Comprehensive Arizona DUI Information
all lawyers are not created equal...
And some will try to CON YOU.
Some DUI lawyers have reputations for always pleading their clients out. This type of lawyer is a non-threat to prosecutors. Beware of the following sales pitch from this type of lawyer:
SCENARIO: This is your first DUI in Phoenix Municipal Court. You blew a 0.099 on the Intoxilyzer 5000. You are charged with DUI with a BAC of 0.080 or higher, and DUI while impaired to the slightest degree.
SALES PITCH FROM LAWYER WHO WILL TAKE YOUR MONEY AND SELL YOU OUT: "I can get you a deal. I will get the prosecutor to drop one of the DUI charges in exchange for you pleading guilty to the other. You will only have to do one day in Sheriff Joe's 'Tent City'."
ANALYSIS: Tell that lawyer thanks for nothing. The reality is, this hypothetical client would likely be offered that exact deal with or without a lawyer. Such a "deal" (which by the way is no deal at all) requires NO work whatsoever on the attorney's part, other than showing up to court. Depending on how the case plays out, this may be the best deal the prosecutor will offer without going to trial (keep in mind that it is against the law for prosecutors to plea bargain DUIs without a good reason)... however, an attorney who tries to sell you this "deal" at the initial meeting is one to look out for.
Prosecutors often give deals because they are afraid of losing (although some prosecutors, due to policy restraints, will never give deals in Arizona DUI cases). An attorney who will never take them to trial and make them prove their case is not a threat. If the lawyer is more interested in your money than in winning, best to let somebody else be his/her sucker.
RETURN TO THE HOW TO HIRE A DUI LAWYER PAGE