If you have been arrested for driving under the influence (DUI), you may not be sure what you should do. This is a serious charge with serious consequences. You can lose your license, face mounds of fees and fines and this will stay on your record for at least 75 years. If you are in this situation your first course of action should be to look into how you should find DUI lawyers in your area.
How do i find a good attorney?
- Talk to the people in your life that you trust. Given the number of people who are arrested every day, the chances are good that you know someone who has had to hire a criminal defense attorney. If you talk to the people you know, you should ask them how they found their criminal defense lawyer and what they thought about working with them. Given the complexities of the law and the differences that exist from one case to another, you may not go with the same person but getting names from people you know will give you a starting point to find DUI lawyer to help with your case. If you have seen a lawyer for any kind of issue, you should ask them if they know of a good lawyer to handle your DUI case.
- Look for someone local. You should contact the local or state bar associations. They usually have lists of lawyers in the area and list them by speciality. You can get a good deal of information about how to find DUI lawyers in the area where you live. It is always a good idea to have someone who is not too far from you so you can not worry about traveling far to see them.
- Look up lawyers online. Do a Google search to find DUI lawyers in your area. Take a look at any reviews you can find about the different criminal defense law firms in the area. If you have a list of lawyers you are considering, you should look them up specifically. Be wary of any bad reviews that are posted anonymously. People are far more likely to leave a complaint rather than post a compliment, especially if it is put up anonymously.
- Take advantage of the free first consultation. Law firms give prospective clients a free consultation so they get to you you and you get to know them. You should take your time when you are at the office and are talking to the prospective lawyer. You should think of this like a job interview. You are going to be hiring someone and you need them to be the best person and law firm to fight for you. Here are some questions:
- What made you go into criminal defense law? When you are trying to find DUI lawyers, you need to hire one that is passionate about what they do. This is not the kind of position you can do well if you are just “phoning it in.” You need your criminal defense attorney to really go to the mat for you.
- What is their experience dealing with cases like yours? Like doctors, lawyers specialize. Even when you are looking at criminal law, there are a number of sub-specialties. You would not go to a shoulder specialist when you have a knee injury. You want a lawyer who has a lot of
- experience with DUI cases.
Ask how much time they spend working on DUI cases. Most criminal defense lawyers work on more than one kind of case. There may not be enough DUI work to devote an entire practice to it. Ask how much of their time is spent on this. - Who will be working on your case? Most law firms have legal assistants and paralegals. They will do a lot of work on your case. You need to know who will be available to answer your questions when you have them.
Being charged with a DUI is a very stressful and scary experience. If you spend time and do your research, the right DUI lawyer can help.
