When you are charged with Driving under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs you want help and need good advice to help keep your driver’s license and stay out of jail.  You call around to various lawyers and only some of them call you back.  Some of them sound like they just want your money and sometimes you can have a great conversation with one or two of the lawyers you call.  This is a start to your defense.

Ann Toney, Lawyer has been practicing law since 1984 and has been trying jury trials since 1988.  Ann has defended people for years and has worked as a prosecutor in DUI cases so she understands the strategies and consequences very well.
It is a scary time for many people as most people charged with DUI have never been arrested before and rarely have ever been to court.  You need someone who will work for you and knows what to do to protect you.  You need a strong advocate who will fight for you and tear apart your case insuring that you will not plead guilty to something that the prosecutor cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

Frequently there are problems with the state’s case in criminal court.  Ann has been trained to understand the scientific evidence in DUI cases and is certified in Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST).  Ann has been trained on the Intoxilyzer 5000EN and has been practicing criminal law since 1988 so she knows search and seizure law (if law enforcement’s stop and arrest of you was legal) and evidence law (fighting the evidence being used against you).

Ann knows when an outside expert is needed to help assess your case and provide documentation to the prosecutor of a flaw in their case which will help get you the offer you deserve including a possible dismissal.  Ann has been fortunate enough to have a very high success rate of obtaining dismissals, careless driving and reckless driving dispositions in lieu of DUI convictions in past cases.  This does not mean that you will get one of these but having Ann on your side insures that all of the evidence against you will be looked at and torn apart to insure you the best possible outcome.

Sometimes you just have to go to trial.  Sometimes the prosecutor does not see the case the way we do and you have to pick a jury and rock and roll.  Ann has been trying cases to juries throughout her long legal career and she welcomes a chance to fight for you in trial.   Ann is at home in a courtroom and knows how to try a DUI case.

When looking for a DUI lawyer ask the lawyer (1) What percentage of his/her law practice is handling DUI cases?  (2) How many jury trials has this lawyer tried to verdict?  (3)  What specialized DUI training has this lawyer been to in the last two years?  (4) Is this lawyer certified on SFST?  (5) Has this lawyer had any specialized training on the Intoxilyzer 5000EN?   (6)  Is this lawyer a member of the National College of DUI Defense?

While money is usually an issue and cost is a factor.  That should not be the first thing you consider when hiring a DUI lawyer.  Whether you pay $10,000.00 or $5,000.00 or $1,500.00, you might as well burn the money or go to court by yourself unless that lawyer truly knows how to handle a DUI case.  In the long run an extra couple of thousand dollars now can save you more than that down the road in costs, fines, treatment, and increased insurance costs (SR22).