Contact is absolutely necessary. In this day and age, most people have cell phones and the ability to text. I give clients my personal cell phone number so they would have a direct way to call, text, or email me. It is really unnecessary for someone to drop off the face of the world and for me to not be able to contact them by way of phone or text or email, and it can also be problematic.
There are a lot of attorneys who just withdraw the case if they are not able to get in touch with their clients. The attorney is there to help the client and the client has paid for the attorney to help them, so it would not make sense for the client to not want to face reality and stop returning texts or phone calls. It would just end up hurting them.
A warrant might be issued for the person’s arrest but because they had not gotten in touch with their attorney or the attorney had withdrawn, the person would really never know about that warrant and they would have to constantly live under a cloud of fear that any day they could be snatched off the streets due to an arrest warrant.
Should Someone Seek A Loan Or Borrow Money To Hire A Lawyer?
Lawyers are expensive because they have a lot of education, they have gone through a lot of schooling and they have a lot of experience. Not everyone has thousands of dollars in their bank accounts, which is why they will often have the ability to get a public defender. I would advise someone to have a public defender represent them, rather than to try and represent themselves. I would definitely recommend someone to get a private attorney if they can afford one.
There are different options available to help someone pay for an attorney. I recently spoke to a company that offers legal loans. People dig into their 401Ks or their savings, ask their family or friends for loans, or they might sell their car, but there are other options available. I not only offer a very reasonable rate but also offer payment plans.
A person can only afford what they can afford, so if they do not have the ability to come up with $10,000, then they should not try to hire the $10,000 lawyer. Different attorneys charge different rates, with some going as low as $1,500 for a misdemeanor DUI, up to about $15,000.
Some attorneys charge a lot of money because they figure that the potential client will think they must be good because they charge that much. Some attorneys charge a lot of money because they actually are very good at what they do and they know exactly what needs to be done in order to get the best possible outcome. There are also attorneys like me who offer bifurcated representation, which ensures that the client pays only for the services they are getting, so options are available.
People need to not only try and find the right lawyer but they need to try to find the right lawyer for their situation, so often times it becomes a financial issue. They should not go into bankruptcy by simply trying to fight a DUI.
If they have no other options and do not have the money, then they should go with the public defender, which is why that system is in place. People should know that the public defender normally does cost people money, but it would usually be a few hundred dollars as opposed to a few thousand dollars for a private defense lawyer.
Should Someone Refrain From Answering Questions By A Police Officer?
Certain obligations apply to someone driving in the state of Arizona, namely providing proof of identification, but after that, the person has a constitutional right to remain silent. There would be no problem with someone saying they invoked their right to remain silent and they would like to speak to an attorney.
They would technically not be entitled to have access to counsel until after they were arrested, but that should not stop someone from requesting to speak to an attorney prior to being arrested. Simply asking for an attorney or invoking the right to remain silent is not something that the officer or the prosecutor could use against the person in the court. The more someone talks, the more problems there could be. Good cases have turned bad because people have been overly cooperative and answered the officer’s questions.
The best thing to do would be to keep quiet and be friendly to the officer. If the officer asked the person to get out of the vehicle, then they would need to get out of the vehicle. If the officer asked for identification then the person should provide identification.
If the officer started asking questions about how much the person had to drink, or how they would rate themselves when they were driving on the scale of 0 to 10, 0 being completely sober 10 being falling down drunk, or if they asked what types of illegal drugs the person had been using or what type of alcohol they had been consuming, then these would all be questions the officer would ask to elicit statements that could be used against the person later and which would hurt the case. The best thing to do would be to be quiet and not be your own worst enemy.
For more information on Dealing with an Attorney for a DUI, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you’re seeking by calling 480-900-0384 today.
