OT: Atlanta DUI Lawyer Referral

Hi, A young brother (22yo) of a friend in Atlanta got charged with DUI last week (0.14). He was also charged with failure to maintain his lane. Apparently, he saw the police in his mirror, which is what caused him to swerve. He saw a lawyer through his friend's referral, but the fee was $6,000, which this guy cannot afford. Can anyone provide any insight into likely outcomes, and suggest a lawyer in Atlanta who would be reasonably priced? What I have heard from my friend is that he is likely to be found guilty, and the issue is what the penalty will be. Our layperson view is that it is not worth paying $6,000 for a lawyer, when a $2,000 lawyer will achieve a very similar result. FWIW, his hearing will be with Judge Sloane (not sure if that is the correct spelling). Any advice/tips appreciated. Thanks, winovin

He was driving around drunk and he was guilty. I'd just wear some nice clothes, be respectful to the judge, and admit I was an idiot and take what they gave me. I'd use the thousands of dollars I saved for taxi/bus fare.

ElTorrente, Agreed on the first part (nothing rubs me more than drunk drivers, in any context), but a DUI is not something to be taken lightly. I wouldn't recommend anyone go lawyer-less at such a hearing... It could mean the difference between a fine and jail time. winovin, sorry, but I do not know anyone in Atlanta Wish I could be more helpful. Have you consulted the almighty Google? Justin

One bit of advice that I think is universal for dui defendents--join AA immediatly, even if he doesn't have a drinking problem. I don't know about Atlanta law but some jurisdictions have a diversion program that will allow for the DUI to be reduced to a reckeless driving or some other less serious offense after counseling and sobriety testing. Joining AA helps show the defendent is motivated to avoid future incidents. It is helpful that there was no property damage or bodily injury. I suspect that there will still be a serious fine and maybe a license suspension or a drive to work only license. A DUI is rarely a walk because MADD puts observers in the court room to keep tabs on the judge. I also think going to the hearing without counsel is just asking for jail time. The judge may take pity but that's a huge gamble. Of course 30 days in county may be worth saving $6k but that's a personal decision.

Another thought -- he might trying calling the public defenders office. Even if he doesn't qualify for the PD they may be able to make a referral to someone that charges less.

Another thing, I wouldn't use the old, "I swerved only because I saw the cop in my mirror" defense..

Drunk driving is indefensible. I think what he needs is some jail time.

I agree that the guy is an idiot, but there are some odd circumstances. Over the course of the evening, he had 5 drinks, same as his friend. The police only gave him a breath test (not a blood test at the station). His friend was eating food as well, but the police tested his friend and he was under the limit, and was allowed to drive the car home.

In New Jersey, the allowable limit is .08. In the lead post of this thread, the driver's blood alcohol level was said to be .14 (which is nearly 20% higher than the legal limit here in New Jersey). It really doesn't matter how many drinks he had, over what period he drank, or whether he ate food as he drank. HE WAS DRUNK AND HE WAS DRIVING. Drivers so impaired kill and maim innocent people every day. I hope you never lose a loved one to a drunk driver.

So do I, but that isn't what the original poster asked.

I have no tolerence for a drunk driver because of past history. I would say let him learn a valuable lesson in life and maybe he wont get into the same predicament again.

Well I hope he learn't his lesson. DUI is a Class A or B Misdemeanor, meaning he may likely face jail time but almost definetely a restricted license. I know of someone who was stopped in VA with a BAC level of 0.13 and the judge ordered the following; 12 Months restricted, AA classes with Alcohol safety program and a $450 fine - take into conderation this was his first ever offence, never had a point on his license and hired an experienced lawyer (no where near the 6g that you got quoted!), if you ask me he was very very lucky. Good luck to him and dress/speak accordingly.

I know the goal is to get the kid an affordable lawyer, But when I saw such an abuse of alcohol (blood alcohol level was .14), I felt compelled to "preach" rather than give the guy a referral. You and I might both agree, I think, that jail time (rather than a fine) might be a better societal deterrent for such dangerous on-road behavior. If my memory serves me correctly, approximately forty percent of traffice fatalities are alcohol related.

Yeah definitely don't cheap out on a public defendant. I don't know if 6k is the going rate for GA but I doubt it. My buddy was pulled over on a Federal PKWY(US PARK Police are pretty strict) on a DUI in the DC area. He paid $1k for an attorney, and 12 months probation, 1rst offense.

... the problem is that many who drunk and drive don't get it and many don't learn their lesson until they kill someone. It's easy to say that he will not do it again, but I'd take a bet that he will.

That's definitely true no matter what the punishment. The same for Red light runners, speeders, etc...

This kid needs to solve his own problems. He'll never learn anything with favors and passes. Tell him to smoke two joints and spit at the judge. That should help the situation................

