Know your attorney's educational background, as California is still one of the few states that doesn't require a law degree. The attorney you may hire can in fact only have a few years of college and isn't require to even have a Bachelors degree.
Mr. Menn graduated from St. Thomas University Law School in Miami Florida, an ABA accredited law school. Mr. Menn also has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from The University of Texas, San Antonio.
Know your attorney's areas of practice. Be very aware of attorneys who have a multiple areas of practice such as criminal law as well as other types of law, such as family law, bankruptcy, real estate, probate and so on. If the attorney handles all kinds of cases how much experience does he or she really have regarding DUI laws.
DUI laws are very specific and typically attorneys who do all criminal cases or other cases may only handle a few DUI per calendar year, therefor an attorney with 30 years of experience in all fields might have only done a dozen DUIs in their whole career, and the last one might have been years ago, putting them out of touch with current happenings in the DUI field. DUI laws change. Make certain that your attorney keeps current on the latest in DUI laws.
Mr. Menn only handles DUI and DMV cases. He is a member in good standing with the California DUI Lawyers Association. He regularly attends DUI seminars and keeps current with changes in DUI laws. He ONLY practices DUI defense.
Know what your attorney will do in you case.
Some attorneys will just show up at the arraignment and accept whatever offer the prosecutor makes. Some don't even know the consequences of a DUI conviction.
DUI cases require work and knowledge; Mr. Menn understands what motions to file and how to argue them successfully. Additionally, your case may require retesting of blood samples, hiring of an expert witness for either (or both) the DMV hearing and trial, subpoenas to be issued. Its important that your attorney know how to properly cross-examine officers and the State's expert witnesses.
Know if your attorney actually handles your case him- or herself or just contracts it out to a real DUI attorney.
Beware of glossy advertisements from attorneys hundreds of miles from where your case is. Usually, those attorneys charge you a hefty attorney fee of $5,000 or more and simply hire a local attorney to actually deal with your case, pocketing a large profit for doing nothing more than sending you a marketing magazine. Also be on the lookout for "mills" run by attorneys who take your money and then hand your case over to a new associate, usually fresh out of law school. You want someone experienced attorney, not a "newbie" handling his or her first case.
Mr. Menn personally handles his client's cases. He does NOT contract out your case to other attorneys. He is an experienced DUI attorney, who practices in the Northern California counties of Sacramento, Placer, Solano, Yolo, Butte, Glenn, Yuba, Sutter, Colusa, Tehama and Shasta.
Know what your attorney will charge to represent you.
Some attorneys are less than forthcoming about their fees and other costs. Understand what you will be paying BEFORE you hire an attorney.
Mr. Menn charges a FLAT RATE ATTORNEY FEE of $2,000* for pretrial representation. If your case requires trial, Mr. Menn charges $1,500 for representation at trial. He does his best to provide top notch legal services at an affordable price.
Many cases do not require trial. Often times, a settlement of case can occur favorably to you prior to having to go to trial.
Don't pay a trial fee UNLESS you are actually going to trial! Some attorneys charge a flat fee that supposedly includes trial, while the attorney knows that most cases don't make it to trial.
The FLAT RATE ATTORNEY FEE of $2,000* includes Mr. Menn making as many pretrial court appearances as needed in your case, as well as drafting, filing and arguing any motions to help your case. Also included is representation at the DMV administrative hearing and speaking to you about our case.
There can be additional costs in your case, such as DMV subpoena deposits, transcript costs, blood sample retest fees, expert witness fees and such. These are charged by third parties and whether they will apply in your matter must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Mr. Menn does not receive any financial benefit from these third party costs.
Contact the Law Offices of William B. Menn today by Calling 1-877-DUIs-911.
*Rate is subject to change without prior notice.
