How do I meet with a court appointed attorney before my court date?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
How do I meet with a court appointed attorney before my court date?
I got a DUI. I have no current driver’s license. I want to speak with someone about my options befor I go in, so that I know how to plead.
Asked on April 16, 2011 under Criminal Law, California
Answers:
MD, Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
If you qualify to have a court appointed attorney, one should have been given to you at the first appearance if you had one. If you were arrested and charged, did you get one then? If not, contact the public defender's office in your county and see if this case has been assigned yet. So you haven't plead yet, then you are not jailed currently but you currently do not have a driver's license. If the license was suspended because of the DUI, call the public defender sooner rather than later. Keep in mind that depending on the location of the public defender and the county in which the charges are based, you are looking at public defenders with large caseloads and the type of response you get may not be immediate. Considerations and items to ask about in your meeting with the attorney include but should not be limited to bringing up any prior convictions if you had any, your ties to the community, when this DUI occurred, if there may be civil suits arising out of this if you had gotten into an accident.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.