As you might guess, I’m a Houston criminal attorney. Have been for quite some time. I really like what I do. I’d even say I love it. It’s a fun job, it’s rewarding, it’s challenging, it’s never boring, and I get to work with and against a lot of pretty cool people. But it’s not all great, and that’s what I want to talk about today. I want to tell you what I think is the hardest thing about being a Houston criminal attorney.

If I had to give you a guess what do you think it would be? Representing guilty people? Nope. Standing up in front of a jury? Nope. Investigating the cases? Nope. All good guesses, but none of them right.

The hardest thing about being a criminal attorney is the simple fact that most of the time we don’t win the case.

If you talk to a criminal defense attorney and they tell you they aren’t competitive, either they are lying or they aren’t very good at their job. To be good in this profession you’ve got to be competitive. Sometimes that is the only thing keeping you going, and it’s only competitiveness that allows you to take a case to trial that you have very little chance of winning (think huge underdog in basketball or football – that’s us).

Despite my great efforts to win every single one of my cases, the plain truth of the matter is that I don’t, and most other criminal attorneys don’t either. In the arena of criminal law more often than not people are caught red handed or confess. When that happens, the case gets much harder to win.

So, how do I deal with losing a lot, you might ask? It’s not too hard to deal with. If you lose a case and you fought hard, you just pick yourself up off the floor and move on to the next one. I think so long as you are doing your best you’ve and you do everything you can to try to win the case you can hold your head high, even in defeat.

But that’s not always easy to do. That’s why you often see at least one criminal attorney on the docket that has clearly had his spirit taken from him. He doesn’t look like he cares anymore, he doesn’t fight for his clients, and he just looks defeated.

There you have it, the hardest thing about being a Houston criminal attorney. If you are thinking about getting into the profession, I’d highly encourage you to. There are a hundred good things about practicing criminal defense. The only thing, though, is this one bad thing can be pretty daunting sometimes.

Today, for our article of the day, I thought I’d tell you why I’m a Salt Lake City DUI attorney. Yes, there actually is a reason. And yes, it’s more than “that’s where the clients are.” So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

1. I Get to Pick My Clients, and That’s Who I Want to Help

Believe it or not, I like being a DUI attorney. It’s a fun job. It’s criminal defense. The cases move fast. You get to stand up in court and put forward your best argument. And you get to  win every once in a while. That alone is enough of a reason to be a DUI lawyer. But that’s not it, there’s more.

Because I own my own law firm, I have the luxury of choosing my own clients. And, while I like doing criminal defense, I don’t like the idea of really getting into the trenches with the hard core stuff (that’s the beauty of doing your own thing – you get to do what you want). Also, with DUI defense, most of the people you are helping out really have just made one stupid decision and need some help.

2. You’re Opponents are Cops

I really like the idea of fighting “the man.” There is no better place to do that than as a Salt Lake City DUI attorney. Our only witnesses are cops. Our only opponents are the prosecutors. Very rarely do civilian witnesses get involved, and if they do it’s only on the periphery. Instead, I get to spend my days dreaming up ways to make cops look like idiots on the stand (and, sadly, it’s often not that difficult).

3. If You Want to be a Good DUI Attorney You’ve got to Focus 

When I was a kid, I wanted to play in the NBA. From the moment I made that decision all I did was eat, drink, and sleep basketball. When I wasn’t playing I was watching. When I wasn’t watching I was talking about it. It was the center of my life. And as a result of that I got to be pretty good at it. Though genetics held me back from reaching my goal, I learned an important lesson – if you want to be good at something you have to immerse yourself in it and you’ve got to practice.

So that’s what I do with my law firm too. Being a DUI lawyer isn’t like doing other criminal defense (unless it’s a specialty area like death penalty defense). There are issues that come up in a DUI case that just don’t come up in other cases – namely the field sobriety tests and the breath test. Each of those things presents unique problems that, if you don’t know what you’re doing, can be missed.

When I opened up my firm a few years ago and dedicated my practice to defending those accused of driving under the influence, it was not a difficult decision. That practice area gave me the opportunity to do these three things: help regular people with serious problems; fight the man, and become really good at an area of the law. I like being a DUI attorney. I’m good at what I do, and I’m excited every day to help people.

Why do you do what you do?

