What may be the cost and fees for hiring a DWI attorney in Georgia?

Allan

Thank you for asking Allan.

Georgia DWI attorneys charge legal fees which depend on the type of case you have and the amount of time the lawyer will spend on your case. You may also choose from different types of paying schemes that include hourly charges or flat fees.

Hourly rates are calculated by multiplying the lawyer’s hourly rate with the number of hours he spends on your case. You will also pay for the time of the attorney’s assistants and other staff members as they file, research, and process numerous documents and pieces of information necessary for your case.

Contingent fees are payments whereby lawyers receive a pre-approved percentage of the amount you may receive if the case won. Because there are no possible financial rewards involved in defending a DWI case, expect to pay legal expenses up front. The attorney may request a retainer if he is working on an hourly rate, and he will deduct charges from this pre-payment as they are incurred. When you initially hire an attorney working on an hourly rate, it would be wise to make sure you have an agreement on a ceiling for the legal fees the lawyer may charge.

Attorneys also work for flat fee rates. Many DWI attorneys in Georgia will have a set rate for all of the work required to defend you  for a DWI case. When you hire an attorney on a flat rate, make sure you understand everything that is covered by that payment, and what further payments may be required should your case proceed to court or further. For example, you are arrested for DWI in Georgia and hire  an attorney. He charges you a flat rate of $10,000. For this payment, he will begin working diligently on your case toward getting it dismissed or the charges reduced. His office takes care of all of the paperwork and arrangements with the court system, conducts investigations, performs depositions and other required steps to prepare your defense. If you and your attorney are unable to prevent your case from going forward to court, you may very likely have to pay again for him to continue to defend you in court. If there are appeals after the case, you will pay again for that part of the process. So make sure you know exactly what the payments will be and exactly what you can expect for each payment.

Normally lawyers calculate their legal fees without including court costs and filing fees that you, as the client, need to pay at once. So always remember to ask for a detailed explanation of a lawyer’s fees and payment modes before you even hire a lawyer in Georgia. Georgia DWI attorneys charge fees are on the agreed amount that you are both comfortable with. Prices vary widely from lawyer to lawyer, so there are no standard fee schedules.

Goodluck!

MariCAR