10 Tips For Hiring the Best DUI Lawyer in 2021Be Honest With Yourself About Your Circumstances.Do Not Try To Represent Yourself.Think Twice About Public Defenders.Start Forming Your List Of Potential Candidates.Take Advantage Of Free Consultations.Always Tell The Truth.More items...•Apr 13, 2021
In short, your DWI lawyer costs are highly dependent on your particular lawyer and the facts of your case. However, you can expect to easily pay between $1,000 and $5,000 for a simple case that doesn't go to trial, and up to $10,000 for a case that does go in front of a judge.
It's free. Texas DWI charges especially for a first-time offense, can be dismissed entirely or lowered to a less serious charge such as reckless driving.
Under Texas law, you must maintain special proof of auto liability insurance for at least two years following a driving while intoxicated (DWI) conviction and pay additional fees to the Texas Department of Public Safety for three years.
Choosing the right lawyer in the beginning may be the single most important factor in determining the outcome in the end. In fact, choosing the right DUI lawyer will likely be the most important single decision you make in the entire case.
Michael’s skill and experience have been recognized repeatedly. He holds an A-V 5/5 preeminent rating by Martindale Hubbell. He has been named one of the top lawyers in Arizona by Southwest Superlawyers, and one of the best lawyers in Tucson by Tucson Lifestyle Magazine. He also has been named one of the best lawyers in the United States by BestofUS.com , and given the highest rating possible by AVVO, 10/10 Superb. Amazon Books
Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) is the long name of a short test. Given by police to people during many if not most DUI investigations, it’s an eye test. You may have had one given to you. It is actually a version of a routine test used by doctors and nurses in neurological exams. Every doctor and nurse knows how to give one. Your lawyer should know well the way the police are trained to give these tests, and the inherent fallibility of such testing, and explain it simply to a jury. If he or she can’t explain HGN to you, over the phone, in a way that makes sense to you, he probably will have a hard time explaining it, and other things , to a jury or judge.
Marketing is a reality of DUI law practice these days. Almost all DUI lawyers, therefore, even the best ones, engage in some marketing. But lawyers who conspicuously rely on cheesy TV commercials, radio spots, big bus wraps, boisterous billboards, or other gimmicks, might be doing so because they are having trouble finding clients. In fact, in certain cases you may actually want to think of those as advertisements for precisely not the lawyers you want.
There are many good DUI lawyers who never served as prosecutors. But almost everyone agrees that maybe the single best training for a successful DUI lawyer is a stint early in his career as a DUI prosecutor. That’s because DUI prosecutors, even those doing it for only a couple of years, handle hundreds or even thousands of cases. There is no substitute for that kind of experience and training. You can’t buy it. Or get it at a seminar. In fact, it takes many lawyers decades to try as many cases as DUI prosecutors try in two years. And let’s not forget that former DUI prosecutors have been on both sides, know the system, and tend to get along well the prosecutors and judges. That can’t hurt either. For that reason former DUI prosecutors are often highly prized and somewhat rare.
Many DUI lawyers claim lots of “wins.” But many may claim a “win” on what is actually a split verdict, where the person is found not guilty of some but not guilty of others. This might mean that what they claim as a win is actually a loss. Therefore, it’s probably important inquire as to the attorney’s recent complete dismissals and acquittals, and the specific circumstances under which they were obtained.
You don’t have to be at the top of your law school class to be a great DUI lawyer. But it sure can’t hurt. Lawyers who graduated with highest honors, for example, from good law schools are, usually, at the least, smart and hardworking. For one, it takes an incredible amount of hard work to graduate at the top of the class from almost any law school. For that reason alone it may be likely that such a lawyer at the least has a proven work ethic: If so, it might be more likely that he works hard at his practice and will work hard on your case. Chances are he is also smart. By the way, it also means that he can probably write well, which can be surprisingly crucial to success as a DUI lawyer (See below). On the other hand, lawyers who don’t list what law school they went to, or maybe list a law school you never heard of, or how they did, might merit a degree of due diligence, or at least a polite inquiry.
When most people think of DUI charges, they think of being pulled over on a lonely road, blowing into a breathalyzer, and being arrested. While that's certainly can occur, the truth is that a DUI charge can happen many different ways and the details of your case may dictate your potential penalties-- and defense options.
If you are convicted of DUI there are certain minimum mandatory sanctions that are required by law. We will fight to have your DUI dismissed through a technical or procedural error made by law enforcement, or by obtaining a "not guilty" verdict from a jury.
You only have 10 days from the date of your arrest to take action regarding your driver's license before an automatic suspension goes into effect. If this is your first DUI arrest, you have the option to waive your right to an appeal, which will result in you obtaining a hardship license good for driving for work, religious, school, or medical purposes, or "for any reason necessary to maintain your livelihood."