Oklahoma DUI Dump Truck Lawyer
DUMP TRUCK LAWYERS
Don’t get dumped by an unconcerned lawyer
A judge is a law student
who marks his own examination papers.
L. MENCKEN
“Dump Truck” is what attorneys call other lawyers who only want to dump their clients by quickly pleading them guilty instead of offering a vigorous defense. Unfortunately, there are a number of such lawyers, and they can be spotted in several ways.
Warning signs of a ‘Dump Truck’ lawyer are any attorney who:
- Quickly leads the conversation into a discussion about plea bargaining as the primary focus (unless there are complications with the case which can only be discovered after reviewing the facts of your case).
- Promises to get it all taken care of quickly with no appearance/effort by you. One such attorney advertises “No court appearances, No time off work.” You cannot fight the charges that way. Not surprisingly, his ad also says “low cost.”
- Promises low cost and quality representation. These are two traits that you do not find at the same time. If the attorney is primarily selling himself as a low fee alternative, it means he is either not as well qualified or he will spend little or no time in preparing the case. Far too often, both happen in DUI cases.
- Quotes a low fee over the phone after a very short conversation. He has already decided he will just go through the motions necessary to plea your case. It is reasonable to spend 1 to 1 ½ hours with a reasonable qualified attorney before deciding to hire him. There should not be a fee for this initial consultation.
- Meets you for the first time at court and wants money to be there. This is not representing you. He doesn’t even KNOW WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOUR CASE INVOLVES! Your first meeting should be in an office and it should be a detailed investigation into the case. Only then, can the lawyer give an initial evaluation and advise you properly about the next stages that your case should take.
- Operates his/her firm with no office staff and meets you at a restaurant or law library because he has no actual office. It takes a great deal of preparation to properly defend a DUI case and a lawyer should have staff members to assist not only the lawyer, but you the client when you call with a question. Who answers their phones when they are in court and even worse, do you want your lawyer leaving the courtroom during your case to take a cell phone call.
You should be assured the attorney and his staff are capable, willing, and ready to TAKE YOUR CASE TO TRIAL. In any discussion of your case, you deserve to be represented from a position of strength rather than weakness.