What Questions Should I Ask My DUI Attorney

If you've recently received charges of a DUI and you are being smart about it, chances are you're thinking about finding a good DUI attorney to represent you. But something many people forget to ask themselves is, What should I ask my DUI attorney?

Don't blame yourself if you haven't thought about this. Most law firms don't exactly encourage it! But a good DUI lawyer will be happy to answer whatever questions you have.

Keeping that in mind, here are a few questions you to ask your dui attorney:

Will I Be Represented by the Attorney/One of the Attorneys the Firm is Name After?

This may seem like an odd question at first. But if you take a minute to think about it, you'll understand that this is a good way to find out if you'll be represented by an experienced lawyer, or one of his or her junior (unnamed) partners.

Lawyers with their own practice have more vested interests in winning your case, because of how it reflects on them and their practice. And they also tend to simply be better at what they do because they have more experience practicing law--and more experience with the judges in your area.

How Long Have You Been Defending Clients from a Prosecutor's Charges?

Ideally, you want your DUI attorney to have 15 or more years of experience defending clients from charges. 15 years of "just practice" by itself just doesn't offer you enough assurance. You should make sure your chosen attorney has been in the practice of defending clients for quite some time, if you want an effective defense.

How Often Do You Work as a Public Defender or Accept Cases Appointed by the Court?

There are some good attorneys who take on this kind of pro bono work because of their strong religious, political, or philosophical beliefs. But generally speaking, you don't want an attorney that takes many of this type of case.

If often means that the lawyer is either not experienced or not good enough to have a full roster of paying clients. On top of that, he or she may need to keep certain people in the legal system happy a certain percentage of the time in order to keep getting clients--not something that will work to your advantage!

Finally, keep in mind that a confident and competent DUI attorney will be happy to answer all of these questions--and more. One who seems unsure, timid, angry, or offended is not one you should have defend you in court. And that is the most important thing to remember when you wonder, "What should I ask my DUI attorney?"