Hiring An Attorney For a DC DUI Arraignment

The likely first time that you will step into court following a DUI charge is for an arraignment hearing. With this in mind, the following is what you should know about getting legal representation and whether you can switch your attorney at a later time. For more specific information regarding your case call and schedule a consultation with a DC DUI arraignment lawyer today.

Do You Need An Attorney For a DUI Arraignment?

You do need an attorney. If you have not already retained an attorney, the court will give you a court-appointed attorney stand in with you, because it is expected that the defendant is not going to know the process and will need to have his or her rights protected. If a person qualifies, based on their income level, to have a court-appointed attorney handle the full case, then the court will appoint an attorney for the entire case. If they do not qualify, then the court will set what is called an “ascertainment of counsel hearing” in a few weeks to give the person an opportunity to go hire an attorney and then appear at the next hearing with their retained counsel.

If You Have Court Appointed Counsel Can You Hire Your Own Counsel After Arraignment?

You can always hire private counsel of your choosing. To change your court-appointed counsel to a different court-appointed counsel is more difficult. If there is simply a barrier to an effective attorney-client relationship with your court-appointed counsel for some reason, then that can be brought to the court’s attention and under certain circumstances you could have your court-appointed lawyer replaced, however, it will be with another court-appointed lawyer and you don’t get to choose. You don’t get to pick and choose the court-appointed lawyer you get. If you initially have a court-appointed lawyer and you want to hire a private counsel of your own choosing, you are free to do so.

Do You Need To Hire Private Counsel Before Arraignment?

You don’t need to hire an attorney before the arraignment, but ideally you would do so to make sure that you give the attorney enough time to get all of the facts and arguments together to begin protecting your rights. You have the right to hire private counsel at any time. Ideally, that would be as soon as possible, but if circumstances dictate that you are not able to hire an attorney before the arraignment, you can certainly do so after the arraignment.

When Do You Have The Chance To Contact An Attorney?

Unlike in TV shows and movies, there is no rule that the police have to give you a phone call after you are arrested and taken to the police station. Very often they won’t.

In certain circumstances, if the defendant has been particularly cooperative and has an agreeable police officer handling their matter, they may be given the opportunity to make that phone call from the police station. However, in the vast majority of cases that is simply not going to happen. If the person has been arrested, is being detained, and they are not given an opportunity to make a phone call, then they won’t have that opportunity until after they are released by the court. If it is a situation where the individual is going to be released on citation, then once the police release them they should start making the calls to get an attorney at first opportunity.

Where To Find a Lawyer For Arraignment

If someone you know has been arrested and you want to assist them in getting an attorney, then you certainly can discuss whether friends, family, and peers have a recommendation for an attorney they know or they have used. There are also numerous websites that can give you information about attorneys. One of the most popular would be AVVO, which is a resource and database where attorneys are listed. It lists their skills and their background, which can be an important resource for an individual looking to retain an attorney.

Start reaching out and doing your research to find out which attorneys practice that type of law in that specific court. That is the most important first step.