Hiring an attorney

When you've been charged with a DUI, or driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, there are serious consequences if you are actually convicted. Depending on the circumstances of the charge, whether you were involved in an accident, if someone else was hurt or property was damaged, your consequences could include heavy fines, jail time, probation, mandatory enrollment in an alcohol aid program, and having your license suspended. If someone else was hurt or killed, you will be facing felony charges. A DUI conviction goes on your record and most of the time stays there for ten years or more. If you are convicted of a DUI most insurance companies won't cover you nor does your current insurance carrier have to pay for any damages caused while you were driving drunk, and the insurance carriers who will cover people convicted of a DUI are expensive. Every year the states enact stricter driving laws and more severe penalties for those who are convicted of a DUI. A DUI is a serious offense throughout the world and if you've been charged with one, you need to seek legal counsel immediately from a qualified criminal defense attorney. A DUI is a criminal offense, not civil, whether someone was hurt in the process or not.

A good DUI attorney can help you make the best case possible, and may in the process, get the charges dismissed. They can advise you of your rights and how to handle the charges placed before you. They will work from the earliest possible to get the charges dropped. If the charges aren't dropped, they will represent you when you are on trial and help you to refute the evidence against you. But how do you go about finding a good DUI attorney? There are several ways, and not all of them reliable, so let's discuss the following:

1.     Authorized Lawyer Referral Service
2.     Online Search
3.     Phone Book
4.     Word of Mouth
5.     A Mix of Approaches

Authorized Lawyer Referral Service

If you are able to afford to pay for an attorney yourself, the best way to find a qualified attorney that focuses on DUI law is through an authorized referral service. Even if you can't afford a lawyer, a referral service can direct you to legal aid or an organization that can assist you. An authorized referral service is a referral service approved by the area's bar association as a public service. Its purpose is to help the public find justice by referring them to lawyers in private practice, or referring them to legal aid organizations or agencies.

If you contact an authorized referral service for your area, they will ask you questions about your case and the circumstances surrounding your arrest. Then they will put you in contact with someone who specializes in the area of law that fits your case. They give referrals on a rotating basis so each lawyer has equal opportunity, so if you are referred to someone who isn't a good fit for you, you can call them again and find a different attorney.

All lawyers who are apart of the referral program agree to the referral service's terms, which typically include a maximum amount for the initial consultation, abiding by the ethics and codes laid out by the bar association, and certification to practice law in their area. The referral services have strict rules as to how the public is treated and who they will refer to.

There are hundreds of authorized referral services, all assisting the public in their local area. If you have trouble finding one in your area, contact the local bar association, which should be listed in your phone book.

Online Search

The next best thing to finding a lawyer through an authorized referral service is performing an online search for DUI attorneys in your area. Most attorneys or law firms that deal with DUI cases have websites that are searchable. When searching for a lawyer's website online, you are able to find information like personal profiles, the focus of the firm/lawyer, how much an initial consultation will cost, and get a general feel for who you want to represent your case before you make any calls.

Many lawyers also write about their cases, not revealing any confidential information of course, in personal blogs and articles so you can get an idea of their success and how they will go about representing you. You can often find links to articles from news sources about their cases from both sides of the judgment spectrum.

Just be aware when you are searching online that you can't trust every advertisement or referral or lawyer's site you find. When you find a lawyer you think will fit your needs, you can contact the local bar association to make sure they are still in good standing and qualified to practice law. Exercise discretion before filling out any personal information on sites that claim to be a referral service. Authorized referral services are local to the area and do not ask for personal information. They give you a phone number to call and tell them about your case so you can be matched with a lawyer that would represent you well, then they give you the lawyer's contact information without taking personal information from you.

Phone Book

A local phone book can be a powerful tool to find what you are looking for without the distractions of the ads you find online or someone fishing for personal information, although it may take a little more research to find if the lawyers listed there specialize in DUI cases or not and if they'd be a good fit for you.

There are hundreds of attorney listings in just about every phonebook's yellow pages. Typically one section of the phonebook is dedicated to attorney listings and set apart by edge color so you can find it quickly. The beginning listings are all the lawyers in the area listed alphabetically, so you can find an attorney by name quickly. Then the listings are separated into specialties such as Accident Law, Family Law, Business Law, etc. Attorneys that can help you with your DUI trial would be listed under Criminal Law, Driving Under the Influence Law, or Driving While Intoxicated Law.

Word of Mouth

Your family of friends may know a good attorney who represented them on similar charges in the past and could represent you. If the attorneys they know aren't DUI attorneys, the lawyers they know could probably refer you to one that is. Attorneys know of each other and who is the best at what they do. A recommendation from someone who doesn't specialize in the area of law you need to someone who does can almost guarantee you will be getting a good attorney, but not always.

You should still do a little research. Once you have a name given to you, look them up, find out about their successes and failed cases. Make sure they practice in your local area. You should still make sure the attorney you choose is a good fit for you and has the qualifications to make the best case possible for you.

A Mix of Approaches

The most important thing when you are charged with a DUI is for you to find an attorney who believes in your case and will fight for you no matter what. The best way to ensure you find that DUI attorney is to really do the research and find who you want to represent you by using a variety of approaches. For example, call a referral service, but once you are given the contact information for a lawyer, look them up online, find out about their history and qualifications, read what they've written and see if they would be a good fit for you. Talk to other lawyers, family, and friends to see if they know anything about the DUI attorney you are considering. It never hurts to be careful and to take your time to choose who will represent you. If they represent you well, you may be excused from some heavy consequences, and if they don't, you could spend a lot of time in the appeals courts and depending on the severity of your crime, spend time in jail.

If you are unable to afford to pay for a lawyer, don't forget that there is more than one attorney in an area that will work pro bono or legal aid organizations that have good lawyers working for them. You don't have to choose the first one to come along or accept one that the court appoints for you. The attorney you choose to represent you does not have to be expensive to be good. The most important defense is your own.

Precautions when hiring a DUI attorney

If you have been charged with a DUI and have chosen to hire a DUI attorney, it is important that you choose one that you is going to help you deal with the court proceedings, and fight the charge. The following are some precautions to take when hiring a DUI attorney:

First, you want to make sure that hire someone who specializes in DUI law. A good way to do that is start by making a list of possible candidates from which to select an attorney, and use the phone book, television ads, and information from the state's Bar Association to only list names of DUI attorneys who specialize in DUI law.

Second, check references. If you are going to hire a DUI attorney, ask around. Chances are someone you know, or someone that someone you know has hired a DUI attorney before and can give you some recommendation, or at the least steer your clear of a poor attorney.

Third, ask attorneys in related fields who they recommend you hire. Usually since it is not a competitor they will give you a straight answer, and they tend to know who is good, and who is not better than others.

Fourth, interview or consult with several DUI attorneys before you hire anyone. When consulting with them, you should ask about how many DUI cases he or she has handled, the cost of the DUI attorney fees and other fees, and if he or she is board certified in DUI law. These are all going to play a role in how successful your DUI case is. It is good also to feel comfortable with the person as you will be working with them, and to make sure they are someone who can get the job done.

Fifth, avoid anyone who offers outrageously low prices or make promises about the outcome of your case. No one can predict how your DUI case will turn out, and promising you that they will win is not responsible of them and should be a sign you should look for someone else.