Is a Criminal Defense Lawyer Your Answer to Freedom?

If you have a DWI or other serious charge steering you in the face, where do you go for help?

For countless people, this scenario has been all too real over the years. It is oftentimes who they go to for help in the aftermath of such a charge that has a huge impact on the outcome of their case.

That said finding the right lawyer to come to your defense, can prove a little challenging, especially if you do not know where to start.

So, is a criminal defense lawyer your answer to freedom?

How Do You Find the Best Legal Mind?

In order to increase the odds that you will find the best legal solution to your problems, keep these pointers in mind:

1. Your lawyer – For starters, a DWI or other serious charge levied against you is not something you can easily dismiss on your own. You are best served when you have a sharp legal mind on your side, a lawyer who knows the ins-and-outs of the court system. You want someone who not only knows the courts and the judges, but also those representing the prosecution. He or she should be well versed in who is representing the other side, giving you a better idea of how easy or how difficult it will be for you to get a dismissal of the charges or possibly a plea deal. At the end of the day, you want a DWI lawyer if you simply cannot get a DWI on your record;
2. Your case – What is the evidence looking like regarding your DWI case? If you admitted guilt (assuming it was not under any kind of duress), it will be hard for you to prove your innocence. On the other hand, there may be holes in the way police conducted your traffic stop. Did they read you your rights at the time of your arrest? Was a breathalyzer and/or any blood testing done? If so, can the prosecution prove without a doubt that everything was handled properly? Did law enforcement treat you respectfully during the stop? You may have been inclined to state that you were on prescription medication at the time of your traffic stop, though that defense is not likely to fly, especially given the fact you should not have had any alcohol while taking meds. Lastly, if you have a perfectly clean record up to this point, you and your legal team could argue that this was a one-time lapse in judgment;
3. Your options – Unless your DWI stop is a slam dunk case for the prosecution, you are certainly going to want to fight the charge until your options of getting a dismissal or an acceptable plea deal run out. When it comes to a dismissal, your lawyer should look for any inconsistencies in the remarks and methods used by police during your traffic stop. He or she can also look to see if police in the area where you were stopped have a much greater tendency for pulling over certain races, genders etc. In the event the evidence is rather overwhelming, you and your lawyer may opt to try and strike a plea bargain with the prosecution. There is a good chance you will end up paying a sizable fine and losing your driver’s license temporarily if this is your first DWI offense. The main goal is to avoid notable jail time, something your lawyer should be most adamant about. As mentioned earlier, first-time offenders usually have a little bit more wiggle room when it comes to not getting the book thrown at them by the courts.

Winning a DWI case is of course not an easy thing to do, but when left with the alternatives, you and your legal team must do everything possible to try and achieve a dismissal.

No matter what the final outcome may be, it is important to learn from the experience, telling yourself time and time again that this will never happen again in your lifetime.

When you have the right legal team backing you, you stand a much better chance of attaining your freedom, something you should never take for granted.