I have asked some questions about this but this one is somewhat different. My friend gave me a number for a defense attorney that used to be the prosecutor for my town. He has successfully gotten my friends charges dropped numerous times. I am not looking to get charges dropped, but at least to the least punishment I can get.
I got a DUI, am 20 years old, blew a .22, Careless driving as well. Would hiring this retired prosecutor (used to be the prosecutor for the same township that I got my DUI in) work to my advantage? I feel like he would have a conflict of interest since he used to be the one punishing people like me. Do you think he would defend and underage DUI?
It is an excellent idea to retain a retired prosecutor as your defense attorney. Retired prosecutors usually have good relationships with the court and with the current prosecutors and that could (note the word “could”) result in a more favorable plea agreement and/or sentence. It is very common for defense attorneys to have been former prosecutors–that’s where they learn their craft.
While I appreciate your concerns about a “conflict of interest” because a retired prosecutor might sympathize more with the prosecution side, your concerns are likely unfounded. A lawyer who takes a case has an ethical responsibility to represent his client zealously and that’s what most lawyers do. Speaking personally, even when a lawyer has a predisposition to favor one particular side of a case, when it comes to the lawyer’s own client, the lawyer always ends up convincing him or herself that in these particular circumstances, the client should prevail.
Technorati Tags: attorney, driving under the influence attorney, DUI, dui attorneys, dui defense attorney, dui lawyers, lawyer