I opened a law firm a few years ago. I’m an Atlanta DUI lawyer, was working for some guys, but got tired of getting all of the business and not getting to keep all of the money. Before I decided to leave, though, I told some of my friends, family, and colleagues about it. As you might expect, some people were less than thrilled with my plan. Some people expressed valid concerns – others were just grumpy about it. It’s this second group that I want to talk about today. I call them the haters. Learning how to deal with them will make opening your DUI law firm a lot more enjoyable.

1. Understand Who is Hating and Who is Concerned

I can tell you after having started my own DUI defense law firm and worked hard to become recognized as one of the better Atlanta DUI lawyers in the area, that there are people that will have legitimate concerns about you opening your law firm. It’s easy to tell who these people are, though, because they will ask questions. They will want to know what you are doing and make sure you’ve thought about exactly what you are doing. These are the people that want you to succeed and just want to make sure you aren’t being stupid.

The second group of people, though, have no questions. They hear that you are doing something and immediately have something negative to say. Common sayings include:

“you don’t have enough experience to do that”;

“the economy sucks, you’re never going to make any money”;

“why would you want to do that?”; and

“there is no way you are going to make any money.”

2. How to Handle the Haters

Whenever I start hearing people talk out of their butts, I do a couple of things. The first thing I do is take an inner moment and compose myself. I know I’m a good Atlanta DUI lawyer, I know I’ve got a good marketing plan put together, and I know I’m going to be successful. Second, I take a moment to remember what the person that is talking to me knows about starting a law firm – usually it isn’t that much. Third, I smile and nod while retaining absolutely nothing that they say. Fourth, and finally, I file away the conversation and use it for motivation whenever I’ve got to do something I really don’t want to do.

At the end of the day, you know you are ready to be successful at what you are doing. You know you’ve put in the time to prepare. You know that you can do it. And when you see those haters out there, and you will, deal with them accordingly.

Law school will be one of the biggest challenges that a person will have to go through in getting past their educational needs. The many hurdles that law school will offers are too great to count; there are a number of different aspects that are able to mean the downfall of your law school dreams if not addressed in a careful manner. Having a law school tutor will be one of the better things that can be implemented in regard to making sure that a person gets through their educational nightmare in a manner that will lead to much success in their career.

There are a number of advantages that can come from the use of a private law tutor. The tutor will be able to take some of the difficulty out of the concepts that are in the process of getting the most from the many definitions and legal terms that have to be remembered. Making a note of all the items that have to be kept in mind to make a wise decision about the type of tutor that they will seek out on a regular basis. This information will be vital in regard to seeking out the needed assistance that is required for a person to pass the needed test and eventually the actual bar itself.

In the area of price that you can expect to pay, there are a number of different amounts that these tutors will charge a person. For a basic tutoring session, the cost can be rather affordable with a five week term costing around $99 for the tutor all the way to several hundred dollars for more intense sessions that the person will require to get past their slump. Knowing this information can often give a law student the needed advantage that will allow them to have a leg up on their competition and ensure that they are getting ahead of the rest of their class.

Now that you know a little of the basics that are involved with the subject of law school tutors, you are able to look seriously at the overall potential that the right tutor will have on your progression into the world of becoming a qualified and professional lawyer. This is a thought road to conquer, with the right assistance, you can be confident that you will make it. The use of a tutor will make the entire process seem a lot less frightening and overall be a lot better for the most part.

I think if you ask anyone that’s decided to pursue a career in some specific field, they’ll tell you if they had the opportunity they’d like to be the best at what they do. I mean, who wouldn’t? The same goes for being a DUI lawyer – if you’re going to to do it you might as well be the best, right? Hopefully this article will give you a little bit of insight on just how to do that.

1. You’re Going to Have to Work Hard, Really Hard

There’s a funny thing about successful people – they often look like they are doing whatever it is they are really good at effortlessly. And in some ways they are. That effortless feeling, though, didn’t just drop out of the sky. It was achieved by working countless hours, practicing, perfecting, rehearsing, redrafting, and re-reading until they’d achieved the level of perfection they expected out of themselves.

In the context of being a DUI attorney, what needs to be done should be fairly obvious. First, you need to outwork everyone on knowing the rules, the law, the procedures, the judges, the prosecutors, and everyone else and everything else that you need to know about where you will be working.

Second, you need to outwork your opponents on the specific case you are defending. That means doing the things that aren’t necessarily fun but that can get results. In the DUI context this might mean visiting the scene, taking pictures, taking video, talking to the breath test technician and toxicologist, talking to your own experts, and following up on every statement to test its truthfulness.

