If you’ve just been arrested and charged with an OWI offense in Michigan,  you are probably feeling a sense of fear and panic about what’s just happened. It’s understandable that you feel some real worry about what consequences are coming your way. The truth is you should feel a bit worried. In Michigan, alcohol offenses have swift penalties. You know you need to find an  OWI lawyer to represent you.

In your panic though, you don’t want to hire the first attorney that pops up when you search. You want an attorney who has certain qualities, experience, and skills who will care for your case as if it were them under arrest.

Read on to learn more about hiring an OWI defense lawyer to help you with your case.

Be Realistic About Your Situation

Before you even go further, you need to be realistic about your situation. If you’re not worried, you need to reevaluate your situation. If you were charged with an OWI offense, in Michigan, that is a serious situation. It’s also one that prosecutors don’t take lightly.

You need to recognize with some realism the situation you have on your hands and take it seriously. This is the time to start to find an attorney who will take care of you in court.

While you do have the right to represent yourself in court, it would be a mistake. You don’t have the experience or understanding of the nuances of the law to get yourself a favorable outcome.

Hiring an experienced lawyer means you have someone on your side who knows the law, the courts and knows how to tackle an OWI offense in court.

Finding a Michigan Defense Lawyer

Anytime you are hiring someone to provide you a service you want to find the best person for the job, it’s the reason you interview and get estimates. It’s the same reason you don’t hire just any lawyer. You want to have a deliberate plan to find the best OWI defense lawyer for you.

There’s nothing wrong with starting with an online search. But also don’t be afraid to dig deeper on the attorney’s website. Read about their law firm, lawyers, and the services they provide. You can get a good feel for their firm by looking at the website.

You can also ask friends and family for suggestions and recommendations. It’s a good way to find an attorney if someone you know has already had a positive experience with them.

If you have used an attorney for some other kind of case and like them, you can also call for a reference to an attorney who handles OWI cases.

Schedule a Consultation

You need to be comfortable and confident in your attorney’s skills. You should, therefore, meet with them before hiring them. You can talk with them by phone.

Many attorneys will offer a free consultation appointment. Take advantage of this and meet with the candidates in person.

Be Honest

You might be feeling embarrassed by your situation. You might have the inclination to gloss over the events that led to your arrest. You need to be completely honest with the attorney when you meet. The attorney can’t give you an honest assessment of your situation if they don’t know everything.

If you do hire this attorney, they need to have all the facts of your case without any surprises before appearing in court.

Come Prepared With Questions

You want to come to a consultation with your own list of questions you want to be answered. Be prepared and don’t assume you will think of questions during the meeting. Take the time to write out your questions so you don’t miss any.

Asking attorney questions and listening to their answers helps to give you a good feel for how they work and how you feel about their communication skills.

Here are some questions to consider:

• What is your background in law?
• How often do you handle cases like mine?
• How do you see a case like mine progressing?
• What is your track record in handling OWI cases?
• Will you be the attorney handling my case?
• Will you be the attorney when we need to appear in court?

Ask the attorney to talk you through the particulars of your case. How do they anticipate your case will go? You should also ask about their fees.

Factors to Consider When Making a Final Decision on Your Michigan Defense Lawyer

After meeting with several candidates, it’s time to make a choice. You want to consider the information you got when you met with the attorney in person.

Consider their training and track record for your kind of case. If they couldn’t provide you with information on the results of other cases, they might not be the right fit for you.

Another important consideration is their communication skills. Did you feel comfortable with how they communicated with you? You want someone who will represent you well in court using their communication skills.

You also want to hire an attorney who presents themselves with confidence. It’s hard to feel confident in their representation without them having confidence too.

Finally, you need to consider the cost. You can find a highly qualified attorney, but if you simply can’t afford them, they shouldn’t even be considered.

Once you have worked your way through those steps, you should have found a good Michigan defense lawyer to represent you with your OWI case.

Get an OWI Lawyer to Help With Your Case

Being arrested on an OWI charge is serious and you likely face some real consequences. You want to find an attorney who will work hard on your OWI case to minimize the consequences for you.

It’s important that you feel confident in your lawyer and feel comfortable with their approach to your case.

Contact us today to set up a free consultation about your case. We have the experience you need in an OWI lawyer.