How Much Is Too Much?

If you've received a reckless driving citation in Idaho, you've likely considered hiring an attorney. These cases may seem minor but they can have major consequences (see: reckless driving). If you call local attorneys, you will get quoted a large range of potential fees - l would guess from around $1000 to over $5000. Before you spend any money, you should make sure you are hiring the right attorney for you. While the old adage "you get what you pay for" is often true, high prices do not always guarantee a better attorney (or a better result). Here are some things to keep in mind when deciding on a reckless driving attorney:

You should find out how many cases the attorney has handled in this jurisdiction

It's nice to have an attorney who has handled thousands of reckless driving cases across the state, but you want to make sure that your attorney has handled cases with the judge and the prosecutor who will be handling your case. Ask the attorney how many cases they've handled in that specific county.

Read reviews

You can find out a lot about an attorney based upon reviews from past clients. If you see an abundance of bad reviews, proceed with caution. You can see my reviews here: Reviews.

Make sure you trust the attorney

You are placing your well-being in the hands of the attorney; make sure you get along, communicate well, and see the case eye to eye. At least once in every case, the attorney makes a recommendation about a critical decision the client must make, however, the client is the only person who has to live with the result of that decision; the attorney collects their fee and moves on to the next case. Without trust you will always wonder if you would have received better advice if you had hired a different attorney.

Sometimes trust simply comes down to whether personalities mesh or not - for better or worse we are more likely to trust those individuals who we like and get along with.

There is only so much that a reckless driving attorney can do

No matter how much you pay or how fancy their suit is, there is only so much any attorney can do. Do not expect the unachievable just because you hired the most expensive attorney you spoke to - many times you would end up in the exact same resolution if you had hired an attorney at half the price. Ask the attorney what a realistic expectation is, while no one can predict the future they should be able to give you a ballpark estimate.

There is no "right amount" to pay when hiring an attorney for any type of case - you are paying for competent legal advice, experience, and hard work. In the end, this boils down to piece of mind. Everyone has to ask themselves how much this is worth to them. However, there is definitively a "wrong amount" to pay. Any amount paid to an attorney who you do not trust is too much.

If you would like to set up a consultation, contact me today.