If you’re speaking to an attorney who tells you they have handled DWI cases, ask them how many times they have actually taken a DWI case to Jury Trial? Ask them to explain what HGN is and what NHTSA stands for? Ask them who the training officers in the Lubbock area are? Have they ever trained law enforcement in DWI at Texas Tech, Lubbock Police Department or the Lubbock County Sheriff’s office? Have they been trained in law enforcement techniques? If they can’t fluently answer questions about DWI, standardized field sobriety tasks and the keys to a successful defense, save your money.

Has the lawyer been trained by local law enforcement in the Standardized Field Sobriety Testing by NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that sets the guidelines for the Lubbock Police Department, Lubbock County Sheriff’s Department, the Department of Public Safety and all other West Texas law enforcement? Has the Attorney you are interviewing actually TRAINED officers and judges in DWI trial tactics and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing? You’ll need that attorney who not only knows what these guidelines are, but who has also trained the actual officers, prosecutors and judges.

Confirm your Lawyer is a member of the Lubbock County Bar Association, the Lubbock County Criminal Defense Association, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and licensed by the Supreme Court of the State of Texas. Ask the attorney if he/she practices in the county where you are charged. Ask the attorney if he/she has a working relationship with the prosecutor/s in the county where you are charged. Membership with these organizations and working relationships with prosecutors indicates that your attorney is committed to defending you in criminal matters in Lubbock and West Texas Counties and has a good reputation with the local and regional prosecutors.

Ask yourself if you would rather have a lawyer who has tried more cases than the Prosecutor and understands the guidelines and laws better than the arresting officer regarding your BAC tests, related equipment, field sobriety tests, alcohol physiology. Or would you rather have an attorney who is going to immediately get you a plea offer and sign you up for a guilty plea? If he or she suggests they are going to get you probation in lieu of jail, reduce your fines, etc., prior to asking for discovery, reviewing the police report, video and all other evidence pertaining to your case, there’s a good chance they’ve already decided to lose, and likely don’t understand DWI enough to take a case to trial, nor want to.

Ask the right questions! Many lawyers do not want to go to trial. Many lawyers claim to be trial attorneys but haven’t seen the inside of a courtroom in years (if ever). It is essential that your attorney have a reputation for going the distance, not planning your punishment by pre-convicting you. You don’t need a lawyer to help you plead guilty, a guilty plea is FREE! You can arrange that yourself.

Would you hire a brain surgeon to perform heart surgery? How proficient and specialized can you expect an attorney not experienced in DWI will be given its scientific and technical complexities? Is your attorney aware of the importance of requesting and ALR hearing? Is your attorney aware of the severe future consequences a DWI can have on your record? Remember, in any business, but especially in the criminal defense business, you get what you pay for!