A DUI is bad enough, but when you have caused injury to another person while driving drunk, you have a serious legal issue on your hands. You can be held accountable for a variety of crimes that can seriously affect your life, including reckless driving, driving to endanger, and other offenses. You may even face civil charges from the person you have injured or their family members, and you want to be prepared for the worst. You need a DUI lawyer who has experience with not only DUI charges, but also has experience in helping clients with charges related to accidents involving alcohol and drugs as well. Here are things you should look for when choosing a DUI lawyer if you injured another person while driving under the influence.
Experience
Choose a lawyer who has known local experience in helping clients reduce or even eliminate charges against them related to their drunk driving cases. You can do this by researching former cases of DUI lawyers in your area or by asking for case results of any lawyer you are interested in from their legal aides or front desk personnel. Any lawyer who is experienced in assisting clients with overcoming hefty charges in a DUI case will be able to quickly show you evidence of their past successes in addition to offering you realistic outcomes for your own case in your initial consultation.
If this is not your first DUI, your lawyer will need to know this information up front. In many states, subsequent DUI convictions can result in higher sentences that are more difficult to reduce, and you want to make sure you choose a lawyer who is confident they can take your case on.
Negotiation
It is unlikely that you will be able to walk away from your DUI charge without any consequences at all, but the right lawyer will be able to negotiate your charges down to where you face the least amount of jail time or loss of your license as possible. Choose a lawyer who can negotiate your charges for you by putting you in a more favorable light, such as showcasing your lack of a previous criminal record or dedication to your job. If you go with a DUI lawyer who can show the judge and prosecuting attorney that you aren't a general threat to society even though you made a driving mistake, they may be able to lessen your charges to community service, payable damages, or a shorter jail sentence.
A great lawyer can also negotiate in a civil case, should you be sued by the injured party. They can show the judge the legal ways you are making things right and help prove you were not intentionally negligent in your case, which can help lessen any financial restitution the injured party may be suing you for.
A great DUI lawyer who has experience and negotiation skills will do everything they can to help make your case better for you. Choose a lawyer who has a great reputation for winning with cases similar to yours for the best chance of a great outcome. Contact a business, such as Winstein, Kavensky & Cunningham, LLC., for more information.
