When you are arrested or are being investigated for a criminal case, after the shock wears off, everyone considers the difficult question of “what is this gonna cost me?” People also think, “hey, I’m guilty, should I just go in to court and plead guilty myself and not waste money on a lawyer.” While a logical thought, it would be reckless for anyone to go to court not represented by a lawyer. Pat Carey has handled thousands of criminal cases in his career. He is a criminal law certified specialist by the California State Bar, a title less than 1% of lawyers have. He has had cases dismissed based on unconstitutional police conduct, he has had cases dismissed where the blood alcohol results were over 0.20%, and he has seen penalties for those who negotiate deals be reduced at the hands of a skilled criminal defense lawyer. Most importantly, when he cannot negotiate a just result, he has taken over 60 cases to jury trial. His most recent two trials resulted in not guilty verdicts for his clients who were looking at a combined 49 years to life in state prison.
With that said, the simple answer is YES! You need a lawyer.
Your issue then becomes, “how much should I pay my lawyer?” As with anything, you can go on craigslist.org and find a cheap lawyer. But also as with anything, you buy cheap, you get cheap. It is concerning that there are lawyers out there who will charge you pennies when your freedom is on the line. You must also keep in mind that, although you may be paying that cheap lawyer a smaller fee, that decision can cost you thousands of dollars in court fines. You need a lawyer that has experience in trial and in negotiation, and most importantly you need a lawyer who has connections and a reputation with the people who he is negotiating with. Pat Carey checks all of these boxes, and his fees reflect just that. Our firm’s goal is to provide you with the service you would expect if you were our only client.
Imagine this: you get your “craigslist lawyer” who goes to court and pleads you guilty to a DUI. You pay upwards of $8,000 in court fines. Pat Carey then reviews your case and sees an issue which could have resulted in your case being outright dismissed! That simple fact alone will justify the hiring of a skilled criminal defense attorney like Pat Carey.
Consider these numbers:
Our office also does not charge arbitrary flat fees like other criminal defense lawyers and firms. We will explain to you exactly how your fee is calculated and why it is calculated. Most people are new to this process when hiring a criminal defense lawyer. Don’t be taken advantage of the many out there who will take your money, then waltz you in to court simply doing what the public defender could have done for you.
Call today and meet with Pat personally. He’ll explain everything as he knows the criminal justice system inside and out.