Interview Your Prospective California DUI Lawyer
Guest post by California DUI lawyer Hieu Vu
You need to quiz your DUI Lawyer with this. It is important that the lawyer you are talking to understand these concepts. Since the economy has gotten bad, lots of civil attorneys have jumped into misdemeanor work. They will themselves out as DUI experts but won’t know what a field sobriety test is. The following are just a few things you need to ask your potential attorney in regards to DUI. These are core concept of DUI defense. Any lawyer who does not know what these are is NOT QUALIFIED to handle your case.
Use this to quiz them to make sure they understand DUIs and the science behind it. Your attorney will have to cross examine experts who attended the experts school at the Indiana University Borkenstein Course. The bottom line is if he or she can’t explain it to you then how are they going to explain it to a jury?
Does your DUI lawyer understand the science?
You will want to know if your attorney is up to date on the science and have him explain it to you to you as a test. When interviewing your attorney you need to ask some terms of art in the DUI world. If your attorney does not recognize them then it is a big red flag that he is not qualified to take on your case. You need to stay away if the attorney if he or she says they will get back to you. You do not want a person learning on your case. A DUI lawyer knows these terms inside and out and has it internalized.
The bottom line is your life is on the line in a DUI and you want the best lawyer possible. It is important that you ask the right questions and get an attorney who does not see your situation as a simple and straight forward crime. It is important that your lawyer has invested substantial time into learning and defending DUI cases such as yours. You need to ask your lawyer how many of their cases are DUIs and if he regularly attends DUI training and MCLE in his field. Some sample questions are
1) Have you taken the field sobriety test course?
2) Are you familiar with the breathe machines used by x agency?
Some of the terms of art are 1) absorption, 2) time to absorption, 3) plateau, 4) elimination, 5) what are the elimination rates? 6) What is BRAC vs. BAC? Does Your DUI Lawyer Understand the Standard Field Sobriety Test and can he explain them to you?
Does Your Attorney Understand SFST?
An attorney doing DUIs must understand standard field sobriety test. These are the test you did on the roadside before your arrest. The three tests are Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test, One Leg Stand, and Walk and turn. Why are these important for a DUI Lawyer to know? The police officers will attempt to justify their arrest on these. They will emphasize the mistakes; it is up to your attorney to emphasize the strong parts. Without knowing the test, your attorney will be at a huge disadvantage.
BONUS: BE SURE TO CHECK THE FEES OF YOUR ATTORNEY AND WHAT THEY OFFER.
You get what you pay for. Do not feel tempted by a low fee. A low fee will indicate a person not qualified to handle your matter. It is important also that you do not go with the most expensive attorneys just because they are pricey. This is your life and criminal record on the line. You need to do the homework for your attorney.
Hieu Vu is a California DUI and criminal defense attorney. He helps folks in Southern California fight their DUI cases.
