After being arrested for driving under the influence (DUI), you should get a DUI defense attorney on your side as soon as possible. However, this does not mean you should be hasty and accept the services of just any DUI lawyer. Hiring the wrong criminal defense attorney for your case can be similar to not hiring any legal help at all.
To make certain your DUI attorney is actually ready to help you with your DUI case, ask them these four questions:
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How many people have you plead out to DUI in the past month?
When a DUI attorney is not confident in their own abilities or their client’s own statements, they will not try to fight the charges in court to pursue a not guilty verdict. Instead, they will try to collaborate with the prosecution to reach a “plea deal.” In a plea deal, the defendant agrees to plead guilty for reduced sentencing penalties. While this might seem good on the surface, it can be catastrophic for a defendant, as it sticks a guilty verdict on their criminal record, even if they were 100% positive they did not deserve to be charged for a DUI in the first place. If a DUI attorney has convinced many clients in the last month to accept a plea deal, it is probably indicative that they are willing to plead many clients out and may be unwilling or unable to mount a powerful defense for all clients. -
How many people have you plead out to a DUI in the past year?
To get an even better idea of a DUI lawyer’s abilities, proclivities and experience, you will want to look further out than just the most recent month. Ask how often they have relied on plea deals for DUI cases within the last year, too. Keep in mind that in Honolulu county, the prosecutors will not reduce a DUI to a reckless driving and that DUI is not a deferrable charge, thus pleading just gets you the conviction for the charge of DUI which is what you are charged with. -
What is your win rate for DUI cases?
It would be truly amazing for a DUI attorney to hold a 100% win rate, or a lawyer in any sort of practice area for that matter. However, it is not out of the realm of possibility to find a criminal defense attorney with a win rate near 100%. You should not have to settle for someone with a low win percentage rate and a high amount of plea deals.I define a win as a case in which at the end of my representation the client does not have a conviction for DUI. I track my win rate. If an attorney does not track their win rate, you should ask why. -
On average, how many DUI cases do you take in a month?
Lastly, you need to know if a DUI defense lawyer actually has time to work on your case. Law firms that inundate themselves with cases are highly likely to rely on plea deals simply due to the fact that they may not have the time, incentive or desire to work each case relentlessly.
Rely On a Former Prosecutor Turned DUI Defense Lawyer
At The Law Office of Kevin O'Grady, you can find highly-experienced and steadfast criminal defense after you have been arrested for a DUI in Hawaii. I, Attorney Kevin O’Grady, am a Honolulu DUI defense lawyer who is renowned for never backing down for my clients. In the last month, I have relied on zero plea deals. In the last year, I have also used zero plea deals for my DUI clients. I do not plead my clients guilty to DUI in Hawaii State Court or United State Federal District Court. There are of course, cases where a plea deal may be appropriate. However in Honolulu, the plea deal is almost always to plead to the charged crime of DUI. Even if you are charged as a repeat offender pleading to DUI will get you that much closer to a felony DUI.
My case success rate is a nearly-unheard-of 97.3%*, and I accept only four, on average, so I can focus on them as needed. In other words, I am unlike almost any other DUI defense attorney you may meet in Hawaii.
To see if I can help you with your DUI case, call my law firm at 800-DUI-CASE. Or, you can use an online contact form now and I will get back to you as soon as I can.