Absolutely. A lot of people think they can just handle this themselves and it is not a big deal because it was a first time DUI, so they think they will be let go because they are a good person and had never been in trouble before, which is just not the case.
Most people who go through the system are there on their first DUI, so the court and prosecutor would not necessarily take that into consideration and just dismiss the case because that is not how the system works. Many people who I have spoken to when they were on their second, third or fourth DUI have said that they just decided to walk in and plead guilty, when they actually had a good case.
There is no harm in doing consultations with attorneys, because most attorneys offer free consultations. A person should always have legal assistance, whether it is through a private attorney or a public defender. They should not just give up and decide to take responsibility for something they may not be guilty of.
I have also talked to people after they had pled guilty to crimes they were not guilty of, simply because they did not want to deal with it and were thinking no one would really come down hard on them because they were a first time offender. A person should avail any opportunity to not have a DUI on their record and their best chance of having that happen would be to seek out the advice of people who are in these courts every day.
Should Someone Call Several Attorneys To Get A Consultation And An Estimate?
One of the first things someone should do after being arrested for a DUI is to do their research on available DUI attorneys. It would be important to note that not every attorney practices every area of the law, so a criminal attorney would not the same as a DUI attorney. It would be really important for someone who was charged with a DUI to have someone who knows what they are doing.
It would be a good idea to sit down in front of the computer and do research. There are certain websites that allow you to research different attorneys and to gather a lot of information before you have even made that first phone call. Avvo.com is an excellent resource, because it also allows the person to see what fields of the law different attorneys practice.
It would also be a good idea to talk to attorneys on the phone. Every attorney should be willing to at least do a free in-person consultation. A lot of attorneys are simply money based, so if they start talking about money right away, without the client asking, then that attorney might not necessarily be someone who would be concerned with the client’s well-being or concerned about the case. They are only concerned about getting paid. If anything went wrong, they would most likely drop the client while attempting to keep all the money they had already been paid.
The person might not necessarily be required to meet with several different attorneys, but it would be important to do research and find the right one. You should set up a consultation in-person, discuss payments and how much an attorney would cost.
Cheap attorneys are not necessarily bad and expensive attorneys are not necessarily good. The person would need the right attorney, so if they could afford the right attorney, they should go with it. It is important to talk to an attorney as soon as possible after being arrested because there would be certain rights the person would have to give up as time passed.
Should Someone Seriously Consider An Attorney If It Was Not Their First DUI?
A person would absolutely need to talk to an attorney. It would be a felony charge by the time most people got their second DUI. It might be possible to lock the case in as a misdemeanor to prevent felony charges.
In Arizona, things get progressively worse as people get more and more DUIs under their belts: more jail time, a lot more fines and fees, the potential for prison, the potential for felony charges and the potential for years of license revocation. While it is important for a first time offender to talk to an attorney, it would be extremely important for anyone who has any priors to talk to an attorney after being arrested.
An attorney can potentially save the person from months in jail or years in prison or thousands of dollars in fines and fees, so anyone with a prior DUI would really need to take advantage of attorneys who are willing to do free consultations and again, they would need to find the right attorney to represent them when they are facing the potential for much harsher penalties because this would not be their first time dealing with the court system and dealing with the DUI charge.
For more information on the Seriousness of a First DUI Offense, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you’re seeking by calling 480-900-0384 today.