Virginia DUI Attorney Fees
If you have just recently been arrested on a DUI charge in Virginia one of the first things most people start thinking about is, how much are the average Virginia DUI attorney fees for a DUI offense?
How much a Virginia DUI attorney will charge a client to represent them in court depends on various factors like:
- Was this a first offense DUI charge? Second offense? Third offense? A first offense charge will cost a lot less than a second or third offense.
- Do you live in a more rural area or a more populated county like Fairfax County? The heavier populated the city or county, the more likely it will be that the fees an attorney will charge to represent you will be higher.
- Were there any circumstances surrounding the DUI arrest, like injuries to others or a child in your vehicle at the time of the arrest?
These are just a few of the items that will be a factor in determining how much a Virginia DUI attorney will charge for his or her services. The rule of thumb is that the more difficult the case, the higher the fees will be to represent you.
The important thing for you to remember is that the attorney fees may seem high at the time, but when it comes right down to it, if you decided not to hire a Virginia DUI lawyer to represent you in court, you will end up paying the maximum amount in fines, receive the maximum jail time and without an experienced DUI lawyer to handle the DMV administrative hearing, your driver’s license will be suspended.
Basically the court will have no mercy on you. Something else to consider is that if you loose your DMV hearing and your license is suspended, once the DMV reinstates your driver’s license you will be required to carry the mandatory Virginia SR22 insurance for a period of three years.
Your insurance rates will increase dramatically, sometimes as much as three to four times or more of what you were paying before your DUI conviction.
I should also mention that you do not want to cut corners when hiring a lawyer either. Just because a peron is a lawyer does not mean they know Virginia DUI law or have ever represented someone who was facing a Virginia DUI charge in court.
If you want the best chance at having your DUI charge dismissed, it is extremely important that the attorney you hire is an experienced and aggressive Virginia DUI attorney. If you hire any attorney other than an attorney who specializes in DUI cases, you are just throwing your money away.
