What matters most when hiring an attorney?

What matters most when hiring an attorney?  Many would say the most important thing is to hire an attorney who has a reputation for winning.  This is an important factor to consider, I agree.  And to some, this is all that matters.  But what else matters?

You hire an attorney to defend you, to safeguard your rights and freedom.  Some would say you hire an attorney to make you feel safe.

Imagine how you would feel if this happened to you.  You are charged with a criminal offense.  But you’ve hired a lawyer and hope he will protect you, guide you through the process.  You arrive to court on time, but your attorney barely talks to you.  The courtroom can be a scary place, especially if it is your first time.  But your lawyer shows more interest in talking to his lawyer friends about flying a private jet around the country and he even complains about some of the clients he has.  He talked a great game until he received his retainer.  After that, he never seemed to have time to return your calls.

When I became a lawyer, I swore I would never be one of those guys.

Some lawyers sit around with other attorneys in courtrooms and openly exchange stories about some of their clients while waiting for their case to be called.  It’s a practice that is disrespectful and unprofessional.  I imagine everyone that happens to be within earshot may feel the same.

A courtroom is a place where one’s fate is decided; maybe not today, but at some point. For attorneys to sit around and chit-chat with other attorneys in a disrespectful manner, or to ignore the one person whose rights they are there to defend, is belittling and insulting to clients.

If given the choice between two attorneys who both have winning reputations, who would you choose?  The one who ignores you, or the one who keeps you well informed and guides you through the process?

How to Stop the DOT from Suspending Your License after a DUI arrest.

Stop DOT License Suspensions
Stop DOT License Suspensions! Call Attorney Sydne French Today!

It may be possible to stop the DOT from suspending your license after you have been arrested for a DUI.  If you have filed the Department of Transportation (DOT) form requesting an “administrative suspension review hearing” before the 10 day deadline, you or your lawyer will have a chance to cross examine the officer who arrested you at an informal hearing held at the DOT. If, after the hearing, the DOT decides to suspend your license, your lawyer may be able to get a court order preventing that suspension.  Continue reading “How to Stop the DOT from Suspending Your License after a DUI arrest.”

Holding Probation Agents Accountable: Delays providing sex offender treatment increase risk to reoffend

 

I think we can all agree that, generally speaking, failure to promptly provide sex offender treatment (SOT) to convicted sex offenders on probation increases the risk of re-offending.  So why is it that recently convicted sex offenders often go for several months before they receive any SOT?

Continue reading “Holding Probation Agents Accountable: Delays providing sex offender treatment increase risk to reoffend”

Another Article Points to – Too Many Prisoners in US

 

Too Many Prisoners is yet another article on the failing +prison system in America. I recently posted a blurb on my blog citing to a Frontline article on the very same issue, quoting the same sources.

For more on the Frontline article, visit my blog posting, Frontline Reveals Report Showing “Unprecedented Growth in US Prisons.  Thanks to +Cecelia Klingele for posting a link to the WPR article, Too Many Prisoners.  #prisoners #prisons #prisonpolicies