DUI News

If you haven’t read Choosing a Lawyer Part 1 or Choosing a Lawyer Part 2 in this series please do so now so that you are up to speed on what we are discussing. In this part of the series on choosing a DUI lawyer we are going to talk about the type of lawyer you need to avoid at all costs and how to avoid some common mistakes people tend to make when they’ve been arrested on a drunk driving charge.

All right so what kind of lawyer should you avoid at all costs when it comes to hiring a lawyer to represent you in your DUI case. These lawyers are referred to as “dump truck lawyers” in the industry. What is a dump truck lawyer?

A dump truck lawyer is basically a lawyer who will take on pretty much any case, whether they know about that area of law or not and will end up pleading guilty on the charges against a person, instead of actually fighting the charges. These lawyers are just in it for the money and don’t give a damn about your future and whether you win or lose.

It’s really sad to think that there are lawyers out there like this, and there are a lot of them. I personally could not live with myself knowing that I was taking thousands of dollars from someone and I was just going to plead them guilty, even if I knowingly knew that I could possible get the charges against the person reduced or dismissed. Law firms and lawyers like this are just down right unethical and have no soul.

Here is how you can spot a dump truck lawyer:

Any lawyer that suddenly starts talking about plea-bargaining or recommending that you plead guilty to the charges without even discussing the options you have and doesn’t really talk to you about your chances of beating the charges against you or a possible reduction in the charges is more than likely a dump truck lawyer. Unless of course you have several prior convictions or you had a high BAC reading.

Any lawyer you meet with who promises to take care of the situation quickly and tells you that this will only be a minor incovenience on your part, is probably a dump truck lawyer.

Any lawyer who tells you that you won’t have to appear in court or that you won’t have to take any time of work, is probably a dump truck lawyer.

Any lawyer who advertises a low retainer fee and then has a very high trial fee, is probably a dump truck lawyer. Make sure you ask up front how much the daily trial fees are. You should expect to pay between $1,000 and $2,500 per day depending on the difficulty of your case. Fees higher than that are typically meant to try and discourage you from trying to fight the charges by going to court.

Any lawyer you meet with who is a fast talker and you get the feeling that you are talking to a car salesman who is more concerned about closing the deal and taking your money, is probably a dump truck lawyer. If you run into one of these lawyers while you are interviewing potential lawyers, end the conversation immediately and run out of the office as fast you can.

There are not just individual lawyers who are like this, there are entire law firms that dedicate their entire practice to being dump truck lawyers. These law firms have entire teams of associate lawyers who get paid just to get you signed up with their law firm and then will turn around and plead you guity just to get your money and get you out the door and on to the next sucker.

All right, that is enough about dump truck lawyers and why you need to avoid them. Know I’m going to go over some common mistakes people make when facing a DUI charge and how to avoid these mistakes.

How to Avoid Common Mistakes

Don’t wait to hire a DUI lawyer

Time is of the essense when you are facing a DUI charge, don’t procrastinate! You can be assured that the police are not procrastinating, they have already done there investigation into your case and some of the evidence the police have against you is time sensitive, meaning they are not going to keep it forever.

Do not attempt to handle your own defense

It takes years of law school and years of trying cases in the courtroom to be successful when it comes to DUI defense. I am guessing that you have neither of those qualifications? You wouldn’t perform open heart surgery on yourself would you? Then why would you even think for a minute that you could represent yourself in court against a DUI charge?

Don’t hire a DUI lawyer based solely on their fees

Hiring a DUI lawyer is without a doubt going to be the most expensive part of the DUI process for you. Most people make the mistake of cutting corners here to try and save some money, this can be a mistake. What you need to do is find the best DUI lawyer you can for your situation and one that you can afford. Just remember that if one lawyer’s prices are half what another lawyer had quoted you, it’s probably not that the first lawyer’s pricing was way high, it probably that the second lawyer does not have the experience that the first lawyer had when it comes to DUI cases. Your chances of having a favorable outcome in your case will improve dramatically if you hire the best lawyer you can.

Don’t give up before you start

Always remember this, if you give up before you even start, you have lost. Keep your head held high and take it one day at a time. Keep a positive attitude and you will get through this situation.