Is an attorney worth it in a DUI case?

Will I pay an attorney and end up losing or paying more anyway?

Is an Orange County DUI lawyer worth it in your DUI case?  In almost all situations in life, you will have better results when you have a professional handle your matter for you, so the answer is yes.  This page explains why.

Reasons why are as follows:

1. A professional knows, from experience alone, what works and what doesn’t towards getting the result you want.  If you were, theoretically, unfortunate to have 100 DUI cases, for example, (please don’t), you would start to see a pattern in how your cases were handled, just from being exposed to that situation again and again.  You might notice that one judge grants dismissal of DUI motions for certain reasons, while another grants dismissal of DUI charges for entirely different reasons.  Is an attorney worth it in a DUI case? You might notice that certain types of evidence being presented are taken more seriously than others.  If you have a top rated DUI attorney in Orange County, in addition to seeing being in front of the same people in the same court over and over again, will have specific education and training in DUI breath and blood testing, the law and science of DUI cases, and in handling only one type of case – DUIs.  That will end up with better results, even for attorneys that don’t catch on quickly.
2. Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should.  This is true whether it’s fixing your own brakes, doing your own tax audit against the IRS, or doing your own surgery.  It may be technically possible for you to “DIY” much in life, but even then, you will generally take more time, spend more money, and end up with a result not as good as if you have a DUI lawyer handle your case. You shouldn’t believe that a conviction will always happen because there are many options you can win.
3. You may actually pay even less if you have an attorney.  In certain courts, and with certain judges, the court can allow a suspension of fees for those experiencing financial hardships. Given the cost of a DUI case,  which can be over 15,000 dollars, saving fees can help you.  In addition, if your attorney gets your case reduced to a lower charge like a DUI reduced to an infraction, or a reckless driving with alcohol (wet reckless), that could save you several thousand dollars in fees, fines, insurance, and alcohol school.  Statistically, most people that have a DUI attorney end up better off than those that do not.
4. Having an attorney means having an advocate to argue for your position.  When the stakes are high, getting an attorney is even more helpful – in fact, the higher the punishment, the more you should hire an attorney to help you.   Another way to say this is that you should weigh the cost of an attorney vs. what it would get you – and in the great majority of cases, an Orange County DUI attorney can get you much better results than you can get on your own. Drunk driving cases are complicated, but they can be dismissed. But when you have a second time DUI, or a third time DUI, you are looking at mandatory jail time for DUI, huge fines, and a lengthy alcohol school, you have a lot at stake.  You would be better off having a professional handle for you.
5. You may not know all the ways to win your case. Because DUI cases are criminal defense matters, you need an attorney familiar with criminal law, and your rights under the Constitution, including unreasonable searches and seizures. First, an attorney must review whether the police had a right to stop you under the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution, and under California Law. Next, the police must prove that they had valid probable cause to believe that you were operating under the influence of alcohol, or drugs (a drug DUI, or DUID). Finally, they have to prove that the breathalyzer used if you had a breath test was in proper working order, maintained and calibrated according to law, that the test was given by a properly trained officer, that you took two tests within 15 minutes of each other, that those tests were within .02% of each other, and were taken within 3 hours of your driving. As you can see, this is complicated – which leaves many defenses based upon specific facts, or specific DUI legal defenses.  Is an attorney worth it in a DUI case? An attorney can help empower you and help you make decisions using all the defenses available in your case, including some that you may not even be aware of.
6. You may not have time to spend fighting your case.  Aside from waiting in court, which can be a day-long event for each court appearance, and dealing with the DMV, an Orange County DUI defense attorney with experience handling DUIs will leave no fact unexamined and will do a full factual and legal review of each of your defenses in your case. You may not have the time or the inclination to do justice to your legal matter. But an attorney dedicated to your case will.
7. You only get one chance to make a decision.  Once your case is finished, it is finished.  If you plead guilty, you cannot see what your result would have been if you had among Orange County’s best DUI lawyer.  Contrast that to just pleading guilty to DUI, which can happen very quickly. If you do that, the effects on your life from having a criminal conviction, having your license suspended, and suffering the DUI alcohol classes, insurance increases, and other costs, will continue for years. Is an attorney worth it in a DUI case? You may always wonder what would have happened had you hired a top rated Orange County DUI attorney to protect you.

Is an attorney worth it in a DUI case? Find out if you can benefit from working with a DUI Lawyer.

Contact us today.  Is an attorney worth it in a DUI case? We can help you decide.  We look forward to helping you analyze the facts of your particular situation to see if you should get a DUI given your particular facts.