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Guide to Finding Drunk Driving Lawyer

Guide to Finding Drunk Driving Lawyer

Exceeding the legal limit of blood alcohol concentration in any jurisdiction is considered driving under the influence regardless of proof of impairment.  Infractions of drunk driving laws can lead to mandatory fines, license suspensions and even jail time.  A drunk driving lawyer can explain your rights, possible penalties for the infraction and even help you challenge the charges in court.  
What should I do before meeting an attorney?
When meeting with a drunk driving lawyer in bring all information that can help or potentially hurt your case, including the ticket, results of breathalyzer tests and your account of the police stop and subsequent actions.  Some drunk driving lawyers will provide forms and worksheets that document type, location and time of alcohol consumed to prepare a possible defense.  You must not enter a plea before seeking an attorney as a drunk driving lawyer will not be able to affect your sentencing beyond this point.
How can a drunk driving lawyer help my case?
In the event that you are irrefutably driving under in the influence, a drunk driving lawyer can help reduce the penalties and possible suspension of your license.  When taking your case to court, a drunk driving lawyer is a necessity and you should consult with a lawyer immediately after the incident occurs.
While this is by no means the norm, some individuals can have charges against them dropped if they can prove they had another unrelated impairment, such as an injury, that prevented from passing field sobriety tests.  Generally speaking, a breathalyzer test that proves elevated levels of alcohol will be all that is needs to enforce criminal and civil penalties on the driver.  Marginal test results may be enough to have the charges downgraded.
In the event of a serious violation of DUI laws, a drunk driving lawyer is a necessity to serve as the client’s advocate, working to strike deals and prevent the maximum penalty from being enforced.  This may mean the drunken driving lawyer recommending a guilty plea and securing a lesser sentence to attributing the client’s failure on a field sobriety tests to a preexisting health condition, such as a leg injury, which would throw the prosecution’s case into disarray.
The drunk driving lawyer may not be able to free you from all the penalties involved in your drunken driving case, but the lawyer can work to reduce or defer some of the penalties, such as jail time into alternative punishments, such as probation or alcohol education classes.
What is the usual penalty for drunk driving?
A first DUI offense can carry penalties as severe as 30 months in jail, a fines ranging from $500 – $5,000 dollars and a one year license suspension.  Some states may require additional fines paid to be paid into a DUI victim’s trust fund.  These penalties escalate with each offense, with minimum jail time, and breathalyzer ignition locks on the violator’s car.  A good drunken driving lawyer is necessary in this case to lessen the more severe punishments and present a reasonable case for your innocence, or at least to lessen liability.  
Where to look for an attorney
The State Bar directory should be your primary source for seeking a drunken driving lawyer.  This will give you the best range of choices and you are almost guaranteed that members of the State Bar adhere to ethics codes and are up-to-date on legal matters concerning their specialty.  Following that, you should consult other lawyers.  You may seek referrals and indeed many lawyers only work through referrals from other legal professionals.  Incessant advertising and soliciting are generally poor indicators of law firm success.  Whenever a lawyer offers a free consultation, it is in your best interest to accept the opportunity and discuss potential fees and defenses against the charges.
You may use this website to find an attorney.  To do so, use the search box on top of all pages.  You may also compare attorneys and ask free questions by clicking Find Attorneys on top of the page.
Evaluating your lawyer
As is the case with every type of lawyer, be wary of drunk driving lawyers that readily agree with you and make excessive promises that seem too good to be true.  In most cases, the best the drunk driving lawyer can do is reducing the nature of the violation to reckless driving and other moving violations that carry a less harsh penalty.  Some states have “wet reckless” distinctions in laws to distinguish reckless driving cases where alcohol was a factor.  Wet reckless violations are not as severe as DUI/DWI penalties.  The more marginal the test score, the better the chance of getting a reduction in penalty, but this is at the discretion of the court.
Relevant fees and arrangements
Expect the fees for cases such as these to be rather high and front loaded, as not many lawyers will be willing to contest drunk driving arrests.  Drunk driving lawyers may charge flat fees, combined with hourly fees for the use of the lawyer’s time and ancillary fees for the use of the lawyer’s staff, such as paralegals.  
Be aware that drunk driving lawyers will not work on contingency, as there is no reward to be won in cases such as this.  Be aware of other costs associated with these cases, such as legal document preparation fees.
A retainer is the most likely arrangement for this type of case.  Retainer is fee that remains in a trust account that the lawyer bills every time he or she performs a service related to your case.  A drunken driving lawyer may ask you to set aside a retainer fee.  Leftover retainer can be returned to the client, but there is also a chance that the attorney will exhaust the retainer and require the client to refill the account.  The retainer does not include court costs, which are also paid by the client.  However, these fees, such as the fees for filing the case, are fixed.
Interviewing your attorney
The following questions are important when interviewing your attorney:
What fees do I pay for retaining services?  
Can I have that in writing?
Can I avoid the suspension of my driver’s license, under state law?
Is there any way these charges can be disputed?
Can I contact you directly if there is a problem?
Can you allow me to examine your credentials?
What is your experience with my circumstances?
If you cannot handle my case, can you refer me to a lawyer that can?