Mistakes To Avoid When Arrested For DUI

Getting arrested for DUI is a serious offence in Killeen, TX. It is imperative to hire an experienced lawyer who has handled DUI cases in the past. State laws can be complex and it is not possible for a layman to go about the legalities properly without the assistance of a DUI lawyer.

In case you are charged with a DUI offence in Killeen, there are certain mistakes that you need to avoid. Some of these are:

• Not telling the truth: Lying to the police is one of the most common mistakes that people commit after getting caught for DUI. The arresting officer may inquire about the validity of your license or if you have been drinking. Except telling your complete name to the police, you can choose to remain silent on all other queries. This way, you can avoid giving any statement to the police that can be later used against you in the court.
• Waiting for too long to hire a lawyer: It is essential to get in touch with a DUI lawyer as soon as you are arrested. Your lawyer will be able to evaluate the case and assist you in the best possible manner. A DUI conviction can lead to many long term consequences, so make sure you hire an attorney to get the charges dismissed or minimize the penalties that you may have to face.
• Not understanding the testing procedure: There are certain standardized tests that may be conducted by the police to establish that you have been drinking under the influence of alcohol. These may include a field sobriety test, breath analyzer and possibly a blood or urine test. The results of these tests may be used as crucial evidence against you in the case. Therefore, it is strongly recommended not to undergo any test in the absence of your lawyer.
• Resisting arrest: If the officer thinks that he has enough evidence to arrest you on the grounds of DUI, make sure you do not resist getting arrested. Refusing arrest can only make your case weak and the lawyer may find it difficult to prove your innocence.

It is important to hire a DUI attorney who can objectively evaluate the intricacies of your case and work towards protecting your legal rights.

How To Choose A Divorce Lawyer

It is important to choose a good divorce attorney as the issues related to divorce may turn out to be quite complicated and need to be handled skillfully. The attorney you select should be able to deal with the complexities of the case and resolve it while keeping your best interest in mind.

Here are some of the tips on how to choose a divorce lawyer:

• Referral: Take advice from your friends, acquaintances and relatives about the divorce attorney. If you or someone from your family has already worked with a divorce lawyer, it can be of great help. You can also search online for divorce lawyers in your area. Go through their legal expertise and client testimonials to determine if he can represent your case.
• Meet different lawyers: Arrange meetings with a few lawyers to know about their experience and practice areas. Ask them about the type of divorce cases that they have handled and what their outcomes were. You can also ask for references of some of their previous clients. You must choose a lawyer who makes you feel comfortable and with whom you can easily discuss the details of your case.
• Cost: Before contacting any lawyer, you need to understand your budget. Lawyers charge differently depending upon their experience. Some lawyers may charge on hourly basis while others may ask for a fixed amount. Understand the variables involved in your case and select a lawyer who fits within your budget. However, you must not choose a lawyer based solely on the cost factor. The quality of representation you receive is equally important for a favorable outcome of the case.
• Personal compatibility: You must feel comfortable communicating with the divorce lawyer. Right from the first consultation, you should be able to open up about the intricate facts of your divorce case. Trust your instincts and choose a lawyer who is willing to listen to your opinions and expectations from the case, without any subjectivity.

The above points will surely make it easy for you to choose the right lawyer for your divorce case.

Things Your Lawyer Needs to Know about Your Child Custody Case

A child custody case is usually very overwhelming for a parent. However to ensure that you get the custody of your child, you should share all details with your lawyer and be honest with him.

Here is the list of the things that your lawyer must know about the case:

• Details of the child in question: Your lawyer must know the simple details about the child in issue. The lawyer will use these details to determine what type of investigation should be carried out to support your case. Your lawyer needs details such as your child’s day care, school, and day-to-day activities to determine the best approach to establish your case in the court.
• Detailed information about the opposing party or any caretaker: To establish the case in your support, you must provide sufficient details about the other parent or opposing party. The information helps the lawyer prepare a visitation schedule that he will propose in the court. The lawyer needs to know where the other parent lives, works, what type of work he or she does, and whether the other parent is living with any other children or adult or has married. The court is interested in knowing how the life of the child will affect or to whom the child is exposed.
• Addresses where the child lived in the past: For building a case in favor of your custody interests, your lawyer must know where the child has been residing over the last few years. If the child has relocated frequently and lacked stability in these years, your lawyer can use the information for building strategic arguments.
• Incidents of domestic violence: Your lawyer needs to know if you have been involved in any incidents of domestic violence or a case has been registered against you. The court is also interested in knowing whether the charges were levied by the other parent or were made on behalf of the child.
• Details of any other cases involving the child: Keep your lawyer informed about any other cases involving the child such as child support case, juvenile delinquency, or abuse or neglect case, as the court often combines the cases. These cases greatly affect your case, as the court looks at the facts and the situations of the parent and the child.
• Previous child support orders: Inform the lawyer about any child support orders that you received before and how you are dealing with it as he can help you renegotiate the order.

