DUI Lawyer Cost: How Much Does an Attorney Cost in Georgia?

 

Being arrested and accused of driving under the influence is a frightening thing. Most people feel that the arrest was not justified, especially after being cuffed and taken to jail. Our three Atlanta DUI attorneys are prepared to review expected DUI fees, court costs, expert witness expenses (if needed), and the expected fees required for various stages of criminal litigation.

How to locate the best attorney for DUI in Georgia. From a practical standpoint, those arrested who have important, good jobs want to learn how to not let this arrest turn into a conviction. So, once out of jail, their attention turns to the need to hire a top-rated DUI lawyer and learn about affordable DUI lawyer’s fees for their case defense.

How much does a DUI attorney cost? After an arrest, most accused citizens begin the process of searching for local DUI lawyers to do whatever is needed to keep a DUI off of their record. If a client wins (by avoiding a DUI conviction) any reasonable amount of DUI attorney fees is a bargain!

How Much Do DUI lawyers Cost in Georgia?

No one plans to be arrested and have to face serious criminal charges. So, the major consideration for many is the cost of DUI lawyer legal services, which is the general theme of this extensive page.

As with members of a professional baseball team, lawyer prices in a specialty field like DUI defense will be like the cost of a starting pitcher compared to a utility infielder. Plus, while our criminal law attorneys do handle other types of cases in the criminal law field, drunk driving defense is what we are known for, nationwide.

First offense DUI lawyer cost. As would be expected, most DUI law firms with top credentials charge their lowest legal fees for a 1st offense DUI. Begin with one universal maxim: criminal defense attorneys cannot work on a contingency fee basis like personal injury attorneys utilize. So, expect to see flat fees for each “stage” of a criminal case, versus paying hourly fees.

Asking a Lawyer for a DUI Cost estimate. If our attorneys were to charge an hourly rate, that would scare off most potential clients. The best DUI lawyers in Georgia know roughly how long a case will take but sometimes lose money in cases that take longer than expected. See some of our DUI law publications below.

Not having had to hire a lawyer for DUI near me, some Internet searchers put in useless phrases for DWI lawyer cost like “average DUI cost,” or “average cost of a DUI lawyer.” Would these same people do that to find an average surgeon for a serious operation on their child?

These types of online searches seem to be pointing to the searcher expecting “mediocrity” or thinking that law professionals are like a commodity, such as a 6-ounce canister of Pringles potato chips.

In part, this may be because the average citizen cannot see how she or he can beat a DUI charge when their breath test was over the legal limit. By reading the facts of the case, you may rethink your “stinking thinking.”

Due o our United States Constitution (in the Sixth Amendment) guaranteeing legal aid representation to all people charged with crimes, those without funds for legal representation may be defended by local pro bono lawyers in Atlanta. Until your first court date (which is called the “Arraignment”), it may not be possible to learn if your criminal court judge will assign a free lawyer for your defense.

The Difference Between a Generalist and a Specialist in DUI Defense

The legal field has attorneys in about 60 definable law practice areas. But these sixty or so major categories have over 1,000 sub-specialties. One of the major practice areas is criminal defense, and under the general sub-category of “motor vehicle crimes,” drunk driving defense (DUI) is a well-recognized and highly specialized sub-specialty of criminal defense in America.

A criminal justice lawyer who, through experience in courtrooms, has acquired specialized and advanced training in forensic science, infrared spectroscopy (breath alcohol test devices), blood testing analytics, field sobriety test protocols, drug testing and toxicological effects, and alcohol absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination is a candidate to be your best DUI lawyer.

These criminal defense specialists are recognized by the four top, peer-reviewed attorney rating organizations, and possess the knowledge and track records that justify being categorized as one of the best DUI lawyers in America. These are Board Certification by NCDD.com, recognition by Best Lawyers in America, Martindale-Hubbell “av” rated and pre-eminent 5.0 of 5.0 rated, and Super Lawyers. All other attorney ratings are junk, and not peer-reviewed.

Many newly-admitted attorneys, including Atlanta DUI lawyer William C. Head in June of 1976, first had to be “generalists” when they first came out of law school, because any legal fee would provide an income and put food on the table. The same is often true for surgeons — they must start their medical careers on SOME patients, somewhere, to get started in their careers. Over time, you LEARN the “ropes” and go from a novice, and still “wet behind the ears” to an experienced expert in the field.

Are There Free Drunk Driving Lawyers?

For unemployed individuals, a public defender is ALWAYS available, but most knowledgeable Americans do not have much faith in an appointed criminal attorney, due to case overload in most Georgia courts. Plus, Georgia laws allow the Government to recover public defender costs paid by you.

While not all courts have aggressive collection practices, unless the person is totally acquitted of all charges, that is a debt. Plus, a Judge can make repayment of those costs part of probation, and put you in jail for non-payment, if it is not paid before the probation is concluded

But, a free DUI attorney is far better than no DUI lawyer at all. It is worth applying and seeing if anything can be suggested to avoid a DUI conviction, in your case.

