I often tell potential clients that I am definitely not the cheapest lawyer out there, and I’m proud of that. It all boils down to what kind of service you are looking for. One of my colleagues sums it up by saying, “Good lawyers aren’t cheap, and cheap lawyers aren’t good.” If you are just looking to get your case over with as quickly as possible and don’t really care what kind of result you get (such as a criminal conviction that can cost you your job or your professional license such as a license to be a teacher or practice medicine), then I would suggest you go with a cheaper lawyer. However, if you are considering fighting your criminal or DUI charge or you want a thorough assessment of your case and all of your legal options before deciding whether or not to fight your charge, a cheap lawyer is definitely not the way to go. Contrary to some popular conceptions, the vast majority of work that a lawyer performs on a criminal or DUI case takes place outside of the courtroom.

Picking a lawyer for your criminal or DUI charge is a very important decision that will affect many things in your future. As mentioned above, a criminal or DUI charges can carry some significant collateral consequences. Some charges can lead to the loss of your job, your professional license, and even your freedom. Hiring a lawyer to thoroughly examining you criminal or DUI case instead of just showing up to court to do a guilty plea without examining anything definitely costs more money. You may save a couple dollars now by hiring a cheap lawyer who could very likely not look at everything that he should, but then you could have to pay for it continuously in the future. Money can always be made back, but you can’t take back days in jail or the loss of a job or a professional license.

I have gotten phone calls from people who chose to go another route and ended up getting a terrible result. At that point there isn’t much that can be done. I think the best thing to do if you are charged with something is to seek counsel who will thoroughly examine your case so that you can be fully informed of all your options and possibly fight your charge or charges. That way you won’t have regrets later on.

In short, in any line of service, the old adage is true, “You get what you pay for.”