The child custody lawyer may ask you many questions to ensure that he or she can prepare an argument favoring you. Make sure you answer the questions truthfully so that your lawyer can help you get the custody of the child.

Benefits Of Hiring A Criminal Lawyer

Being involved in a crime, whether in the capacity of the victim or the supposed culprit is bound to take a huge toll on the day to day activities of one’s life. Apart from being subjected to the possible penalties, it is psychologically taxing too. If you’ve been accused of any kind of a criminal charge, ranging from a DWI to an assault, hiring a criminal lawyer in Killeen is your best bet. There are huge benefits of hiring an experienced professional criminal lawyer and some of them are as follows.

• Guidance through legal formalities: Even if you are very well versed with the law and are familiar with the proceedings of litigation, you will need a lawyer to help you work it all out in a proper way. A criminal lawyer is assuring and offers peace of mind by handling all the legal formalities and paperwork.
• Proper investigation: There is a lot that goes into defining a crime scene. Several possible evidences that can support your case. A simple wrong interpretation or lack of evidence can turn a case against you. If you seek professional help the investigation done will be thorough and detailed. Without a criminal lawyer’s intervention, the investigation work carried out by the authorities of law is usually superficial. You should hire a criminal lawyer who has prolific resources at his or her disposal to help you seek justice for you in Killeen.
• In reference to your employment and other aspects of personal life: Being charged with a criminal offence also affects your employment opportunities and consequently your pay scale as well. There are other aspects of your personal life that may be affected by a criminal charge. A criminal lawyer will help prevent and solve out these areas for you.
• You may get a pardon: If there is a genuine explanation behind your actions you may get a pardon. Sometimes a criminal lawyer, with his vast experience, may be able to make your tormented mental state work in your favor by getting a good judgment.
• Reduced punishment: If you are guilty of a crime, a lawyer can help reduce the fine or the sentence or both. You should hire a lawyer who has the resources and the influence to help you through your entire legal process.

What Are The Benefits Of Making A Will

Making a will is a smart decision that ensures that you are in control of who inherits your assets, instead of giving others the right to distribute your possessions. Even though it is natural to have reluctance towards contemplating your own death, but everyone should understand and accept that this is a very realistic possibility, and a will gives you the opportunity to be in charge of your affairs after your demise. Hiring an experienced family lawyer in Killeen can help to guide you through the process of creating a will, and ensure that you make a well-informed decision. Here is a look at the major benefits of choosing to make a will:

• A major benefit of making a will is the peace of mind that it grants you. You can enjoy the simple pleasures of life without having to worry of what will become of your assets after your demise. A will allows you to have everything taken care of, right from guardians for your children, to executors to manage your estate.
•  With all the emotional turmoil that entails the death of a loved one, a will can come as a welcome relief for family members and friends, as they shall know exactly what you expected. This helps to decrease the likelihood of family disputes and disagreements. You can make things even easier for them by including your funeral wishes in your will.
• A will can go a long way in maximizing the value of your savings and property, by protecting them from the effects of inheritance tax or residential care fees.
• Another major benefit of making a will is that it ensures financial security for your loved ones. This is a key decision that you can make to provide financial security for the people you really care for after you have gone. This is especially important in case of unmarried couples, where your partner will not be covered by the law of intestacy following your demise.
• If you have any possessions of sentimental value, such as your car, paintings, jewelry, a family heirloom, family photographs, war medals, etc., you can mention these as gifts in your will, to make sure that they land in the ownership of someone who will value them and preserve them.

There are several lawyers in Killeen who can help you in making creating your will and provide you with the experienced legal counsel you need through the process.

