An attorney will usually bill a flat rate for criminal cases like DWIs, although some bill by the hour. I have done that for certain cases, but a case like a DWI is usually billed with a flat rate fee.
A flat rate would generally mean that the client knows upfront what the cost is. The lawyer has calculated in his mind how much he should charge based upon the amount of time he would be putting into the case. After all, he will only have a certain number of hours in the week, and he must use them for running his office, handling his other cases, and administering every kind of job required from a lawyer.
A low cost lawyer, on the other hand, would only do it for one of two reasons. He either has no overhead, so he does not have other things to pay. Alternately, he does not plan on spending any time on the case.
An attorney who offers to represent someone for a DWI for $500 is probably intending to spend a very small amount of time on the case. An attorney like this usually ends up with minimal results.
Generally, an attorney like this only plans on doing one interview. After that, he plans on seeing the client at court so he can walk the client up to plead guilty. He does this because he thinks he can be out early that day, so he doesn’t have a trial or any continuances. This is not the kind of lawyer who would get the desired results.
A lawyer who will not strategize with the client will probably not get good results. Thusly, the client would have to be willing to pay to get the effort needed to win the case. This is like purchasing a guitar, a piano, or a car. The person would get more with greater payment because the qualities that the person loved would cost money, time, and energy, things a low cost simply doesn’t cover.
Would It Be Worth It To Take Out A Loan To Pay For The Attorney? If Yes, Why?
It would definitely be worth it to hire a more expensive, good lawyer for an important case like a DWI. Someone who got charged with a DWI would have a lot to lose. They could lose their driver’s license, their freedom, a lot of money, their reputation, and perhaps their job.
Some people even lose the right to stay in this country, like the many immigrants who I represent. They have so much to lose, and they need somebody who is good enough to give them a decent shot at winning. If that requires getting a loan, then perhaps that would be the way to go.
Someone who knew they would never be able to come up with enough money to hire a good lawyer would probably be able to get a court-appointed lawyer. This is a lawyer provided by the court to people who are indigent. Having a court-appointed lawyer is much better than having no lawyer at all.
If it costs more to get the lawyer who would give the person time and expend the energy and the effort for the defense strategy, then the person should get the money to hire that person. This attorney would give the client strength to validate their choice to fight. Later on, when everything is finished, the person would not be able to come back and fight it again. The case would be over, and they would not be able to redo it.
Many people call their lawyer a long time after their case is over and ask to have it expunged because it’s hurting their lives. By that time, however, the record cannot be expunged. It’s too late. The time to fight it and get the money is when the case is still happening. If the person fights now, the person would not have any regrets that they left themselves exposed later.
How Much Is The Cost Of An Attorney Versus A Total Cost Of The Charge?
If the person hired a good lawyer, then it’s the lawyer’s job to get the client a better result. Recently, for example, I was in court for a trial date with a client who was involved in a possession of marijuana charge.
We both knew that for good or for bad, we would finish the case that day. He had paid $1,500 for me to be there with him, and we got the case dismissed because I thought there was a flaw in the government’s case. He did not have his license suspended, he did not have to pay the court cost, he did not have to do community service, he did not have to go to jail, and he did not have any requirements whatsoever. I had done my job.
Of course, it does not turn out quite so brilliantly sometimes. Many times, however, it does. It was a huge savings for the client to not have to do all those things, spend that time, and keep up with those requirements.
Someone can be fined a particular amount for most misdemeanors, like the DWI. Fines ramp up to $2,500 in Virginia. The fine will not be very different if the person wins or loses. The court will give something between a $300 and $600 fine, which the person would ultimately have to pay, whether they won or lost and whether or not they had a lawyer.
Thusly, the opportunity to win, not go to jail, or decrease the charge to reckless driving may not translate into dollars quite so easily. However, these cases are worth a lot of money, and people do pay a lot to try to get their cases changed from one thing to another. This way, they can preserve their driver’s license, their record, their job, and their good name. I definitely think it’s worth it.
Should A Client Go With The Lowest Price, Or Should He Look At Other Factors To Help Make The Decision?
The price is a nice factor. It’s nice to feel that an attorney is cheaper, because the dollar resonates with everybody. There are many more factors that someone should consider, however, when deciding on an attorney.
If a few attorneys seemed similar in experience, then the client must look for the attorney’s courtroom demeanor and willingness to fight and not back down. This is really important. The attorney with that drive to succeed would probably be worth the extra money.
The price alone should definitely not be the only thing considered, although it often draws people away simply because it is so attractive. Really, there is more to it than that.
Is There Such A Thing As An Attorney Who Charges Too Much Money?
There are probably attorneys who charge too much. If an attorney talks a client into spending a huge amount of money on a case, then he probably did a very good job convincing them he is doing something special for the fees.
Perhaps this attorney convinced the client that he was the only person in town who could get the expected and needed results. The client, however, should want to confirm whether the results promised are actually achievable when the fee becomes disproportionately high.
If the attorney made some wild promises, or if the client assumed the attorney could work miracles because he was so expensive or good, then the client would need to check their assumptions. Of course, however, good lawyers generally cost more than bad ones.
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