Even if you are not heavily drunk, driving under the influence of alcohol can bring charges against you and affect your life. Several states impose compulsory jail for some time and suspend the license of the lawyers for such offenses as drunk driving. One of the key things you need to do when charged with a similar case is hiring an experienced Cobb County DUI attorney whether you are forced to pay huge fees, lose your license, or there is a major hitch in your driving record. However, before hiring a legal professional, it is necessary to conduct adequate research, get recommendations, search their credentials, and ask the necessary questions before finalizing a deal.
Getting started with the process
The first call or step to hire an attorney is to prepare a list of the potential attorneys specializing in this field. One of the best ways to begin is with the yellow pages and try to find out those legal professionals with adequate expertise and experience of handling your case. Moreover, you must also pour over the training of the professional for handling drunk driving cases, but all this does not guarantee that you may get the best in this field, but it will help you to eliminate those options that are not in touch with the DUI law. Although you check the phone book or online advertisements, but it is better to go for referrals or recommendations you receive from the people you know who have achieved deliverance from DUI cases with the help of law professionals.
The following are five things you need to check before hiring a DUI attorney Marietta GA to help you resolve the case.
Local experience
Just because you hire an experienced lawyer who has handled various cases in the past does not guarantee success. While your case may be entirely different from the cases the legal professional has handled so far, all the cases require different treatments for a successful outcome. The nature of the crime may differ and the laws differ in different states, so two similar DUI cases may be handled differently. It is necessary that the attorney you hire not only has adequate experience of handling the cases that are similar to yours, but the courts as well where your case is going to be tried. Without hiring a suitable professional, you may miss a significant plea deal, or an offer that can benefit your situation.
Research plays a role
As soon as you gather all the attorneys specializing in DUI law, you might agree for the first consultation, but wither away from those who are unlicensed. However, make sure that the research is proper, so that you do not book appointments unnecessarily with the wrong people. Checking with the website of the bar can reveal a few things as a majority of the state bar associations are going to offer you with an online list of licensed attorneys and a history of their discipline and conduct. Quite naturally, a disciplined lawyer is more likely to represent their clients effectively.
Charges of the attorney
Whether it is a DUI defense lawyer you want to hire or an attorney, do not forget to ask about the charges. Even though the question seems awkward, it is better to come out in the open from the beginning to rule out problems later. Remember that hiring a lawyer is not going to be cheap anytime, so try to find out whether you have to pay the amount at once or enjoy the facility of paying in installments. Although a lawyer can provide you with an estimated amount in the beginning, get it in writing instead of relying on verbal ball parked figures.
Working directly with the attorney
You must try to find out whether there is an opportunity of working with the lawyer directly. Every client needs to access the services of the attorneys directly as they require good support and legal help from the experts. Often you will come across legal professionals that prefer to leave a major share of case handling to a paralegal and the customers have less access to the DUI lawyer. However, this situation can frustrate the clients who may not be familiar with the legal system. Be sure you can access your legal practitioner over the telephone.
Track record or Disciplinary action
There are a multitude of lawyers with plenty of experience in handling DUI cases, but they may not have been to the court ever. The defense track record of the professional is also important. Try to find out how many cases they have won or those that have ended in a plea deal. Those attorneys who face disciplinary action from the State Bar Association indicate their level of ethics and professionalism.
It is only after you compile all these points that you can go ahead with the hiring process and get on to the act of hiring a DUI attorney who can work in your case.