Florida DUI Attorney: The Cost of Court and Beyond

When you hire a Florida DUI attorney to help you handle your case, make sure that you understand the billing system that he or she uses from the first day. While you should never choose an attorney based on fees alone, you cannot afford to have one that is in the upper level of billing either, especially when you consider the other expenses that you are facing. There are several ways that you can be billed by the Florida DUI attorney that you hire: by the hour, on a per case basis or a combination of the two.

When you hire a Florida DUI attorney who is being paid by the hour, any time he meets with you, speaks to you by phone or files papers on your behalf you will be billed. In most cases you will be billed in 15 minute increments, which simply means that a five minute phone conversation goes on the billable hours listing as fifteen minutes. The more that you need to speak to your Florida DUI attorney or the more complicated that your case is, the more you will be billed.

On the other hand, if you are paying a per case fee or flat rate, you may only see your attorney a certain number of times before your case, or you may not talk to him at all until the day you go to court. An attorney who uses a combination of the two will give you a set amount of time that is billed as a flat rate with additional costs being incurred at an hourly rate. (These are typically higher, depending on the individual attorney.)

Your attorney will try to get you through the system as quickly as possible, seeking to reduce or get suspended some of the fees and fines that you will face. In addition, he may ask the court to suspend all or part of your jail sentence, especially if this is a first offense. However, you may still face several penalties, which could include the loss of your license for 180 days or more and the need to take DUI driver’s school to get your license back. It is important to make sure that you are dealing with an attorney that can explain your rights and options so that you do not have to face the burden of losing your license or have to explain why you are hoofing it to work to your friends and family.