Your ass is on the line. Your job is on the line. Your liberty is on the line. You’ve been arrested and you need to find the right lawyer for the job.
Do you still really want to hire a lawyer you find on the internet? Google can be a great resource, but it is simply not the best way to find the best lawyer for the job.
Did you at least get a second opinion or did you simply hire the first person to answer the phone (or call you back)?
For years I have been telling people to meet your lawyer before you hire him. That still holds true today. Granted, it is now much easier to have a remote meeting with your lawyer. Do it. Don’t get sold over the phone by the sales rep.
If your lawyer doesn’t have time to meet with you before you pay him, he definitely won’t have time for you after you pay him.
No matter what you do, please, please, please get a referral to a lawyer first. Talk to the lawyer on the phone and set up a meeting. If it has to be over Zoom, then so be it. Then go home and think about it. Talk to someone close to you about the decision. Sleep on it.
If, after meeting the lawyer, thinking about it and talking to a friend about it you still feel comfortable with your decision, then call the lawyer back and hire him. He will be happy to email you a retainer agreement and take a credit card over the phone.
Don’t hire a lawyer from a mailer that comes to your house after you have been arrested. A client called me today and asked me about his “jail mail”. Can these lawyers really get my case dismissed or reduced? The better questions are: Do these lawyers even know where the courthouse is? Where is their office? Who will be the lawyer actually attending court?
None of us know how any case is going to turn out before we go to court. If some lawyer promises something that sounds too good to be true…It’s because it is too good to be true. I’ve gotten more than my fair share of cases dismissed, reduced, avoided jail time or found some other suitable alternative sentencing technique that benefited my client in that case.
These are case by case results. Every case is different. Every result is different. Every client is different. Every lawyer is different. Some lie. Some don’t. Some do their jobs well. Some don’t. Don’t be fooled by a good salesman or a fancy website. If your lawyer is spending $100,000.00 a month (or more) on advertising and has a webpage for every Penal Code Section that ever existed he may be a marketing genious. But, is he really the guy you want in the courtroom representing you when your ass is on the line?
If you or someone close to you has been arrested for DUI or any other criminal matter, call a real lawyer for an honest opinion:
Attorney Jeffrey Vallens (818) 783-5700