Things To Avoid During Divorce Proceedings

With the intense emotional pressure that surrounds a divorce, it is understandable why people end up making the worst mistakes during the period leading up to the divorce, and often have to live with these decisions for the rest of their lives.

Here is a look at some of the biggest pitfalls made during divorce proceedings:

• Making poorly informed decisions: While you might think that divorces are governed by common sense, and that you are smart enough to know what is right for you, the truth is that a divorce is a purely legal process, which is why it is important to seek legal counsel. Hiring an experienced divorce lawyer in Killeen can help make your job a lot easier, ensuring you understand the legal implications of every decision you make.
• Allowing the attorney to control the entire process: Although it is important to hire an attorney to guide you through the process, this does not mean that you completely hand over the reins of your divorce in his hands. It is important to remain involved throughout the process, and ask as many questions as you need, to ensure that you completely understand what you are signing up for.
• Following an approach of revenge: If you step into the courtroom with revenge against your soon-to-be ex-spouse being your prime motive, be ready for nothing more than an inflated ego. It sure might be satisfying to lash out at them and let the entire courtroom know how they have wronged you, but you need to understand that the court will not punish anyone without proper procedure and decorum followed.
• Settling too low or committing to high: When it comes to the financial aspects of a divorce, it is far too common for one party to be exploited without them even realizing it. Divorce lawyers can play a major role here, helping you to have a realistic view of what to expect in the years to come, and take into account often ignored aspects such as tax implications and inflation. Your goal should be to play it fair with everyone involved, you included.
• Letting emotions come in the way: Another common mistake witnessed is people choose a less-valuable asset like their marital home, over a much more lucrative one, like say, a share of their spouse’s pension. It is important to ensure that you do not let emotions govern the decisions you make during this testing time.

Custody Lawyer In Killeen TX

With all the emotional and mental turmoil involved in going through a divorce, it is usually difficult to remain levelheaded while dealing with a child custody case. Hiring a good custody lawyer can go a long way in helping you to handle the situation objectively, and make the best decision in the interest of your child/ children. The key question that needs to be addressed in a custody case is who the children will be spending maximum time with, out of both the parents.

Here is a look at some of the key benefits of hiring a custody lawyer:

• There are several different types of custodies that the court has to choose from. Hiring an experienced Killeen lawyer with experience in dealing with custody cases will help you better understand your options from a legal standpoint.
• If you think that joint custody could be the best option for your child, you will need to choose from some of the most proficient lawyers, to be able to convince the court of this decision. This is because most courts do not favor this custody settlement, due to the negative psychological outcome it is believed to have on the child.
• The role of the custody lawyer becomes even greater when both the parents involved are not on cordial terms with each other. In these cases, hiring the right custody lawyer could help to ensure that the final decision made by the court is fair, and protects the rights of everyone involved.
• One wrong statement passed in the court at the time of the hearing could work against you, and end up turning the entire ruling in the opponent party’s favor. A custody lawyer can prevent this from happening, by guiding you about the anticipated questions to expect, and the best answers to give to them.
• Custody lawyers have vast experiences in dealing with similar cases, and are well-versed with the laws governing the cases, due to which they might even be able to guide you on how to present an evident shortcoming, such as a history of drug abuse, or unemployment, in the right light. Your lawyer will give you the right advice on how to convince the court that you are capable of being a good parent.

Taking Legal Advice From Experts

Seeking the counsel of a lawyer can help you to effectively represent your interests in a wide variety of scenarios. Some of the most common cases for which people seek legal advice include divorces, child custody cases, writing a will, DUI allegations, personal injury cases, car accident cases, business launches, and facing a lawsuit. Following a well-structured protocol can help you in making the right choice while looking for a lawyer in Killeen TX. With all the lawyers available to choose from, it is imperative to carry out sufficient amount of research to ensure that you make the best possible choice in this regard.

To start with, you need to ensure that the lawyer that you are considering, has relevant experience in the field of law that you are seeking assistance in. For instance, a lawyer with extensive experience in drafting wills might not be the right choice for your child custody case. It is always a good idea to ask friends and family who have had previous experiences with a similar case for recommendations. You might also be able to get good advice on the right lawyer for your case from your state and local bar associations.

It is advisable to arrange consultations with more than one lawyer from shortlisted options, before you make a final decision. Ask relevant questions such as the method of payment, how long the case is expected to run, your chances of success, their modus operandi, etc., so as to be able to compare the different lawyers that you are considering.

