A Different Approach To Criminal Defense For A DUI

There are lots of attorneys who handle DUI’s. And, for better or worse, there are lots of people who need attorneys for DUI’s. But all too often, people view DUI as a one-dimensional problem. It’s an easy mistake to make. Just find an attorney to handle the DUI problem, and the rest will take care of itself. Therein lies the problem. The “rest” does not always take care of itself. A simple DUI can have long-term ramifications, and the after-shocks will reach far beyond the immediate problem.

After 25 years of defending DUI’s (and lot of other criminal and traffic offenses), we’ve developed a unique approach to helping people find solutions to their “problems.” Note the term “problems.” It’s not just about handling a case in court. It’s not just about defending the DUI. People come to our office with a problem or host of problems. Those problems are often unique to the individual client. And it’s our job to help identify the problems and then find the optimal solution.

To be sure, that means going to court and fighting the DUI. But it’s not that simple. There are other problems that require solutions. Maybe someone has a CDL and drives for a living. Maybe someone has one or more prior convictions for DUI. Maybe someone has to drive a company car. Maybe someone has alcohol issues, psychological issues, or other life factors that led up to the DUI in the first place. There are often things that we’ve never even considered. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist. And even after the case is over, other problems can emerge. We have to take the time at the beginning to make sure we foresee all the problems—past, present, and future.

If we don’t consider all these things, we’ve done our clients a disservice. Sadly, most DUI attorneys (even reputable ones) aren’t interested in anything other than the court problems. Or maybe they just don’t know to explore the other dimensions to DUI defense. After all, they don’t teach this stuff in law school. But either way, the one-dimensional approach is not good enough.

Our job is not just to defend the case. We have to make sure we address all the potential issues (unique or otherwise) that our individual clients face (past, present, and future).

Unlike other businesses, we are not looking for return customers. That’s not to say we won’t help our clients again when they need it. But the point is clear—no one wants to call us back for unforeseen problems that arose because of their case. And anyone who has been charged with DUI before certainly doesn’t want to come back for round two.

If we’ve done our job correctly, we won’t hear from our clients again, at least not for DUI related problems.

This blog series is designed to help folks see DUI issues from a 360 degree perspective. We will cover the basics—penalties, license suspensions, etc. We will also get into more unique issues—CDL’s, insurance ramifications, job and employment problems, and the like. And we will (of course) answer the age old question: To Blow, or Not to Blow.

Stay tuned for a 360 degree ride and learn all the secrets of a good DUI defense.