What Should You Pay For A DUI Attorney?
If you are charged with a DUI in Seattle, one of the hardest things to figure out is what you should pay for your DUI attorney. If you call around or look out on the internet you will see that prices range from the very low ($1,500) to the very high ($10,000). How can there be such a discrepancy?
Like most any other service in life, there are differing levels of DUI lawyer. Some are extremely good. Some are extremely bad. And some have aspects about them that make them cheaper or more expensive than others (reputation, experience, major wins, etc.). So, how can you tell if you are paying the right price?
Before I get too far, I must admit that I am a DUI defense attorney. Though this may make me a little biased, I think it helps provide a perspective you might not otherwise be able to get. I’m clearly not trying to sell you here, but to educate you, so take what I say for whatever it’s worth.
The first thing you don’t want to do is think about what you’re paying for in terms of time. Try to think about it in terms of expertise. What I mean is, let’s say you hire some kid right out of law school. You go talk to him and and he says “this case is going to take 15 hours of work, my rate is $100/hour, so my fee is $1,500.” That makes sense, right? But what if he has no idea what he’s doing? And on the other side of the coin, what if you go to an experienced DUI attorney and he says, “this case is going to cost you $4500 straight up,” and then he looks at your file and gets the case dismissed at your first hearing?
Some people would argue that they didn’t get what they paid for in the second example. But think about it. The experienced lawyer found the problem and got you off Scot free. The second billed his 15 hours, saved you $3,000 but didn’t find the problem. Which one would you rather have?
Finding the right DUI attorney for you isn’t easy. In fact, it’s hard. But keep this information in mind when thinking about fees. You are paying for more than time. You are paying for experience. You are paying for expertise. You are paying for trust.
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