Once you have chosen the final lawyer, you shall need to ask a more detailed set of questions, which should include the frequency of updates from the lawyer, the information that you shall be required to provide, the total expected cost, different approaches to your case, etc. You might also want to consider getting a written agreement from the lawyer.

Finally, make sure that you have a very clear understanding of all that you shall be expected to pay, and the payment arrangements that your lawyer shall opt for. Some lawyers might charge you for additional services such as copying documents, courier services, research services, filing fees, etc. The most common payment arrangements include contingency fee, flat fee, hourly charges, pre-paid legal plans, retainer, and low-cost public legal services. It is advisable to have good records of your entire case, by retaining copies of any original documents provided to the lawyer, and carefully reviewing the bill provided by the lawyer.

Killeen Personal Injury Lawyer For Defective Products

If you or any of your loved ones suffer personal injury as a result of a dangerous or damaged product, you can receive compensation in the form of “damages” from the company responsible for manufacturing the product and putting in the market. You need to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer with knowledge of defective products litigation. The damages for such an incident should cover medical expenses, lost wage, as well as compensation for pain and suffering. Most lawyers in Killeen have a no-fee policy, according to which you do not have to pay any fee to the personal injury lawyer until you get results for your case.

Depending on the nature of your case, your attorney may suggest you to pursue a class action, whereby all the members of the public who have been affected by the product will fight the case together. You might want to choose a lawyer specializing in the nature of product that has affected you. For instance, you can get Depo-Provera lawyers, asbestos lawyers, car defect lawyers, and a wide number of other specialization lawyers in Killeen TX.

One of the most common cases of damage due to defective products include food poisoning cases, which include the sale of contaminated foods like beef, chicken, pork, vegetables, milk products, etc. your lawyer will determine whether it was a case of E.coli poisoning, restaurant food poisoning, or any other case of food poisoning, and pursue the case accordingly. Other more severe cases of defective product injury include injuries incurred at the workplace due to design defects in a machine, defects in children’s toys, design flaws in lawn mowers or other garden equipment, defective drills, flammable clothing, faulty ladders, inadequate safety restraints, etc.

Even if the injury does not appear to be directly caused by a defect in the machinery, you can sue the manufacturing company for not including clear warnings and instructions regarding the use of the machinery. If you suffer injury due to a damaged product, you must click photographs of the site of injury to serve as proof of your claim, take note of any witnesses to the incident, and preserve any medical bills that you pay for treating the injury. Collecting this evidence can help in making your case stronger, hence assisting your personal injury lawyer in winning the compensation that you deserve.

Killeen Attorney For Misdemeanor And Felony

Facing conviction for a misdemeanor or felony can be an extremely grueling experience, with a risk of lifelong repercussions. If you find yourself in such a situation, in Killeen, the best thing to do is to stop panicking, and channelize your energy towards finding a competent criminal lawyer to present your case in court. While you might think that it would be logical to save on your lawyer fee and fight the case on your own, this could end up landing you in deeper trouble than you can imagine, and you might have to eventually pay a lot more towards fines and penalties.

The greatest benefit of hiring a criminal lawyer is that he has extensive knowledge of the criminal system, and can hence carefully evaluate your case, and see how to best present it in your favor, bearing in mind the laws surrounding it. This stands true in either case- whether you are guilty or not. In both cases, the role of a criminal lawyer cannot be overlooked, since he shall work on highlighting your strengths in the case, and masking your weaknesses.

Your attorney shall also guide you on courtroom etiquette, training you on what to say and what not to say during your trial. Upon evaluating your case, your attorney shall clearly explain your position to you, and let you know what to expect. This helps in making you mentally prepared before the actual courtroom decision. Factors like whether this is your first conviction, and the circumstances of your arrest shall also count in determining to what extent your lawyer can assist you. Depending on your case, there are various solutions that your lawyer could suggest, such as suggesting that you be sent to counseling or drug rehab, or requesting your release on your own recognizance until the day of your trial.

The role of your attorney also continues after the trial, since he can help you in applying for expungement, to clear the case off your records. While this might be relatively easier in case of misdemeanors, it is a lot more difficult if you have a felony on your criminal record. However, hiring a lawyer from a renowned law firm like Seigman, Starritt-Burnett & Sinkfield, PLLC, can make it possible to have your record cleared.