Questions to Ask Your DWI Lawyer

Everyone makes a driving violation at least once in their life, sometimes without making a mistake. When this happens, you would want to be prepared and that means having the right lawyer by your side. You might know someone that became one but doesn’t have enough experience so you will need to look another person in your area. The easiest way is to find one online but the problem is that you can’t trust everything that is written there.

It would be best if you know someone that can recommend an attorney but still doing your own research helps a lot. Knowing how to approach the case on your own will give you a big advantage because most people don’t know the law and what the outcome can be. The best tip is to prepare questions you will ask at your first meeting.

Experience and Background

Meeting a Syracuse DWI lawyer for the first time can be tricky if you don’t know anything about them. The main thing is to find out how experienced they are and if they worked on similar cases. Where they finished schooling isn’t that important if you know they are good at their job. It’s better to ask them how long they are practicing law and if they are associated with an organization.

Ask them specifically about their DWI or DUI clients and how many they represented in the past year. It will matter if they take other types of cases because they might take more effort and they can’t focus that much on yours. On the other hand, if they appear at the courthouse a lot it can be a benefit for you. It’s an advantage when they know attorneys working for the prosecutor. When they know them, it will be easier to negotiate.

Assessment of Your Situation

A free consultation can mean a lot when you are introducing the case to them. This way, you won’t need to spend money to see what your options are. Preparing yourself is essential because they will ask you a bunch of questions to get an idea of what actually happened and what can help you. You can openly ask them if they recommend going to the trial, guilty plea or a possibility for a plea agreement. Get information about the worst and best scenario that can happen so you can make a logical decision.

Legal Fees

How expensive the charges will depend on the state and what happened but a reputable attorney can help a lot here. Something you can expect includes possible jail time, fines, a DUI school, increased insurance premiums and loss of your driver’s license. The biggest expense can sometimes be the lawyer you hired. There are two billing methods they use: flat or hourly fee. The type of billing doesn’t matter, only the bill you get in the end will be important for you. Read more on this website.

It can happen that they don’t include every fee so you end up paying much more. This information will be valuable for you so check if everything is included in the rate or not. It would be best if they can provide an estimate. In the end, you can ask about payment options if you like what you hear. Some of them will allow you to pay later on.

Case Management

Case management is a term that is used to describe the process they will take to beat the case. The mistake is if you think they can manage it themselves because you are their eyes and ears when it comes to the crime scene. You need to understand what was the bad thing that happened and what you can use to your advantage but the lawyer need to understand exactly what happened. Read more about it here: https://www.wikihow.legal/Communicate-Clearly-with-Your-Attorney

The main thing to ask is if they are available to represent you. Most of them will have assistants so you should know if they will work on the case or people that work for them. This is important because you will want to meet them in person and decide if you will stick with them. Always check how and when you can be in contact. It can be very annoying when you can’t get a hang of people that are defending you.