So, the common answer to “Do I need a DUI lawyer?” is a resounding YES, of course. So, now we turn to differences in attorneys’ legal practice areas and (ultimately) to a discussion of lawyer fees for DUI.

If I Need the Best DUI Lawyer in Atlanta, What Will That Cost?

DUI attorney cost varies widely. Two simple maxims almost always hold true:

1. If a low fee is quoted by a Georgia attorney, then (statistically) a higher percentage of the clients retaining these lawyers for their cases end up with DUI convictions.
2. If a high fee is quoted by a law firm with top legal industry credentials, that private drunk driving defense attorney will be fighting your DUI case on all available legal issues. This means using every obscure legal theory or finding some hidden legal error or flaw in the arrest, booking, and ticket-writing process.

Looking for the best DUI lawyers for my local court location. These criminal defense professionals in the top echelon are “in it for the long haul,” for as long as it takes to get a victory. Plus, in many cases, additional legal work unrelated to the criminal cases will be needed.

In addition to being local attorneys with payment plans in metro Atlanta, all three partners at our DUI law firm in Atlanta GA are legal book co-authors. William Head has over 12 DUI books to his credit, as the author or co-author. Larry Kohn and Cory Yager each have two DUI law book co-authorship credentials, so far.

Most Clients Are Facing an Immediate Administrative License Suspension

For example, if hired immediately after arrest, helping a client make the “right decision” about installing an ignition interlock device may save the person tens of thousands of dollars. In accident cases, if our client was the “at-fault” driver, getting this client additional help from a top-rated civil practitioner is essential. This can help our client deal with insurance company demands and possible civil liability exposure is possibly worth millions of dollars.

This aggressive defense approach will include helping you to find the best solution for the administrative license suspension issues (at the start of your DUI GA case). In most cases will include your top criminal law attorney will file a stack of pre-trial motions seeking to exclude much of the State’s evidence before any trial is scheduled.

In the final analysis, logic tells you that if the high-priced legal professional is able to demand a higher fee, due to being successful, most of the time. Without “great” outcomes, he or she would not be able to stay in business by charging more than the cheap DUI lawyers.

As with finding a great surgeon, you want to find and hire the best nearby lawyers for DUI, since a botched surgery is the last thing that a person wants to experience. Plus, in the Internet era, the “victims” of botched surgeries will quickly spread the word about their bad outcomes.

Cost of an Attorney vs Cost of Being Convicted

The many, painful DUI penalties and long-term consequences of a DUI conviction will haunt you for decades, if not the remainder of your life.

When a valuable job is lost, this loss of future income can easily exceed a million dollars or more. It can be far more expensive to NOT fight a DUI case if a DUI is place on your criminal record. Performing community service hours, spending another day or two doing jail time, and paying fines, probation supervision fees and court fees for DUI charges seem to be “temporary.”

But then, the convicted person must deal with impediments and limitations on your future business and family plans for LIFE, since DUI convictions in Georgia cannot be expunged. So, the relatively minor DUI lawyer cost needed to hire the best DUI lawyer in Georgia is a mere pittance.

How much does a DUI cost over ten years? This calculation of the “DUI price” cannot merely look at the out-of-pocket costs for the guilty plea to a GA DUI. For example, if you can no longer rent a car from AVIS or Hertz, or travel to places like Canada, what is that “cost?”

Boosted car insurance rates will follow for at least three years. If you buy life insurance, your premiums will usually be higher, due to you showing higher risk behavior. Even loan rates can be non-preferred at banks, of your credit report picks up that conviction.

Ask Our DUI Lawyers About Our DUI Attorney Payment Plans

For most clients, DUI defense attorney fees at our DUI law firm can be paid in monthly increments since our criminal cases typically last for many months or even for years. The Pandemic that started in 2020 has stretched cases out for longer than usual, and now the flu has joined COVID-19 in impacting America.

When taking with one of our criminal lawyers, ask about our DUI attorney payment plans. Our legal team answer calls 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, including holidays and weekends. Our affordable nearby DUI lawyers know that citizens facing the embarrassment and humiliation of a DUI arrest in Georgia need to speak with knowledgeable legal counsel as soon as possible.

Call TODAY and speak to a law partner for a free consultation. Ask to receive your FREE PDF copy of Mr. Head’s 430-page drunk driving book for clients. After meeting with one of our partners, you’ll know that you have found good DUI lawyers near me, with top credentials and each having had over 1000 successful DUI case reductions.

Those who call will receive a FREE DUI case assessment and a FREE lawyer consultation from one of our award-winning DUI attorneys. 404-567-5515. Always know that in talking with us, you are not obligated to hire our firm’s DUI defense attorneys.

We will respect your privacy, and give you an overview of what your chances of success might be, based on the information you provide. Plus, our attorneys know other DWI-DUI lawyers nationwide, so you can ask us questions like, “How much do DUI lawyers cost in Michigan?”