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Most lawyers do not post their legal fees online. The reason they don’t is because generally each case is different and there may be a fluctuation in prices between clients. However, you should have a starting point for the cost of DUI lawyers in Washington, DC. The cost of the DUI attorney depends primarily on the experience of the attorney and the amount of training the attorney has had in DUI law. There are other reasons why the cost can fluctuate between attorneys, such as attorney overhead.

Training/Partnerships

When I talk about training I don’t mean law school. All lawyers have to pass the bar and that’s why I’m not talking about the bar. DUI law is an area of ​​the law that requires additional training beyond law school and the bar. The attorney’s continuing legal education is important because laws change and the DUI attorney must be aware of the changes. For example, DUI attorneys must be trained or “qualified” by the National Highway Safety Administration’s Standardized Field Sobriety Course. This course is typically 25-40 hours of classroom instruction. It is the same class that police officers must take to give citizens the standardized field sobriety test on the streets. Another example that DUI attorneys can take to improve their knowledge is to attend the annual national training in Las Vegas once a year hosted by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National College for DUI Defense. Here, some of the best DUI lawyers in the country share their knowledge with other DUI attorneys. Generally, the more training your lawyer has, the more you will pay.

Experience

The experience can only come through time. Yes, aging sucks, but through age comes wisdom. Just as it takes a young doctor years before he can polish up and gain experience in his field, the same is true of lawyers. It’s hard for an attorney to get out of law school and start trying DUI cases because they have a level of complexity. As you know, there are many lawyers in the country. Just because the lawyer is licensed to practice in court does not mean that he has the experience to handle all types of cases. Generally, the more experience your lawyer has, the more you will have to pay.

Office and general expenses

This is the area that you will never hear the lawyer talk to the client about. However, the truth is that the client pays the overhead of the DUI attorney. The lawyer can do the job cheaper and faster if he uses technology to change the cost. For example, a lawyer must provide documents to his client; however, shipping by post is slow and costs more. Using the Internet and a closed portal system, the lawyer can communicate with the client, provide dates, share documents and communicate with the client more effectively and save money. If your lawyer is still using paper documents and by mail, it is costing you more money. Times have changed and DUI attorneys need to be more efficient with their productivity. The other part of the attorney’s overhead is office space. This is where the costs of the 2 lawyers differ equally. If the attorney has to pay for marble floors and expensive staff, he passes the cost on to you. We understand that some customers feel that if you have beautiful marble floors and beautiful paintings on the wall, then it must be good. This is not necessarily true. Remember, this is your money at work. Without a doubt, the more your lawyer pays for his overhead, the more you will pay for his services.

So what should you pay for a good DC DUI lawyer?

Like most urban courthouses, the dockets are overcrowded and therefore an attorney spends more time waiting for cases to be called, making the cost of a DUI in DC more expensive than, say, in a courthouse. rural. In the District of Columbia there is a minimum of 2 court appearances for DUI cases. Below are estimates of the typical cost of a DC DUI attorney.

1^street offenses

The cost of a DUI lawyer for a first offense bench trial is generally between $2000.00 and $3000.00 dollars. If you pay a DUI lawyer less than $1000.00, you will probably get what is known as a “dump truck” lawyer. He just declares you at the first opportunity. Remember, a lawyer has a duty to investigate, consult and prepare the case regardless of whether the case goes to trial. Trials typically last one day or less, but can be spread out based on the court’s schedule.

2^n/a Crimes, 3^rd cost of offense

Jury trial for a DUI in the District of Columbia is a minimum of $4000.00 -$6000.00 depending on the facts. Jury trials typically last a day or two, not including waiting for the verdict.

Beware of any lawyer who gives guarantees. In fact, there are no guarantees. The only guarantee that a lawyer should give you if you are charged with a DUI is that he zealously defends you within the limits of the law.

Remember that if an expert is used in the trial, the cost could be higher because the client is usually responsible for all of the expert’s fees. This also does not include representation before the DMV. Representation before the DMV is usually a “stay of proceedings” pending the outcome of the DC Superior Court proceedings. The typical cost of DMV representation is $300.00 to $500.00.