How to choose a DUI / DWI lawyer

Defending clients in the Olympia, Tacoma, and Pierce County areas

If you’re charged with a DUI or DWI you’ll need a DUI lawyer who knows and has experience with the State’s judicial system.

If you’re booked at a police station, you’ll be given the opportunity to contact a lawyer.

Don’t delay in hiring your DUI lawyer

If you want to keep your right to drive, you must file for a hearing within 30 days. The police will give you the request form. It would be wise to consult a DUI lawyer before you send in this form. You should be as fully informed as possible, right from the outset of these proceedings.

Choose a defense lawyer you feel comfortable talking with

You’ll be spending a lot of time talking with this lawyer, so choose one you feel you can trust to be straightforward with you about your options, and to allow you the time you need to understand what your options are and what the various consequences will be.

The laws governing DUI penalties are complex in Washington State. You’ll want to hire a lawyer who:

• Knows the DUI / DWI laws well
• Can explain them understandably to you
• Will take the time to listen to you and answer your questions
• Can assess your total situation and devise the best plan for defending you

Ask questions

When interviewing DUI lawyers, feel free to ask questions, and listen closely to the answers. You can get a sense as you listen of whether this person is in a hurry to move on to the next client. Are they giving understandable answers? Explaining legal terms? Explaining consequences of the different options?

Here are some possible questions to ask.

Is my first session with you free of charge?

At the Lane Law Firm, your initial consultation will always be free of charge, whether or not you eventually retain us.

How long have you been defending DUI charges?

Choose a DUI lawyer with at least 10 years of experience. You would not want to retain a lawyer who’ll be making his beginner mistakes on you.

How can you argue against the prosecution when the sentencing laws are so well-established?

While it’s true that there are mandatory minimum penalties, it’s also true that the laws are complex. If the prosecutor is not challenged, he only has to show that your BAC (blood alcohol level) was above the legal limit of 0.08%.

However, if challenged by an expert DUI lawyer, he’ll also have to prove other things, such as:

• That the arrest was made properly
• That you were properly advised of your rights
• That the blood alcohol testing equipment had been properly maintained
• That the testing equipment was functioning accurately
• That the person operating it had been properly trained

I wasn’t drunk; can you help me prove this?

There are many possible challenges that can be made to the DUI charges you’re facing.

Can you help me keep my drivers license?

That will depend on your driving history and the circumstances of your arrest, but there are certainly ways of challenging the prosecutor’s assumptions.

Will you provide me with copies of all the documents and correspondence?

You should be provided with them, as it keeps you up to date as to how things are progressing.

Will you be with me each time I have to be in court?

Your DUI / DWI attorneys should always have someone accompanying you in court, to negotiate for you, explain what’s happening, and answer your questions.

Exert your right to speak to a drug offense lawyer. Sometimes police officers conduct an illegal search and seizure, or deviate from their proper procedures in some other way. An experienced DWI/ DUI and defense lawyer can determine if any of your rights were violated, and possibly seek a dismissal of your case.

At the Lane Law Firm, we offer you a free case evaluation. You will get the help you need, 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Our team will start working on your case the moment we represent you.

Our unique process gives you immediate and unlimited access to a representative from the firm who will work with you in developing a proactive strategy to help you avoid jail and defeat the charges against you.

You need an aggressive, experienced defense lawyer working for you now. Find out more about our Criminal Cases, and the Lane Law Firm Criminal Process. Contact Us today!

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