2. When You are Done With Step One, Repeat

I wish there was more to it, but the essence of being a great DUI attorney is putting in the work to become great. As I said before, we see people that are great at something and just assume they were born that way. That is pretty much never true. What happens is they find something they are so passionate about that they just can’t put the thing down that they are doing.

Here are just a couple of examples I can think of off the top of my head. The first is Michael Jordan – you know, the NBA hall of fame player. He was cut from his high school team he was so bad (and, in my experience, it’s pretty hard to get cut from your high school team). Instead of quitting he started working relentlessly on his game. We know how that turned out.

Second is Bill Gates, Microsoft founder. Yes, he is a smart guy. But did you know he was coding and working when he was in high school? I got this from one of Malcolm Gladwells’ books, but the way the story goes is Gates would go to school all day, do whatever he would do at night, and when his parents went to sleep he would sneak out of the house and go practice writing code! That’s how you get good at something, work relentlessly at it.

Every day when I wake up I think to myself, “what am I going to do to become the best Atlanta DUI lawyer out there?” and then I get to work doing it. Bottom line, if you want to become one of the best, you’ve got to outwork everyone else.

If you are involved in a car accident it can be a hectic and unfortunate thing to be put through and when it does sometimes it is necessary to get a car accident lawyer.  There are many things that take place after a car accident as far as standard procedures go.  Some of things you can usually expect to happen after a car accident include calls from the insurance companies that want to ask you a series of questions, involvement of local police departments settling insurance information, hospital bills and inquiries that arise due to the accident, and a list of other potential ordeals that one may have to go through.

By having a good car accident lawyer working for you, you can have confidence that you are making the right choice when it comes to dealing with these types of procedures.  Even if you think that you don’t need an attorney after you are the victim of a car accident, consider this.  It is the insurance company’s job to settle the case for as little as possible and part of the way they try to do this is by trying to find information about you or the accident that gives them an excuse not to pay what you would consider fair.  Insurance companies may try to look up old medical records that have nothing to do with the car accident or they may try to trick you with questions that put you in a situation where they can bend your words.

For these reasons it is always best to have a car accident lawyer working on your side, that way you can be assured that you are not going to be taken advantage of by the person who caused the accident, the insurance company, or anybody else.  They have the experience and professional background to make sure you are getting the best deal you possibly can after an unfortunate car accident, so you can put it behind you for good.

As an Atlanta DUI lawyer, I often find that most of my clients have never been in trouble before. Sure. Maybe a speeding ticket here and there, but most people have never been a part of the criminal justice system. And if you’ve never been there before, the unknown can be a scary process. People wonder if they are going to get taken away to jail immediately, if they need a lawyer right away, or if they should just go in and plead guilty since they “are guilty.” Hopefully this post helps to answer a few of those questions and gives you a little bit of insight at the same time.

1. Arrest

As we all know, the first stage of a DUI case is the arrest. This is perhaps the most troubling time of the entire process, as people are often put through a battery of unfamiliar tests, placed in handcuffs, and asked to take an unreliable test that will ultimately be used to attempt to convict them of DUI. at this time there are a couple of things that you can do to help your case as it progresses through the system.

First, don’t offer up any information. The cops will ask if you’ve been drinking. Don’t answer that question. The cops will ask where you were coming from. Don’t answer that question. The cops will ask you if you think you’re too drunk to drive. Don’t answer that question. The less information you give the cops, the better.

Second, at the first opportunity, demand to speak with an Atlanta DUI attorney. When you are arrested you have the right to a lawyer. By speaking with someone experienced in DUI defense you can be sure to get the advice you need.

2. Arraignment

Arraignment is the beginning of the court process. At arraignment you are formally given notice of the charges against you (DUI), offered an opportunity to enter a plea, and given the conditions of your release. At this stage it is important to have a good DUI attorney on your side.

Having a good attorney with you at arraignment is important because you want every bit of help you can get when conditions of release are set. Conditions of release are set to: (a) make sure you show up for court; and (b) make sure you don’t harm anyone else while the case is pending. Having someone there to speak on your behalf that is familiar with the requirements for setting certain conditions will help to ensure that you are not overly burdened during the process.

At this time you’re also going to want to plead not guilty. Always. Without a doubt. Some people think it can get you in more trouble. It can’t. All you are telling the court is you are going to make the state prove the charges against you. It is their burden to do so, and making them do so won’t result in any additional punishment to you. Pleading guilty at arraignment is just about the worst thing you could do.

