You may believe that a DUI case is straightforward and that it is a waste of time and money to hire an attorney. We can assure you it is never a waste. DUI law is complex and is not necessarily straightforward like you expect. If you have little or no legal training, you may make some mistakes in your case, we can help you! We have experience with various DUI cases and can provide you with defense strategies as well as bargaining skills to help you minimize your sentence and/or charges. We can help you avoid common mistakes like the idea that you have no chance and shouldn’t bother with legal assistance. In the event you need legal assistance, do not hesitate to contact a reckless driving lawyer Fairfax, VA trusts or locals to ensure that you are taking proper steps.
You have the option to hire a private lawyer or to take a court appointed public defender. Either way you will fare better than if you decide to reject legal assistance. However, there are positives and negatives to hiring either a private or public defender.
The Difference Between Hiring a Private Lawyer and a Public Defender
Defendants who are not able to afford a lawyer will be offered a court-appointed attorney from a public defender’s office. If there is no public defender available to represent you, the court will appoint a private attorney (called a panel attorney) that is compensated for by the court to represent you.
A common complaint among defendants who are assigned a public defender is that they feel neglected by their lawyer. That is usually because they have a large workload and don’t have too much time for individual cases. tHis may impact the case negatively, especially if the lawyer isn’t paying close attention to your case.
DUI cases typically occur in two parts: first is a criminal court case and then proceedings for license-suspension on the administrative level of the DMV. You may have an issue if you have a busy public defender representing you because they only handle criminal court cases. Our experienced team will not only give you the time and attention your criminal case deserves, but we will also represent you in DMV proceedings to assure your case has the best possible chance of yielding a better outcome.
Benefits of Hiring a Private Attorney
Choosing the best lawyer for you is not an exact science, but there are some benefits one of our private DUI lawyer can help with that a public defender may not be able to provide:
1. We have attorneys that specialize in DUI law. This means that they have a particular knowledge about this area of the law and can help you navigate this area of the law better than a public defender.
2. Experience is not necessarily an indication of how good a lawyer is, but one aspect of public defenders is that many of them have just exited law school and don’t have much experience in the field yet. One of our experienced team members will be able to outline the amount of DUI cases they have handled and what their success rate is.
3. A private defender will typically have more experience in negotiating pleas deals and creating defense strategies that will help you reduce charges or your sentence.
4. You may not have a chance for a lot on one-on-one meetings with a public defender, with our law group, we will give your case the consideration it deserves and treat you like an important person. Not to mention, we offer free consultations so you can meet us and determine if we are right for you.
Thank you to Dave Albo Attorney for providing their insight on choosing between a public and private offender.