DUI with bodily injury

[LBJJ]

DUI with greatly bodily injury. I am combat veteran that has a substance abuse problem. I have a clean record and honorable discharge. First time in trouble. I got a recommended lawyer who helps veterans but his experience was in another county (Orange Counth, CA). My case is in Los Angeles County. First time we went to court he didn't know anyone there. After doing a little more research on him, i found out that he especilizes more in Estate Law. The DA recommended 4 yrs and 4 months. His strategy to handle my case was not to let the DA know that I was a veteran yet. I pleaded not guilty and no plea deal. Before my next court date, I decided to switch lawyers. The next one impressed me because he claims he knows the judges and the DA and he is buddies with him. He seems great and i paid him a little more of the third of his flat fee to represend me. But now, he is pushing to pay him the remaining when my other lawyer refunds me unearned fees. He is being pushy and wants cash or travelers check. He hasn't even appeared im court yet. Most of his reviews are great and suberb in avvo but a few reviews (one star) that he is not well respected in the courthouse like he claims. And that I should run. My gut tells me it is probably true. He is a good saleman. I'll give him that. My problem is that my next courtday is in one week. I don't know exactly what to do. Should I wait for him to make his first appearance or should I start networking and get another lawyer? This will be my third one. I have always been a law abiding citizen. I just made a stupid mistake. As soon as i was bailed out from jail, I got myself into an outpatient substance abuse program with the VA. I am going to AA meetings regurlarly and also PTSD treatment. I also was assigned a psychiatrist. My old lawyer used to care about those things. This new lawyer hasn't asked me anything about my treatment. I sincerely don't know what to do. Any advise would be truly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[mightymoose]

I don't think anyone here can help you choose a lawyer. That is a decision you must make on your own.

 

[army judge]

You can appear in court as directed.

At that appearance you can ask the judge to be heard, when allowed to speak, you simply announce that you're firing your lawyer.

The judge might ask why, if she doesn't, don't mention the reason.

If she allows you to fire your lawyer, she'll probably give you anywhere from four to six weeks to hire a replacement.

The replacement will be your third lawyer.

Chose wisely, because you might not get a chance to fire another lawyer.

I'm a combat veteran, did four tours in Nam, received the Distinguished Service Cross, two silver stars, three bronze stars, numerous other awards and decorations, retired as an O7.

If I were to get into a fistfight, which I'd never do, I could probably se my military service to get a tongue lashing and a fine,

If I were to stand accused of a felony, my service would mean nothing insofar as a serious felony charge.

No attorney, including the greatest lawyer I know, ME, could get me off on my service efforts alone.

My service achievements would only count after I'd been convicted for any consideration for probation.

Good luck, and start your search for a new lawyer.

Be advised, the judge might not allow you to fire this lawyer, so think very carefully about what you're going to do.

You might be best served to talk to your current attorney and see if things can be I proved.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[zddoodah]

His strategy to handle my case was not to let the DA know that I was a veteran yet.

Just FYI, that's a pretty stupid strategy given that your status as a veteran is utterly irrelevant.

He seems great and i paid him a little more of the third of his flat fee to represend me. But now, he is pushing to pay him the remaining when my other lawyer refunds me unearned fees.

Any decent criminal defense attorney is going to require full payment up front.

He is being pushy and wants cash or travelers check.

Do traveler's checks even exist anymore?

Most of his reviews are great and suberb in avvo but a few reviews (one star) that he is not well respected in the courthouse like he claims.

Relying on online reviews is foolish. Online reviews are overwhelmingly and disproportionately posted by folks who have had bad experiences and have axes to grind.

Should I wait for him to make his first appearance or should I start networking and get another lawyer?

At the end of the day, none of the anonymous strangers here or on any other online message board have any personal stake in what you do. All I will tell you is that making decisions like this based solely on online reviews would be foolish.

 

[leslie82]

DUI with greatly bodily injury. I am combat veteran that has a substance abuse problem. I have a clean record and honorable discharge. First time in trouble. I got a recommended lawyer who helps veterans but his experience was in another county (Orange Counth, CA). My case is in Los Angeles County. First time we went to court he didn't know anyone there. After doing a little more research on him, i found out that he especilizes more in Estate Law. The DA recommended 4 yrs and 4 months. His strategy to handle my case was not to let the DA know that I was a veteran yet. I pleaded not guilty and no plea deal. Before my next court date, I decided to switch lawyers. The next one impressed me because he claims he knows the judges and the DA and he is buddies with him. He seems great and i paid him a little more of the third of his flat fee to represend me. But now, he is pushing to pay him the remaining when my other lawyer refunds me unearned fees. He is being pushy and wants cash or travelers check. He hasn't even appeared im court yet. Most of his reviews are great and suberb in avvo but a few reviews (one star) that he is not well respected in the courthouse like he claims. And that I should run. My gut tells me it is probably true. He is a good saleman. I'll give him that. My problem is that my next courtday is in one week. I don't know exactly what to do. Should I wait for him to make his first appearance or should I start networking and get another lawyer? This will be my third one. I have always been a law abiding citizen. I just made a stupid mistake. As soon as i was bailed out from jail, I got myself into an outpatient substance abuse program with the VA. I am going to AA meetings regurlarly and also PTSD treatment. I also was assigned a psychiatrist. My old lawyer used to care about those things. This new lawyer hasn't asked me anything about my treatment. I sincerely don't know what to do. Any advise would be truly appreciated. Thanks!

Only you can make a choice in lawyers. I hope you take the resources you're using seriously. Next time you might kill someone.

 

[ElleMD]

I'd think long and hard before attempting to find a 3rd lawyer. You are bound to have difficulty finding someone willing to take your case. No one wants to work for a client who lawyer hops. If you fired 2 already, why would a 3rd expect you to treat them any differently? I can virtually guarantee that even if your find a willing lawyer, that person isn't going to put full effort into a case and is going to want the full fee up front. The time to evaluate a lawyer's record is before you retain them, not the week before trial.