How to choose a Missouri DUI/DWI Lawyer

Finding and choosing an attorney in a drunk driving case can be a difficult process; there are many incompetent, inexperienced and/or unethical lawyers. However, asking the following questions can be helpful in retaining a good attorney. You need an attorney that has the necessary experience, training and knowledge in defending DWI cases.

Mr. Wines' answers to these questions can be found in italics after the questions:

DWI/DUI defense is a technical and highly specialized field. What percentage of your caseload consists of DWI/DUI Cases?

100% of Mr. Wines Practice is criminal, DWI/DUI and traffic offense Defense and DWI/DUI alone is 50% of his practice.

Do you have access to technical expert witnesses in police procedures, field sobriety testing, and blood/breath analysis known and available to you? Do you have a science degree or other training?

Mr. Wines is familiar with and has available many of the top national and local experts in the fields of: Blood-breath testing, field sobriety testing, and police procedures, Mr. Wines himself has an undergraduate degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Does the lawyer you are considering make promises as to the results he can get in the case? This is something no ethical attorney would do, as specific results are unpredictable. Your attorney can relate their general past success rate at trial and success at plea negotiating. Past performance can never predict future success.

Mr. Wines can not and will not make promises as to outcomes; that is unethical and illegal. Mr. Wines' success rate at trial is over 75% acquittals over sixteen years of practice and his success at plea negotiating is comparable to any elite attorney in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area or the State of Missouri. This over 75% winning record is very impressive because most prosecutor offices in Missouri have themselves 80 to 95% winning records. So the overall average winning record for the defense bar is only 5% to 20% of the cases.

Are fees fully explained and set forth in a written contract? Is the fee simply an initial retainer, or is it all inclusive? Do the fees cover such "extras" as the DMV license hearing? Don't use the fee as the only determination on picking a DWI / DUI attorney?

If you want to hire Mr. Wines for a DWI/DUI defense you must sign a representation agreement and all terms and conditions will be in writing. Mr. Wines charges according many factors: the jurisdiction the case is being held in, severity of the charge, complications involved in the case, defendants status and what resources will be needed.

Are you a member of the Local, State or National Bar Associations that have continuing education programs and publications on DWI/DUI Defense

Mr. Wines over his fifteen years of experience and has been a member of numerous local, state and national bar associations and organizations:

National College for DUI defense, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Missouri Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Does the attorney you are considering subscribe to national publications, does he or she have a copy of the NHTSA Training Manuals, and other DWI/DUI defense publications and manuals in their Library?

Mr. Wines has or does subscribe to many DWI publications: DWI Law Letter, and the DWI Journal as well as receiving publications from his local bar association and organization memberships, and he has numerous publications in his DWI/DUI defense library including the 2000, 2002 and 2004 NHTSA manuals. Also, the DRE manuals for drugged condition. He has also authored several publications: Winning DWI Strategies in Missouri, DWI Investigation Guide, and DWI Trial Outline.

Ask the attorney you are considering if he/she is known within Missouri for handling complicated DWI/DUI cases?

Mr. Wines is generally recognized as a very competent DWI/DUI and Criminal defense attorney in the greater St. Louis Metropolitan Area. He was nominated for membership in the National College for DUI Defense organization by other qualified DWI defense attorney's that have seen his ability demonstrated in the Court rooms of Missouri. Only 17 attorneys currently hold membership in the National College for DUI Defense.

When was the last Continuing Legal Education seminar on DWI/DUI that the attorney attended? More Importantly - Who spoke at that seminar? How many has he or she attended in the last five or ten years?

Mr. Wines is scheduled to attend two programs in 2005, and on an average he has attended two training programs per year for the last ten years. Mr. Wines weekly does twenty or more hours of self-study on the internet, in the local law library, and by reading national DWI publications. Improving his skill and knowledge of DWI defense is his passion.