M3killa, What does that have to do with requesting a referral for an attorney? Nothing here about favors, just looking for a defence attorney. Thanks to all those providing constructive responses. I don't think the guy knew to ask for a blood test (don't know if you can do that in GA), but there does seem something strange in 2 people who have 5 drinks each, and one is .14, the other is less than .08. Also, FWIW, he did pass the field sobriety test. Does this have any bearing?

People metabolize alcohol differently. Simple as that. You can't use one guy's BAC as any sort of indication of another person's BAC. The guy had 5 drinks and he was legally drunk. Period. I feel nervous driving after just one drink, but FIVE? That's just foolish. In fact, he knew he was drunk - hence his swerving just from seeing a cop in his rear-view. "OMG cops!!!!! holy crap!!!!" - yeah that's not the reactions of a sober driver with nothing to worry about.

The general sentiment in the thread (although deviating from the original request) is that there's no sympathy for DUI and getting caught. Now, I hate to see someone go to jail, but let's face it - he couldn't claim he thought he was okay, as he had 5 drinks. The sad fact is that they know it's wrong, but don't think they'll get caught, so to paraphase, frankly my dear they don't give a damn. The truth is that even 1 drink is too much when driving and has been shown to affect reaction times. 5 drinks is idiotic regardless of which distorted reality you're living in. As others have said, maybe this will wake him up. I have relatives like this guy - they drink and drive, even though they know it's wrong and the potential consequences, but they think that they'll get away with it. Nothing you can say will stop them doing it, so when they get caught the only thing left to say is, "I told you so!"

i dont know about Atlanta, but I do know Jim Whitlock does a lot of dui case work on the south side of Atlanta, and is probably as reasonable as they come. [phone removed] Hope this helps. And yes your friend is an idiot as stated above, but I stuck to the topic of the thread and tried to help.

You're being too tough on the kid. Let's hope its a lesson he will learn from and move on. Unlike others I think that 5 grand would be well invested. A good lawyer will get him out on a technicality. Cops are not that smart It's always better NOT to have a DUI on your records. The poor kid will end up paying the 5 grand anyway over time (classes, increased insurance, etc...). It's nothing I would skimp on.

Slider172, Thanks for the referral Yvesatlanta, Problem is that the guy has to take a loan to pay for any attorney, let alone one that costs $6,000. What he has heard from others is that there is not much a lawyer can do, though there is the police car video showing him passing the field sobriety test. Thanks for your response. Does anyone know anything about whether the authorities do blood tests to determine BAC? Thanks

Here's my positive contribution. I googled "inexpensive dui defense atlanta", and came across the "DUI Gladiator" . From his website: Experienced Georgia DUI Attorneys ([phone removed]) Perimeter Ridge Office Park Building 5 Atlanta, GA 30328 DUI Defense in the State Of Georgia Being convicted of DUI is a serious crime that can have lasting effects on your professional and personal life. Hiring an experienced Georgia DUI attorney to represent you is your best investment. Think you can�t afford the best? You can�t afford not to hire �The DUI Gladiator� � William C. Head � who is thoroughly experienced in Georgia DUI law. Head, Thomas, Webb and Willis have the experience you need to possibly avoid conviction of DUI. Hiring William C. Head and his team of professionals is inexpensive when you consider that you may have your DUI charge dismissed completely or significantly reduced.

ElTorrente, Thanks - I am told he does tons of marketing and his ads are everywhere! Are you named after the Spanish movie character?

I would suggest that your friend use an attorney like this. If anyone is gonna help, it's one who specializes in it, and with a name like DUI Gladiator, you know he's a bad dude. To answer your question: no, I'm not named after that - but please tell me about the Spanish movie character- never heard of it and I'm curious now. I'm named this from playing lan-games and on the internet. My friend was El Guapo, so I looked thru a spanish dictionary and found torrente. Thought it sounded cool so that's my internet name now.

I was kidding............ I don't think anyone should smoke joints and spit at judges. I do think too many youngsters of today get handouts from others and never learn. My guess is, he'll do it again. However, if he pays his own way, maybe he'll learn. Here's another thought, $6k is going to do nothing for his defense, it's money tossed to the wind imo. I think these low rent attorneys are crooks and feed on the people that can't afford. When it gets down to it, unless you know someone, you're screwed. Maybe your post is heading in the right direction after all...........

As others have stated $6 grand will not help him avoid the penalty. It nearly always pays of to know someone that has some experience behind them. From what I know a 0.15 bac will automatically give him manadatory jail time, anything below he 'should' be ok.

His first mistake was driving drunk. His second was blowing in the breathalizer and or taking a field sobriety test. Very often those breathalizers are inaccurate. Anyway based on what you're saying he is likely going to be found guilty, but there is a reason you pay a lawyer 6k, and that is to lesson your penalty, have skill to punch holes in the proescutions case, etc. I would fight it if for no other reason than the kid is young, made a stupid mistake and will porbably learn a lesson from it, and can accomplish all that without having a DWI conviction on his record which can keep him from grad school, employment, etc should he have those kinds of ambitions.