3. Pretrial Hearing

From the arraignment to the pretrial hearing, typically your lawyer will begin investigating the case and negotiating with the prosecutor. It’s during this time that any problems that are found to exist with the case are exposed and presented to the prosecutor. The worse their case is, the better the deal is for you. At the pretrial hearing, the judge will simply want to know the status of the case – has it been resolved or does it need to move on to the next stage?

4. Motions

In nearly every case issues arise as to the admissibility of evidence. Sometimes the cops do things wrong. Sometimes the cops forget to do an important step. And when they do, the result of those mistakes can be the suppression of evidence (it can’t be used against you). If your case is not resolved by the pretrial hearing, this is typically the next step.

In most cases, you won’t be able to identify the evidentiary problems with the case – that’s why you hire a great Atlanta DUI lawyer to help you out. They know what to look for. They know where the problems are. And they are dedicated to finding those problems and presenting them in the way that is most likely to help you.

5. Trial

I think we all know what trial is. That’s the part of the case that is submitted to the jury or the judge for a determination of guilt. At trial witnesses appear and testify (In DUI cases it’s typically just the cops, though it can be others), the lawyers make arguments, and the fact finder (the judge or the jury) decides whether or not you are guilty or innocent.

In many cases agreements are reached with the prosecutor to resolve the case in a way that is agreeable to both parties. If that happens, a trial doesn’t occur.

Hopefully this has answered some of your questions about the process of a DUI case.

In some ways trying to find a good Atlanta DUI attorney is kind of like trying to find a good car mechanic or plumber. When you need one you really need one, the work they do is completely unknown to you, and it’s hard to tell the good ones from the bad ones. And the hardest part about hiring a DUI lawyer is that you typically only get one shot. With a car mechanic or a plumber, or even a dentist or a doctor, if they don’t do a good job or you don’t like them, you go get someone else. With a DUI though, choosing the wrong person can result in consequences that can follow you forever.

So, what can you do to find the right one? One of the things you can do is look for a DUI attorney that has the kind of qualities that demonstrate they are going to be able to handle your case and give you the effort you deserve. And today, we’re going to talk about three of those things.

1. The Staff Seems Engaged and Ready to Help

Nearly every Atlanta DUI lawyer will have you come in to speak with them in person. This is a big decision and they understand you’ll want to check them out. But you’ll also want to check out the staff – they can tell you a lot about what the true overall mission of the firm is.

When you get to the firm, how does the staff greet you? Are the friendly? Are they smiling? Ask them a question and see how they respond. Are they genuinely ready to help you out? These are the things you should be looking for to get an idea of how the firm operates on a daily basis.

One other thing you might want to do is get there a little bit early. Take the opportunity to see how everyone interacts with the clients that have already signed up. Does anyone ever get through to an attorney? How does the staff act when they get off the phone? Are they friendly once you’ve signed up?

Staff typically act in the manner that is passed down from management. If the staff acts untoward, that should raise a red flag that this DUI attorney might do the same thing.

2. You Feel Comfortable Around Them

Not only are you trusting your Atlanta DUI lawyer to help you out of trouble, you are paying them a lot of money for the help. The last thing you want to do is sign up with someone that you don’t feel comfortable with. Do I mean you should want to go and have dinner with them? No. What I’m saying is you have a generally good feeling that they are legit and are going to do what they say. Some people seem shady because they are. If you don’t have  good feeling about the person you should trust that feeling and look for someone else for help.

3. They Have Great Reviews

Before I get too far with this one, I understand that reviews can be faked. But, no one fakes bad reviews. The Atlanta DUI attorneys I know ask for reviews and are excited to get them from clients. They ask for these reviews because they help people to make decisions on whom to hire.

When you look at the reviews I would suggest that you read the good ones to see what they say – most if not all of them are probably real. But what you should really be looking out for are a bunch of bad reviews. One or two shouldn’t be a red flag – I have heard stories of competing DUI attorneys leaving bad reviews on their competitors. But a whole string of bad reviews with specific details should raise a red flag. As you might expect, the good lawyers have good reviews.

If you find these three qualities in your DUI attorney I can’t guarantee you you’ll beat your DUI – no one can do that. But I can guarantee you that throughout the process you’ll feel like you’ve got someone on your side, someone doing everything they can to help reduce your punishment and help you keep your life on the right track. This is an important decision, and you should think long and hard about who you pick before you pull the trigger.

