If you do not have a sense of comfort and confidence after meeting with a lawyer about your case, you should continue to look.
After meeting with the lawyer, the following should be evident:
- The lawyer has extensive experience in litigating and trying DWI's.
- The lawyer has a reputation for going to trial (not for pleading clients guilty).
- The lawyer has won difficult cases (they are not all talk).
- You feel comfortable in the manner in which the lawyer communicated with you (If you are not comfortable, do you think the jury would feel comfortable?).
- The lawyer listened to you (or did they do all the talking?).
- The lawyer was genuinely interested in you and your case.
- The financial agreement was clearly defined.
- You have a strong sense of confidence in their ability to professionally and competently handle your case.
Another very important point to emphasize is to not overpay when you choose a lawyer. There are some DWI cases that just can't be won. It makes no sense to a person to spend thousands of dollars on a DWI defense, when your chances to win are very low.
Also don't be misled into believing that your lawyer is better if you pay him or her a larger retainer. This is a big myth! In New Jersey there is no right to a jury trial in a DWI case. Therefore, a DWI defendant can only win so many cases. If New Jersey gave defendants a right to a jury trial in a DWI case, then I am convinced that their would be a much higher rate of "not guilty" verdicts in DWI cases. However, New Jersey undoubtedly would increase the penalties for DWI if a right to a jury trial ever came into existence.
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