Kelly
Law Office
1013 Ford Road
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Phone: (952) 544-6356
Fax: (952) 546-3690
Mobile: (612) 735-3797
Email:
dave@kelly-law.com
Six reasons to hire an Experienced Lawyer
When
you walk into that courtroom, you will need someone who can think
and talk fast - and right now you may be feeling way too confused,
angry, fearful or embarrassed to attempt that on your own.
There are a large number of things I can
do that will tend to blunt the consequences and make the
process smoother. Even in cases where I can't make the charges
go away, I can still do the following. I call these my six
reasons you should hire an experienced lawyer.
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I review the police report, the documents and often the audio and video tapes if there are any. The police are usually quite good at what they do, but sometimes there are mistakes. You should never assume that everything must have been done properly; it should all be reviewed by your lawyer. If there is not a blatant mistake, perhaps there is at least something a bit questionable. Such things might make a deal possible that otherwise would be unavailable.
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I get to know you, so that when the time comes I can humanize you. Before any decisions are made, I usually have a chance to speak personally with the prosecutor and the judge. I also try to have a word with the probation officer, which I admit can be difficult to do at times. Even if you did something you should not have, there is always a story, always circumstances. This may have been a family wedding or a work-related event - situations that seldom happen and that you are not used to dealing with . There may have been an illness or other unusual and unexpected event. Perhaps you had scheduled sobering-up time and then there was a power failure, resulting in the bar having to close early and you having to leave the bar early - that one actually happened recently. Perhaps there is information about you that would make a big difference if the judge only knew. I make sure that before decisions are made, the prosecutor, judge and probation officer know who you are and how this happened. I don't excuse, but I do explain - and that's an art. Without someone to do this for you, you are just a statistic.
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I provide coaching about the process for getting your permanent driver's license back. I will also coach you as you go through the step by step process for getting a limited license for driving to and from work. There's a reinstatement fee you have to pay, a test you have to pass, and an interview you must not mess up. You may have to do these things without me there, but not until after we have talked about what to study, who to talk to, and what they will be asking you - not to mention the timing - when and in what order to tackle these things - and where to go to get it done.
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Before the process is completed, the judge is going to want to have a professional report on whether you have a drinking problem, and if so how bad it is. I will provide you with alternatives to having the evaluation done by a probation officer - which is otherwise what will be ordered. This evaluation is more important than many realize, because you will very probably be ordered to comply with what that evaluation recommends. This could be just a six hour class for you to attend, or it could be an entire treatment program. I would rather have you go to a private evaluator who I know than to be completely at the mercy of a probation officer who I might not know.
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I can steer you away from the bad deals. There are good deals and bad deals. You can talk to the prosecutor on your own, but how do you know where in the spectrum the deal being offered to you falls? On your own you have no way of knowing whether you are being offered a fair deal or whether you should be able to do better. There are days at the court house where things are just going poorly - the prosecutor or the judge or both are just in an ugly mood. On those days I probably can reschedule so we can come back on a better day. Without me or someone like me, however, you have no base line to which you can compare anything.
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If this is your first offense and a misdemeanor, I can probably go to the first court appearance without you. If you are from out of state, I may be able to complete the entire process without you having to travel back to Minnesota.
Represent yourself if you feel you must. I will say, however, that there have been many days where I watched from the back of the courtroom as someone was unnecessarily getting a bad deal; and my very strong urge was to yell "don't do it!"
Most of those who engage my services wind up thanking me profusely when it's over, including those who were skeptical to start with. An email I received not long ago from a client says:
"I checked the status of my license today, and it has been reinstated!!!!! It is amazing how we take things for granted unless they are taken away from us. Thank you SO much for your excellent work! I am really glad that you represented me, it made such a difference to have your expertise."
Kelly Law Office represents dwi dui oui drunk driving clients throughout the Twin Cities - Minneapolis area including Bloomington, Edina, Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, St. Louis Park, Wayzata, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park, St. Paul, Anoka, Shakopee, Hastings, Eagan, Burnsville, Buffalo, Hennepin County, Anoka County, Carver County, Scott County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, and Wright County.
The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation. The use of the Internet for communications with the firm will not establish an attorney-client relationship and messages containing confidential or time-sensitive information should not be sent.