A lawyer should present you with a written retainer agreement and should never guarantee you a result. Check the credentials of the lawyer you are considering. If the lawyer says he or she does not handle MVA hearings because it will not affect the result there, you should seek a different lawyer. When you finish meeting with the lawyer, you should feel confident in his or her ability to obtain the best possible result for you. This often depends on the reputation and experience of the lawyer and by the geographic location.
Some lawyers tend to charge low fees and handle a high volume of cases.
Although the cost is low, many of them do not invest much time in the defense of those cases. Other lawyers charge more, often depending on the skill level, and are willing to appear in court and at administrative hearings as many times as is necessary to obtain the best possible result. There is a large range in fees. The fee may also vary by such other factors as the complexity of the case, whether expert witnesses will be needed, whether the client is a first or subsequent offender, and whether the lawyer will have to travel extensively to appear at the hearings. Generally speaking, a conviction for a first offense may involve a fine, a license suspension or restriction, attendance at a DUI education course for a period of time, and supervised probation for one to three years.