other, do they understand the place the person is at in life, what is at risk and what their fears are, what they want to accomplish and those kinds of things. A lot of it has to do with the attorney’s knowledge and experience and whether or not it feels like a good fit for the person.
How Much Time Should Someone Take To Decide Which Attorney They Will Use?
The sooner someone decides on an attorney the better, because most attorneys will handle these cases on a flat fee basis. If someone gets an attorney at the earliest phase right after being arrested, then first of all, they can meet with them and answer a lot of questions, give some peace of mind about what is going to happen and what they can do. They can be the ones dealing with the prosecutor right away, dealing with the court, setting up the court dates and being there with the client for arraignments. They can handle all sorts of things that come along before the first real court date at the pretrial.
These extra services are included in the same price and the client would also have somebody on their side right away who was trying to help and who can make a plan for handling the situation. It is best to have somebody on the team as soon as someone faces a charge.
Is It A Red Flag If An Attorney Asks For Credit Card Information And Is Really Pressuring?
Yes, that is usually the case but there can be situations where things have to be done. If the attorney feels like the person wants them to represent them, and they are running out of time, then sometimes they may call to try to help get things moving. For example, if someone refused the breath test in the state of Michigan, then they would have 14 days from the time of arrest to demand an appeal for the refusal of the breath test, otherwise their driver’s license would get suspended for one year.
So, if a client suddenly called after 10 days because they were still trying to decide what they wanted to do about that issue and the clock was about to run out, then the attorney may call a couple of times just to make sure he realized how serious it was and that he needs to do something. But on the other hand, if the attorney is just pressuring to get money from the client, then that would be the red flag that they might need the money.
Is Five Minutes A Sufficient Amount Of Time To Talk To An Attorney For A Free Consultation Or Should It Be Maybe 30 To 45 Minutes?
The attorney should be willing to give the client more time, but it is up to the client when they feel comfortable with him. It would be better if the lawyer sat down with the person and talked to them, but a lot of people are busy and if they feel comfortable they want to move forward just by dealing with the person over the phone and that is fairly common these days. The attorney should definitely be willing to sit down with somebody, meet with them and be interviewed for at least for a while because it is an important decision and that understanding between the attorney and the client about trying their best to win this case is important, so whatever is necessary to determine who is right is what should be done.
What Should A Person Ask Their Attorney And What Should An Attorney Be Upfront With Them About?
A person could ask the attorney what he knows about the court that the case is going to be in and what he knows about the prosecutor. The client should give the attorney a description of how they got arrested, what happened when they were arrested and see if he feels there are any viable issues to defend the case and if he is generally interested in trying to find something about the case that can give an advantage or if he is immediately assuming the person will be convicted and just plans to hold their hand in front of the judge. They client should ask the attorney questions and tell him about themselves and the case, and get a sense for whether or not they have a genuine interest in helping get the best possible outcome and whether they know what they are talking about.
What Should I Ask In Regards To DUI Cases To Help Decide Whether A Person, Despite Being A Family Friend, May Or May Not Be The Right Person For The Job?
This is a tricky situation because there have been many cases where people were initially referred to a family friend or their parent’s attorney and then got pressured from the family members or the parents to use that person even though that person really wasn’t that experienced with DUI law, or they can tell that that person probably isn’t going to fight too hard on their case and then they feel stuck.
The other situation is when someone goes to a family friend and although they mean well, they don’t really know this area of the law that well and their feelings are hurt if the person just walked away and went somewhere else. People need to make sure the person is an experienced and knowledgeable DUI lawyer, before they talk to the family friend otherwise a lot of those people would end up getting backed into a corner and forced to use somebody who they would not have chosen on their own.
Is It Important To Shop Around As A General Rule Of Thumb?
Yes. A person should do their homework, talk to a few attorneys, see who they feel a connection with and who has the right experience. They need to see who has the right connections and knowledge and make up their own mind. Sometimes people go a little too far overboard in that regard and read everything they can find and talk to every person they can talk to, but they end up confused because they hear different things from different people and they don’t really know what to do.
It is a balance, so people need to try to do their own research but not go crazy because there is a lot of misleading information out there and they have to be careful about what they are relying upon.
For more information regarding Qualifications to Look for in a DUI Attorney, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you’re seeking by calling (248) 451-2200 today.
