How much does a Legal Counsel like DWI Attorney Albany Cost?

A DWI or DUI charge is sometimes described as the most expensive ride home, a $10,000 ride to be exact. While $10,000 may sound very expensive and a bit outrageous, it is a pretty close reflection of what is happening in the country when it comes to drunk driving.

The cost of the ordeal when you are caught drunk driving or driving while under the influence of illegal substance and alcohol — the damage not only to the victims, as well as to the people involved; to the defendant, their family, and most especially to the victims and their families. Since it is the average, the amount may wind up costing the defendant a lot of money, depending on the situation.

What are the factors that can cause DWI cases to vary?

Driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence is a severe crime in every state in the country. It also means that each state will determine what kind of punishment they see fit. Listed below are the bread down of DWI costs, not including potential time in jail.

If you want to know more about alcohol absorption, visit https://mcwell.nd.edu/your-well-being/physical-well-being/alcohol/absorption-rate-factors.

Fines

Fines are what the city or the state decided as a monetary penalty for breaking the state or city’s law in regards to drunk driving. For example, in the state of California, first time DWI offenders can pay from $390 up to as high as $1,000.

Penalties and costs

Penalties and costs used to slip into the mind when we talk about the court, but they can add up very quickly if you forget to pay them. The judge can charge the defendant for their time. And it includes the fees the government used to screen and tests the defendant.

The judge can also order compulsory settlement to the victim’s compensation funds even if there’s no injury incurred from the crime. It will also include funds for alcohol education, classes for mandatory substance abuse and the interlocutory devices. The courses that are offered instead of going to jail, in addition to regular monitoring or known as house arrest will also cost the state a lot of money. Penalties and fees may or, if you are lucky, may not include impounding and towing of the vehicle.

To know the penalties and fines of DWI and DUI, click here.

Insurance

Every driver is required to have their driver’s license and valid insurance inside the car at all times. Unsurprisingly, a lot of insurance companies will view the driver as a risk on the road and increase their premiums, if they don’t drop the driver’s coverage right away. While it is challenging to measure the total amount of the increase, but the estimated amount can be around two to four times what the driver was paying.

Lawyer’s fees

A lot of driving under the influence information has been a mistake of putting the legal counsel’s fees in with the penalties and costs; it is a big mistake for two known reasons. First, it is not right since having an attorney defend someone’s case is not a penalty but a brilliant decision. Second, it fails to evaluate one of the most critical factors of going through the country’s criminal justice system, which is finding and hiring the best defense attorney there is, and knowing how much they are paid for.

What determines the attorney’s fees?

A lot of criminal defense attorney will charge their clients a flat rate or an hourly fee. With a flat rate arrangement, expect to spend more or less $2,500 to $4,000 in lawyer’s fees. A lower price does not mean that they are not that good when it comes to handling a DWI case. It reflects how the DWI guy or attorney looks at the amount of time as well as a skill needed to face the case.

Not only that, when it comes to billing, it should not be compared with discount cost – a “one size fits all” kind of thing. There is no determining what DUI cases will cost. But luckily, lawyers with a lot of experiences in handling DWI cases have been narrowed down the kinds of work that goes into a DUI case. It includes motions, potential trial, appearances as well as the preliminary hearing.

Not every case is the same

A legal counsel may increase the flat rate where additional things need to be done like lab work where experts need to be hired or certain cases where it involves resisting arrest or commercial vehicles. If a DWI attorney is charging a flat rate, there is a big chance that they already evaluated to get a plea deal deal and avoid a costly, lengthy court battle. A flat rate may also include preliminary work, but may exclude the court trial. There’s a simple reason for this: efficiency. Keeping track of all the hours that are spent on the case can be billed with a six-minute interval.