How much should I budget for a Knoxville, Tennessee, DUI attorney with experience?

Rather than billing on an hourly basis, as some civil attorneys do, criminal defense attorneys usually charge a flat rate fee for a pretrial retainer. If you have been arrested and charged with a misdemeanor first offense DUI, and depending on the location and the circumstances of your case, will determine the fee charged to defend you. Sometimes your case may incur additional fees for expenses that arise, however, most retainers essentially take care of everything needed except for trial. Many charge an upfront fee that creates a credit or retainer fee that is billed against an hourly rate. For a first offense Tennessee DUI charge, many well-known DUI defense attorneys who advertise heavily may charge you as much as $15,000.

When selecting a knowledgeable Tennessee DUI defense lawyer, exercise caution. “Dump truck attorneys” should be avoided. A phrase used when a lawyer pleads almost all of their clients guilty. If you choose carefully, you can find many excellent Knoxville DUI defense lawyers who will represent you for a fair fee and who will perform an equally good job as most who charge much more! If you have been convicted of DUI more than once in the past, you can expect to pay a much higher fee depending on how many previous convictions you may have.

Never work with a firm or attorney who will not give you a free consultation or who will not sit down and discuss your case with you in person. If the person conducting your interview is not a lawyer and seems more like a salesperson than an attorney, you should expect that law firm to treat you with the same lackluster professionalism throughout your entire case. If your DUI case proceeds to trial, a reputable DUI defense lawyer will never permit you to have an initial non-attorney interview and will always be available to personally try it or assign one of their skilled associate attorneys to do so.

Tennessee DUI cases are complex; be sure you hire the right Knoxville, TN, DUI defense lawyer!