A Deadly Mix
ADLER, BILL Jr.
A Deadly Mix Drinking, driving, and lawyers on the information superhighway BY BILL ADLER JR. INTERNET PORNOGRAPHY. HATE GROUPS. Instructions for building bombs. Fraudulent money-making...
...Another client was arrested for his 3rd DUI and blew a .16...
...Here’s his pitch: You have just been arrested and charged with a crime...
...When should you challenge a DUI arrest...
...This lawyer goes on to say, “I know you’re fearful about what could happen to you, but I’d like you to know that there are at least 20 different challenges that can be made to the charges you are facing...
...Another client was arrested for DUI after an accident with injuries and measured a .ll blood...
...The formula for success is to investigate exhaustively...
...Some of our recent successes include our client who was arrested for DUI and blew .28...
...When does a defendant ever think an arrest is “fair...
...One lawyer from San Diego boasts, ‘You need an aggressive attorney to keep you out of jail and who has experience in hundreds of DUI & DMV matters like yours...
...These lawyers give advice on how to drive while intoxicated and reduce your chances of ever getting caught: “‘Blend in’ with traffic because studies have shown that it is significantly more difficult for police to detect an impaired driver than when your car is isolated on the highway...
...Each year more than 17,000 people are killed by drunk drivers, and hundreds of thousands more are injured...
...If so, wait until the cops follow another person from the lot, and then leave...
...One Georgia attorney writes, “Don’t tempt fate...
...Call John Q. Smith, attorney...
...Another client was arrested for DUI after an accident and blew a .16...
...According to a Colorado lawyer, when “you don’t think it’s fair...
...On one site, two lawyers hawk their book, 101 Ways to Avoid a Drunk Driving Conviction, promising to reveal “the secrets that prosecutors,judges, and other special interest groups don't want you to know...
...Drunk driving is something society should be working together to stop...
...That’s a lot of potential business...
...conduct pretrial discovery and motion practice aggressively...
...But one of the most outrageous - even frightening - of the medium is bv lawvers who advertise their ability to get drunk drivers off the hook...
...Still another attorney crows: Where jury trials are available, success rates for acquittal are surprisingly good...
...Here are excerpts from actual web sites...
...More than just “smart business,” however, this kind of advertising makes it easier for drivers to believe, “Well, if I’m caught driving drunk, a good lawyer can get me off...
...Ethically, there’s no difference between lawyers soliciting to get drunk drivers off the hook and advertising along the lines of: ‘Rccused of Murder...
...use evidentiary maneuvers and procedural devices skillfullv...
...Drunk drivers cause 41 percent of all fatal crashes...
...Some lawyers place the blame for drunk driving on the government...
...In short, they are promoting the notion that it’s okay to drive as drunk as you want...
...Lawyers shouldn’t be promoting ways to get offenders off the hook just to make an easy buck...
...What about suggesting that drivers simply abstain from driving after drinking...
...Now, I’m sure some of you are thinking: “Everybody has a right t0.a fair trial, and there are probably a lot of people accused of DUI who aren’t really guilty...
...The bottom line is that we successfully represent many of our clients charged with DUI...
...Fundamentally, there’s nothing wrong with it...
...His site then lists the blood alcohol content of the clients for whom he’s had legal victories: Client BAC% T c e of Test Backesto .15-.16 Blood+Breath/ Under 2VAccident Bonas .1s Breath Briggs Callaway Caster Costa .16 ‘Breath .09 Blood .17 Blood .13 Breath To put these nurr.,ers in context, if your h o d alcohol level is above .lo, you are legally drunk in all states...
...Think I’m exaggerating...
...Call now for a free consultation,” urges one Florida lawyer...
...Still another client was arrested for her 2nd DUI and blew a .12...
...Five of these six clients had their license suspensionhevocation set aside by the DMV...
...and , I present a well-conceived, thorouchlv choreographed trial with expert witnesses, character witnesses, and other triedandtrue tactics for successful defense of criminal cases...
...Don’t be cheated by anyone in the process, especially yourself...
...On one particularly “helpful” site, two lawyers hawk their book, 101 Ways to Avoid a Drunk Driving Conviction, promising to reveal “the secrets that prosecutors, judges, and other special interest groups don’t want you to know...
...Fraudulent money-making schemes...
...It’s not surprising that lawyers aggressively pursue drunk driving clients...
...By asking the officer whether you can make telephone calls to an attorney or family member prior to submitting the official BAC tests, you may be taking advantage of legally permissible delays that will make your BAC tests more favorable...
...It’s vital that everyone have the best legal representation possible...
...Before leaving a bar parking lot, check to see if there are any cops in the area...
...My practice is based on the belief that you were arrested when you shouldn’t have been...
...I’m not talking about attorneys’ defending people merely accused of drunk driving, but lawyers who brag about their ability to win not-guilty verdicts for even the most assuredly guilty drivers with high blood alcohol levels...
...One attorney writes, “The crime of drunk driving occurs only when the person’s blood-alcohol level has exceeded the arbitrary numerical standard set by the state...
...In their book you also learn that: Requiring strict proof of the testing officer’s certification can often lead to a dismissal or a favorable “plea bargain” where some flaw or defect in the proof of current certification is called into question...
...Since one of the charges is DUI, you probably spent a few hours in jail before they released you with a ticket ordering you to appear in court, or you may have posted bail...
...We have a 75 percent acquittal rate...
...But this new breed of online advertisement implies - and in many cases states outright - that it doesn’t matter if you drive drunk, because these legal eagles can bail you out...
...Each year, nearly 2 million drivers are charged with driving under the influence, making drunk driving the single most common criminal offense in the country...
...Instead the advice focuses on not getting caught...
...In some states the limit is .08...
...The National College site, designed for lawyers, also teaches habitual drunk drivers how to avoid being stopped for DUI...
...So what’s the harm of lawyers defending people accused of drunk driving...
...I’ll let the lawyers words speak for themselves...
...Bottom line: These lawyers are encouraging people to drive drunk...
...These are some of the abuses of the Internet...
...There’s even a “Drunk Driving Defense Network” and “National College for Drunk Driving Defense” on the Internet...
...But don’t worry, because this lawyer insists he can successfully defend you even if your blood alcohol level is .1Z Another lawyer publishes an online newsletter for people arrested for drunk driving...
...There’s something terribly wrong here...
...Indeed, tips on how to avoid being arrested for drunk driving are part of many lawyers’ web sites, all in the name of good advertising...
...Another client was arrested for his 2nd DUI and blew a .lo...
...Yet another lawyer, billing himself as a “Top Gun DUI Defense Attorney,” brags: We have over 40 years combined experience successfully representing doctors, lawyers, professional athletes, business people, and others accused of DUI...
...Legal representation will prepare you for success in the court and DMV processes...
Vol. 30 • July 1998 • No. 7