When I first thought about being a criminal lawyer it was because of what I’d seen on television. Tom Cruise as a lawyer in “The Firm” and “A Few Good Men.” Television shows like Boston Legal, The Practice, and Law & Order. And all of the other great shows that show criminal attorneys taking care of business and pushing back the strong arm of the government. Then I got into it and saw what it was really like. And I thought I’d share that experience with you.

1. The Job of a Criminal Attorney is Not that Glamorous

When you see it on TV the courtrooms are always nice, the prosecutor is always good looking, and the judge always sits high atop a mahogany throne, ready to come down on you at a moment’s notice. But in real life it’s just not like that. For example, if you are a Houston criminal attorney you spend a lot of your time driving from courthouse to courthouse – they’ve got satellite courthouses set up throughout the city. They are usually small buildings thrown together with modern day budgets, which is to say every expense was spared.

2. The Courtroom Drama is Few and Far Between

Every TV show that features criminal defense attorneys seems to have at least one suspenseful courtroom scene. Someone getting crushed on cross-examination. Someone making some outrageous admission. Someone making an outrageous argument.

That happens from time to time in court, but those times are few and far between. Most of a typical criminal attorneys days are spent in court. But that time is spent waiting for a case to be called so it can be resolved or so it can be continued, or so some other procedural thing can be accomplished. Very rarely do cases go to trial, and very rarely is there any courtroom drama.

3. What It’s Really All About

I love being a Houston criminal attorney. I don’t think I’d trade for anything else in the world, and here’s why. Despite the monotony, despite the boredom, despite the waiting in court for hours to do something that should take ten minutes, there are flashes in between that make the job really fun.

Have you ever tried to convince 6 or 12 random people that you are right and someone else is wrong? Have you ever stood up and raised your voice in opposition to something you thought was wrong? Have you ever tried something in your job that had as much chance of crashing and burning as success? Have you ever been responsible for someone’s freedom? I’ve done all of those things. I’m a criminal attorney. That’s what I love about this job. That’s why I continue to do it. Even if most of the time it’s just a boring job like everyone else’s.

I’ve got a confession to make, right off the bat here. Actually, I have two confessions to make. First, I’m a DUI lawyer. Second, I am not the right attorney for everyone. That’s right, just because you are charged with DUI does not mean that I want you to be my client. Just as I hope you are looking for things from your attorney, I am looking for things from my client.

Because of that, I wanted to help you find the right DUI lawyer for you. There are a bunch of ways to go about finding a DUI defense lawyer, and there are probably some that are better than what I’m going to tell you. But believe me when I tell you this is a good start.

1. Don’t Shop Just on Price

There is an old saying out there, “you get what you pay for.” That saying definitely applies in criminal defense. There are hundreds of people out there claiming they can help you, and there are a lot that are very cheap. But, if you hire based just on price, you’re going to hate yourself when the case is over. A higher price usually means more attention. And more attention usually means better results.

2. Don’t Just Talk to One Person

Whenever I meet with people, I always encourage them to go talk to other people. Yes, it may lose me some business, but I want people to see what other offerings are out there in the market. Maybe there’s a better fit than me, and I’m okay with that. If you just talk to one person, you won’t be able to know what level of service is out there.

3. Google is Your Friend

Referrals are great. You should take advantage of them. But don’t be afraid to do some looking around of your own. And Google is a great place to do that. It can give you an idea of what is out there (and you’ll see that some people take less time to think about their image than you do to brush your teeth in the morning).

For example, a buddy of mine got a DUI in Salt Lake City. He did a search for Salt Lake City DUI attorney, found several names that he liked, and went from there. And, in this case, the person he was referred to was on that list (which is a good sign).

4. Do Your Research

When you think you’ve got the right guy, I’d suggest you ask Google one last time for some feedback. Instead of googleing “Salt Lake City DUI lawyer” or something like that, google the person’s firm or name to see what pops up. You’ll likely find some glowing reviews and some not so good information. Use that to help you make a decision about who you hire.

The hiring process should not be a tortuous process. In the end, my buddy found a Salt Lake City DUI attorney who was ready and willing to help him, and actually did help him. And the process he used to get there was a significant factor in that. If you ever need help, follow these steps. In no time you’ll have the right person for you.