San Bernardino attorneys & Riverside lawyers directory
How to find a reputable DUI Lawyer
Whether it be you or someone you know who has been arrested on terms of drunk driving, finding the best lawyer is a process that can be very time consuming and stressful for everyone. You’ll want someone who is extremely experienced and competent at what they do who at the same time lacks any unethical practices.
One of the best ways to locate a good lawyer is to ask people you know for referrals. There are a lot of different people available to you who can recommend someone, whether it is your family’s lawyer himself who may have friends who are DUI lawyers, or even a family member who has previously been charged with a DUI. You might also want to go to your local courthouse to ask a bailiff or count clerk. Even police officers can also be a great referral source. Simply question who the best lawyer they’ve seen is or who they might hire if they were ever to face DUI charges.
However, one common referral service that is usually not a good place to search is the local Bar Association. The reason for this is that you will almost always quickly be referred to someone random on a long list of members who only had to place a request to be placed on the list.
If you get to the point where nobody can refer you to a good lawyer, you can search the internet. Not only can you find information on good DUI lawyer, but you can also find loads of helpful information on DUI laws themselves as well as the procedure, evidence, and penalties involved in the whole process. While surfing the net, you may encounter numerous internet ads, websites, and directories. These directories don’t always necessarily mean these people are the best lawyers for you. They only mean an attorney has paid the most to have their advertisements show up on your computer.
The National College for DUI Defense is another great resource. This establishment has a website containing over 800 lawyers nationwide who are specially trained and specialize solely in drunk driving cases. Though it's important to remember that a membership in this College does not guarantee you any promises of competence or ethics, it does prove the lawyer's seriousness in DUI law. One important part of the College is their noteworthy seminars including an annual 3-day seminar held at Harvard Law School. The American Bar Association deems this seminar as the ONLY organization who is allowed to Board-certify lawyers as specialists in DUI defense.
For the most part, when making your decision on what lawyer you wish to hire, you should take into account the following:
* Did this lawyer gain membership to the National College for DUI Defense? Which reputable law school did the lawyer receive his accreditation from? Was he Board-certified?
* It's very important to ask the attorney if he or she specializes only in DUI defense. When a lawyer handles DUI cases as well as criminal and civil cases, he is probably not the best choice for you.
* Ask if you can have a written contract that includes all fees as well as initial costs that would cover any outside fees like court costs, blood reanalysis tests, etc.
* Can your attorney have blood samples reexamined by a lab as well as access to witnesses and breath analysis?
* Making promises on the outcome of a case is not only unethical, but completely unpredictable. If your attorney ever promised you anything in terms of results, you may want to keep looking.
* How does the lawyer rank on Martindale-Hubbell's International Directory of Attorneys (A-V)?
* Has the attorney received any reported complaints? (Check online at the State Bar Association)
Riverside and San Bernardino DUI lawyers and attorneys
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