DON'T MAKE THESE COMMON MISTAKES!
Don't wait to hire an attorney.The deck is already stacked against you. The police have already done an investigation in your case. I want start working immediately to get information from you and other potential witnesses. People forget. People move. If you snooze, you loose.
Don't miss court hearings and deadlines.
The deck is already stacked against you. The police have already done an investigation in your case. I want start working immediately to get information from you and other potential witnesses. People forget. People move. If you snooze, you loose.
Don't talk to anyone but an attorney about your case.
Anything you say to anybody, except an attorney can be used against you. This includes prosecutors, police officers and alcohol counselors. Talk to your attorney before talking to anyone.
Don't attempt to handle your own defense
You would not consider performing your own brain surgery. Books can not teach you to adequately represent yourself in court.
Don't think that you will be able to get an attorney to help you handle your case on your own.
You would probably not even consider changing the transmission on your car unless you are a trained mechanic. You would not even consider extracting you own tooth even if you were a dentist. There is an old saying among attorneys that an attorney who represents himself in court has a fool for a client.
If it is a mistake for an attorney to represent himself or herself in court then it is even more of a mistake for someone who is not an attorney to try to represent themselves. A surgeon could not teach you to take out your own appendix.
Don't be fooled. You can not buy a book or talk to an attorney (or even dozens of attorneys) and learn to represent yourself in court. You need an attorney.
Don't hire an attorney based on the amount of fees.
Every one wants a good deal, but sometimes the lowest price is not the best deal. Your freedom is at risk. Get the best representation you can afford. Often attorney's with lower prices do not have much experience with DUI's or they do not intend to spend a lot of time working on your case
Don't wait to get a public defender.
He will not work on your behalf until if and when he is appointed by the court to represent you. He will not stop the department of Licensing from revoking your license. The court will not appoint an attorney for you unless you are indigent. Court appointed attorneys have a very heavy case load and work on a very tight budget. The state has full-time, well paid prosecutors working to convict you
By that time valuable time will have been wasted. Remember the state has already done it's investigation and has full time, well paid, prosecutors who want to convict you.
MAYBE you can get a public defender, if you meet the financial guidelines but ... do you really want one?
In a press release dated March 1, 2004 ACLU director said, "Inadequacies in our system for providing indigent defense services means that many impoverished people in Washington are not guaranteed adequate legal representation."
In a press release dated April 5, 2004 the ACLU stated that "Grant County officials have mismanaged the county's public defense system and allowed it to descend into chaos...county judges are seeking to conscript unqualified attorneys to do public defense work. the situation is intolerable".
Also see the articles in the Seattle Post Intelligencer on April 3, 2004 and April 6, 2004 written by Chris McGann.
Don't hire a cheap attorney.
There are two reasons that an attorney is cheap:
1) They do not have much experience; or
2) They do not intend spend a lot of time working on your case.
Do hire the best attorney you can afford.
Your chances of getting a favorable resolution of your case will improved if you hire the best attorney you can to represent you on your DUI.
Yes, I know that you probably cannot afford to hire the same attorney's that represented O. J. Simpson or Michael Jackson but you really don't want to do that anyway. Those attorney's do not regularly practice law in Washington nor do they regularly represent people charged with DUI.
I will fight for you. I have had over 25 years of experience representing people just like you who are charged with criminal offenses, like DUI, right here in the State of Washington.
Don't give up hope.
There is hope that you can keep your license and stay out of jail. If you give up you have lost before you start.
Do let me fight for you.
Call today and schedule a free appointment to see me as soon as possible so that I can show you how I can help you. Call (206) 246-3333 and tell the receptionist that you want to schedule an appointment.
I look forward to helping you. Call now.
Joseph A. Breidenbach
Attorney at Law
149 SW 154th
Burien, WA 98166
(206) 246-3333
Disclaimer: The information contained in this website is to educate. Nothing in these pages should be relied on as legal advice. If you have been stopped for a DUI, whether or not you think that you have been, or will be charged with a DUI or other criminal or criminal traffic offense, you should consult a qualified DUI defense Attorney as soon as possible. Laws change frequently and the information provided in this website, or in the links to outside sources, is not guaranteed to be current. This website does not constitute legal advise and in not a substitute for the professional judgment of an attorney who has had the opportunity to review all the facts of your case under the laws and regulations in effect at the time.