Once the person has gotten out of jail, had a little rest, and gotten the car out of impound, they will want to focus on finding the right attorney to help them through the process. There are a lot of different things to consider when looking for an attorney. They should find a local attorney who focuses their practice on DUI cases and they should talk to a couple of people to find who would be the best fit as far as location, experience and of course price.
Should Someone Consider an Attorney If It Was Not Their First DUI?
The first DUI usually gives the best chance of settling for a positive result and getting the best possible result through settlement. However, there would be severely increased penalties, mandatory jail time, classes that could go on for well over a year, as well as license suspension issues when dealing with someone with a second or third DUI.
The cases become more difficult to defend and the consequences would be greater when everything gets aggravated and stepped up to a second or third DUI, so there are a lot more cases going to trial in order to attempt to avoid the potential pitfalls and costs associated with the second or third conviction.
Should Someone Take out a Loan Or Borrow Money to Hire an Attorney?
Attorneys will often work on payment plans depending on the attorney and depending on the type of case and location. Many attorneys take a down payment and then work out a payment plan lasting a few months whereas other attorneys may not do that. Many attorneys also just do a flat fee which is just a lump sum cash payment upfront but then, they also take credit cards.
There are also attorney financing services, which are companies who, depending on the person’s credit, would extend a loan of credit for their attorney’s fees, so the attorney would be paid and the client would then be making payments arranged through this third-party independent company. There are finance options, credit card options and community labor and community service options, so different payment plans are available depending on the particulars of the individual’s case.
Should Someone Maintain Regular Contact with Their Attorney?
For a DUI case in Los Angeles County, it would not be unusual for it to take anywhere from 3 to 6 months as the case went on, although many times cases can go on longer than that, even for a year or more. During this process it would be important for the person to stay in touch with their attorney, because in most cases the attorney could appear in court on behalf of the person to represent their interests as long as they stayed in contact.
As long as they are in contact, the attorney is able to represent them. However, if the person disappears and is unreachable, then their attorney would not be able to continue representing them, because they would not be able to do as good a job without regular contact.
At the beginning of the case, the client would have the most information about what happened and what was going on, so that information would need to steadily be given to the attorney so they could properly analyze the case, interpret the evidence received from the district attorney and work towards the best possible result. They would need to stay in touch with the attorney by telephone or email at least once a month, and depending on how active the case was or where it was in the legal process, it might be a couple of times a week. Definitely stay in touch with your attorney.
Can Someone Represent Themselves If They Do Not Qualify for a Court Appointed Attorney?
I would not recommend anybody to ever represent themselves in court, because there is just too much going on. I would especially not recommend somebody to represent themselves if they were trying to be a criminal defense attorney.
Someone who made too much money for a public defender but not enough money for a private attorney would be in a real difficult situation and they would have to make some very hard choices. The person would not want to be in court representing themselves, so they should ask for the services of the public defender if they could not afford a private attorney.
If they did not qualify for a public defender, then they would have to spend money to find a private attorney. If they can’t afford an experienced private attorney because of costs, then they should look for one with a little less experience who may not be charging as much money.
Another option would be an associate who is mentored by an experienced attorney. This would be a good way to find an attorney who took the matter seriously and who may not charge as much as the experienced attorney, although the person would have to keep in mind that they may not be getting the same result with a less expensive and less experienced attorney.
For more information on Hiring an Attorney, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you’re seeking by calling (310) 424-3145 today.
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