Do DUI lawyers take payments? – What if I can’t afford an attorney for DUI?

Posted in DUI,General on October 25, 2021

If a person is facing criminal charges in general, but specifically for a DUI (Driving Under the Influence), a person has a right to representation, whether the representation is hired or not. When a person is facing a DUI charge at arraignment the judge will tell them the type of bail they assign, if the judge decides to assign bail, then the judge will ask the defendant if they have a lawyer or can afford one, if the answer is not, the judge will send the defendant to the Public Defender’s office to have an attorney assigned to them. According to the Constitution of the United States Amendment Six a person has the right to representation when faced with criminal charges. If a person does not have an attorney or cannot afford one, the courts will appoint an attorney to handle the case. Both court appointed and private attorneys have a job to provide their client the best representation they can provide in the court of law, especially acting in the best interest of the client. The Public Defender’s office and court appointed attorneys do have a chance of having many cases, while private attorneys are able to pick their cases so may have a lesser number of cases active at the same time so they may be able to spend more time focusing on their client. In attempts to help ease the financial burden that facing criminal charges in a court of law can bring, some attorneys are now offering payment plans to still enable people who may not be able to afford an outright fee to still have access to non-court appointed attorneys. These law practices understand the stress, confusion, and financial burden that may result from court cases and dealing with the legal system, with payment plans these law practices try to make themselves more assessable to those who may not normally be able to afford or have access to these resources. Many attorneys who are criminal defense attorneys do happen to take cases of driving under the influence (DUI) and some of these attorneys do offer payment plans or more affordable prices to better serve those who need their services. A number of attorneys who handle criminal cases sometimes have a retainer of a certain amount then charging against that hourly of how much work is done on the case, which attorney is taking care of the case will determine the hourly rates and costs. DUI charges can have long lasting affects on a person’s record, possibly excluding someone from being able to attain certain jobs, it might cause large increases in automobile insurance costs, and will keep a person from using a good driving record defense to get traffic tickets dismissed in the future. This may be a reason why someone would want to hire a private attorney to defend them during their trial and ensure they have the best representation available to them. Attorneys, private or court appointed, cannot ethically give promises, or guarantees except that they will provide the best service they can and will do their best to provide their clients with the legal representation that they need.

The Law Offices of Stefanie A. Murphy does accept payment plans. The attorneys are able and willing to work out a monthly payment plan that works for you. The office also accepts credit cards if that helps. Before you think you can’t afford an attorney, call the office today. 401-316-9423