Drunk driving is considered as a criminal offense in every state, and you might have to face a DUI case filed against you in a criminal court. You can either represent yourself in the criminal court or hire a DUI lawyer to defend the case on your behalf.
If you’re split between different options for legal representation in a DUI case, you can take a look at the points mentioned below to get a clear idea.
Does Lawyer’s Opinion Matter To You?
A DUI case isn’t a small thing, and you can find yourself behind the bars if you don’t defend the case properly. That is why defending the case with little to no know how of the legalities is never a good idea. Since the DUI law is complicated a d is different in every state, you must consult a lawyer beforehand to access the seriousness of the case.
Most of the lawyer offer free consultation, and you must take benefit of this offer to get valuable information from the lawyer. Before going to the consultation, make sure that you bring all the legal documents that you have to the lawyers office, additionally, you can write down a y questions that you might have for the lawyer.
After meeting the lawyer in person, you can access the quality of his service, and whether he’d be able to defend the case for you or not.
Cases That Don’t Require A DUI Lawyer
Some cases don’t require you hire a DUI lawyer to defend you. That is because for the first time offenders, the prosecutors can offer a standard first plea offer. This basically means that the convicted can be forgiven if there is no prior record of the person getting involved in a criminal offense. Also, the offer can be given if there were no injuries, accidents or significant blood alcohol concentration. In this type of cases, you are bound to be forgiven, so, you won’t need to hire a DUI lawyer.
Hiring Public Defenders
When you’re facing a DUI case, you are given the right to hire a Chester County DUI Lawyer (if you’re in there) and defend you case. But if you can’t afford to hire a DUI lawyer, the court can offer you a public defender that’d defend your case for free. A public defender can usually prove to be useful because they have lots of experience in their hands.
But hiring a public defender also has it’s own downsides. They usually have a lot of cases in their hands, and can’t focus on your case in the same way a dedicated DUI lawyer would. You might feel that you’re not getting the attention you deserve, and given that you might get a prison sentence, a public lawyer won’t be enough to defend you. That is why many legal experts suggest that hiring a DUI lawyer is you only good option if you can afford it.
