Questions To Ask Your Arizona DUI Attorney

9 Questions You Should Always Ask When Hiring a DUI Defense Lawyer

Arizona’s DUI laws are strict, and in some circumstances it will be up to the police officer’s discretion to decide if you are too intoxicated to drive or not. They are also strict in the respect that you will need to go to jail if you are convicted, even if this is a first time offense. You will also be facing several other penalties, like fines, driver’s license suspension or revocation, court-ordered ignition interlock device use, community service, alcohol screening and treatment, driving school, and more. With all that’s up against you, you can either use a court-appointed public defender, or you can hire your own private defense attorney.

The process of hiring a private DUI defense attorney first involves scheduling consultations with licensed attorneys in your area (or the area where the arrest occurred). Before attending these consultations, whether in person or over the phone, you should prepare some questions to ask to help you determine which attorney is the best fit for you. Another factor you may want to consider is the cost of the consultation. At Arizona Zero Down DUI, your initial DUI consultation with an experienced defense attorney is 100% free of charge.

How Many Years Of Experience Do You Have Representing DUI Defendants?

Your attorney can tout years of experience, but years of worker’s compensation or eviction defense experience won’t do you much good when you’re facing DUI charges. You will want to ask attorneys you consult with how much experience they have in criminal defense, as well as DUI defense specifically. You should also confirm that this experience is in Arizona, as Arizona’s DUI laws are unique and the strictest in the country. Experienced Phoenix DUI defense attorneys know the evidence to seek out, the arguments to make, the results to reanalyze, and other minute parts of DUI defense that only come with years of specialized practice. Our criminal defense team at Arizona Zero Down DUI has decades of experience that will help you achieve the best possible outcome when facing DUI charges.

Will You Interview The Police As Part Of My Defense?

Building a strong defense against DUI charges means assembling evidence that supports your side of the story. One key part of this that many attorneys will neglect is interviewing the police. Our legal team will look for any possible crack in the prosecution’s case against you, which can start or end with an interview of the police who arrested you. Our expertise has taught us that the police are humans just like us, which means that they also make mistakes. The U.S. Constitution governs many aspects of a DUI arrest, and violations of these rights could actually be in your benefit. These mistakes could be a strong defense for your case, or even end in your charges being reduced or dropped.

What If I Don’t Want To Take a Plea Bargain?

Truth be told, it can be less work for an attorney to negotiate a plea bargain than defend a case at trial. And if the evidence is stacked against you, it may be better to accept penalties on the lower ends of Arizona’s mandatory ranges rather than go through the time and expense of trial with a high likelihood of being found guilty. So after going over the details of your case with an attorney during a consultation, you should then ask if the attorney foresees your case ending in a plea bargain, or if they would be willing to take it to trial. The attorney you choose should also have significant trial experience.

What Kind Of Knowledge Do You Have About Breathalyzer Test Results, As Well As Other Toxicology Tests?

Breathalyzer test results can come back inaccurate for several reasons, so your attorney should know about anything that could possibly throw off your results. Your attorney should also be aware of any potential issues with urine and blood test results. Your attorney should be looking for any way to weaken the prosecution’s case against you.

Do You Practice Any Areas Of Law Besides Criminal Defense?

Some attorneys offer a general practice, and will take almost any case that comes through their doors. At Arizona Zero Down DUI, we offer legal services in multiple areas of law. However, our criminal defense team only works on criminal defense cases- not bankruptcy, family law, or personal injury cases. This means your lawyer spends more time focused on DUI defense, and not distracted by other fields of law.

How Much Of Your Practice Is Devoted To DUI Defense?

Even when an attorney focuses on criminal defense, this doesn’t mean your attorney spends much time representing DUI defendants. For example, your attorney may spend 90% of their time on white collar crime defense, and dedicate 10% of their practice to DUI defense. That attorney won’t have the same knowledge of Arizona DUI laws and relationships with DUI judges and prosecutors as an attorney who devotes more time specifically to DUI defense.

What Kind Of Experience Does Your Legal Team, i.e., Paralegals & Legal Assistants, Have?

Many attorneys choose to reduce costs by hiring an answering service instead of maintaining a legal support staff. If you don’t ask, you may never even be aware of this fact. While obviously it’s highly important to find a quality defense attorney, many people facing DUI charges prefer hiring a firm with a dedicated legal staff. It’s even better if that staff has experience in criminal defense specifically. Sometimes, your attorney will be busy in trial and unable to take your calls. Being able to speak to a legal assistant or paralegal who has significant knowledge about your case, as well as about Arizona DUI law, can put your mind at ease in the meantime. At Arizona Zero Down DUI, we have support staff dedicated specifically to Arizona criminal defense cases so that your case can receive the special attention it deserves.

What Methods Of Contact Do You Have Available?

Fighting DUI charges is stressful, and can be even more stressful if you aren’t able to get in touch with your attorney. In fact, that’s the reason many people decide to hire a private defense attorney in the first place- public defenders are well known for having high caseloads and less time to spend on each client. But depending on your schedule, among other factors, it may also be important that your attorney offers multiple methods of communication. Your attorney will let you know if phone calls or emails are preferable, and if text message communication is available.

Contact Our Zero Down DUI Attorneys In Phoenix For Assistance

A DUI arrest in Arizona doesn’t have to mean the end of life as you know it. That’s why you should entrust your case with a lawyer with the experience and resources to defend you properly. Our Phoenix DUI defense attorney and legal team have years of experience representing those charged with DUI.

This includes decades of trial experience- our firm can do more than just take a plea bargain for you, and will defend you at trial if necessary. Better yet, we offer competitive rates and affordable payment plans so that you can have options besides representation by a public defender. To learn more about the benefits of hiring our firm to represent you in your DUI case, call or use our online form to request your free consultation today.

Arizona Offices:

Mesa Location:
1731 West Baseline Rd., Suite #100
Mesa, AZ 85202
Office: (480) 448-9800
Email: [email protected]

Phoenix Location:
343 West Roosevelt,Suite #100
Phoenix, AZ 85003
Office: (602) 609-7000
Email: [email protected]

Glendale Location:
20325 N 51st Avenue Suite #134, Building 5
Glendale, AZ 85308
Office: (602) 509-0955
Email: [email protected]

Tucson Location:
2 East Congress St., Suite #900-6A
Tucson, AZ 85701
Office: (520) 441-1450
Email: [email protected]

Avondale Location:
12725 W. Indian School Rd., Ste E, #101
Avondale, AZ 85392
Office: (623) 399-4222
Email: info@arizonazerodowndui