The cost of DUI in Texas is extremely steep, and by steep I’m not talking about a whistle steep but a scream steep, because that’s probably what you’ll do when you see the numbers. The cost of DUI in Texas can be as much as $20,000. This includes several separate and long ranging costs, such as:

• bail
• lawyer fees
• insurance
• court fees
• fines
• job loss
• loss of wages while in jail/court

and so on. The insurance can take a hit for several years. For the first three years after you are convicted of DUI, you have to file an sr22 form. This high risk insurance can add up to thousands of dollars over this time. Even after you finish filing sr22, your DUI will keep your rates high for a couple more years.

When you get your online DWI attorney help through a consultation, you need to go into it armed with some information about your case so they can help. The thing that will hurt your case most is the amount of evidence that the police has against you. There are several times of evidence. Ask yourself a few questions.

• What symptoms of drunk driving did I show?

Were you weaving in and out of lanes? Were you driving erratically otherwise? When you were finally pulled over, where your eyes red and lined and bloodshot? Did you speak strangely, forget where to put your words and slur your sentences?

• What tests did I take?

Cops usually administer some kind of test. They may make you walk down a line, or give you a breathalyzer. Did you take these tests? What were the results.

• What did you say?

Sometimes, if you’re drunk, you can say things that make you look really bad. If you’ve already confessed, you may have a hard time.

Now that you’ve decided that you really do need the one, it’s time to find the best Texas DWI lawyer. This isn’t as hard as you think, and you don’t need to fork over half of your yearly salary just to get one. Just follow a couple of steps, and you’ll be all right.

• Emphasize experience.

An unexperienced attorney isn’t going to make the best Texas DWI lawyer anymore than you’re going to represent yourself best. Obviously there are differences, but no matter what amount of book learning a lawyer has, the best training they have is in the court room. If your attorney doesn’t have that, they aren’t worth much to you. Not only should your lawyer have a couple of years at least of experience, but that experience should be at least half in DUI cases.

• Get to know them.

Before you hire a lawyer, go to a consultation with them. These are almost always free. Have a talk with the lawyer and see how you feel about them, whether they seem to know their stuff. Do some light research beforehand so you have some basis to decide this.

Finally, you have level three. On level three, your option is a toss up. You can hire a Texas DWI attorney to make things easier and to take some of the burden off of yourself, but if you put enough work into it, it’s very likely that you can successfully represent yourself. However, there’s still a chance that you could lose out without a lawyer, which is why you need a consultation before making your decision.

I MAY need to hire a Texas DWI attorney if…

• I’m working on some sort of degree or license which I would be unable to achieve with a criminal conviction. If I am convicted, then I may lose my chance at my dream job and have to start all over again.
• The job I’m working at right now requires bonding.
• I really don’t understand Texas DWI laws.
• I really don’t understand my case.
• I really don’t understand what kind of consequences I face if convicted.

After level one, comes level two (I’m sure you saw this coming). On level two, things begin to get a little murky. While it is no longer completely imperative for you to hire a Texas DWI lawyer, it’s still very much recommended. You can bypass it, but if you do, you’re still likely to get cut a pretty bad deal, although you have a chance of handling it by yourself. Have a consultation first so that you can see what your chances are before deciding whether to get one or not.

I very likely need a Texas DWI lawyer if…

• I wasn’t alone when I was pulled over for driving while intoxicated. If I had someone with me who was under the age of 18, then I could get hit with heavier fines, jail sentences, and so on. The younger the person is, the less forgiving the judge is likely to be, and the more I’ll need legal help.
• I’ve had a DWI before, and this is my second time. People who reoffend aren’t looked nicely on, and not only is the punishment harsher, but it’s harder to get off with a light sentence.
• I was very heavily drunk when I was caught. My blood alcohol level was twice the limit the state of Texas allows.

Now that you know what a Texas DWI attorney can do for you, you have to figure out if you need one. There are three levels of need when it comes to DUI cases, and in this post I’m going to talk about level one. On level one, you absolutely need to hire a Texas DWI attorney. Not doing so would be like suicide for your future.

I need to hire a Texas DWI attorney if…

• I have been in a serious car accident where there were extensive damages, injuries, or death. Death especially brings serious consequences, and if my case is not handled properly, then my own sloppy handedness can land me several years in prison, and a very difficult life after I get out.
• I am a repeat offender more than once. That is to say, I have more than one DUI already on my record, without counting this one. As DUIs add up, patience runs thin and the consequences grow thicker.
• I have to driver for a living, and public transportation and taxis cannot make up for the driving I have to do. Without a lawyer to get me a kind of restricted temporary license, I could lose my job.

The question that is probably one of the first you think of once you are given the time to truly think about your DUI case is whether or not it would be a good idea for you to hire a Texas DUI attorney. What, after all, can a Texas DUI attorney do for you that you can’t do for yourself? More than you’d think.

Unlike you, a DUI lawyer knows all of the intricacies of drunk driving law, which means that they can look at your circumstances and know right away how your case can be handled, what the likely outcome is, and how much they will charge. Since they have done many cases like yours before, they have learned from their mistakes and can represent you in a court room in the best way. They know how the system works, and can exploit loopholes and so on that you would never know of, no matter how many websites you read.

A DUI lawyer can also take the front seat and drive on your case, leaving you to just lay back and watch. They can file all of the paperwork you need, make sure you have court on the right dates, and basically just fix everything in its place so that all you have to do is show up.