Allow me to answer your
question with a few questions of my own (I am a lawyer after all):
What’s more important to
you: Saving a few bucks on a cheap(er) attorney? Or keeping your driver’s
license? Keeping your job? Protecting your future? Keeping
your freedom?
An attorney’s fee is
obviously a very important consideration when deciding who should represent you
in your DWI case (or any criminal case for that matter). But that’s all
it should be, a consideration. To hire an attorney based on fee alone may
be the biggest mistake you could ever make in your life. And if you
make the wrong choice, it could very well cost you some of the most important
things in your life. It’s your life. You should want to fight
for it and do what needs to be done to have the best opportunity to protect it.
That doesn't mean
you should run out and hire the most expensive attorney you can find
thinking that by handing over your life savings your case will
automatically be dismissed! But it does mean you shouldn't balk at
the attorney who has a slightly higher fee than others. Instead, ask
yourself why they charge more. Check that. Ask the attorney why
he or she charges more! If they can’t give you a legitimate explanation,
well, then grab your coat and hat and get the hell out of there.
But any acceptable
explanation should educate you as the potential client as to that particular
attorney’s experience as a DWI defense attorney. Note that I said
experience specifically as a DWI defense attorney, not just
experience as an everyday “defense attorney”. Remember Venn Diagrams from
school? Think of it like that:
All DWI defense
attorneys are criminal defense attorneys; but not all criminal defense
attorneys are DWI defense attorneys.
An attorney who has more
experience defending DWI clients should charge a little more
than another attorney who doesn’t have so much experience, don’t you
think? All of those years of experience are valuable; they’re worth
something, not just to the attorney, but to you as the client!
- Experienced DWI defense attorneys know what to look
for; they know where the potential problems are and where potential points
may be scored against the prosecution.
- They know the Assistant District Attorneys who
prosecute DWI offenses; which ones negotiate and how best to do it.
- They know the individual judges and their personal
policies and pitfalls with respect to DWI cases.
- They know the arresting officers, not just from seeing
their names on the paperwork, but from interacting with them at hearings
and trials; they know how the officers will react on the stand.
- They know how chemical test machines work, what the
potential problems with the machines are, and what all those pages with
all the little numbers all over the place mean (and what the little
numbers themselves mean!).
- They know how each consequence of each conviction or
disposition will affect every client.
- They understand and can explain to you what actions the
DMV will take in certain circumstances and how that might affect your
overall case.
- They know how to handle a refusal and what happens at a
refusal hearing, and how the result of that hearing will affect your
criminal cases.
- And countless other nuances to DWI defense that the
unfamiliar attorney who merely dabbles in DWI defense will never
understand.
All of that experience
and knowledge significantly increases your chance of getting a decent resolution
(although, as with all things in life and Vegas, there is never a
guarantee).
So,
really, wouldn't you want the person who knows more than the other
guy about something that can quite possibly affect the rest of your
life? And those few extra dollars you spend now on the attorney worth his
or her salt in DWI defense could actually end up saving you hundreds and
possibly thousands of dollars at the conclusion of your case.
The DWI defense
attorneys at Catalano & Carpenter LLP strive to provide exemplary service
to all of our clients, DWI and otherwise. Sure, sometimes we’re a little
more expensive than some other attorneys in the area (and sometimes we’re not),
but no matter what the fee or the case, our clients can rest assured they are
receiving the highest service we can possibly provide.
If you or someone you
care about has been charged with DWI, call the experienced DWI defense
attorneys at Catalano & Carpenter LLP at (845)
454-1919 today or visit us at www.CatalanoCarpenter.com to
schedule a free no obligation consultation.
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