Chad, Do you know anyone in the Chicago area who can help this guy? If you want to play Dear Abby on friendship, go find a newspaper to write for because that's not what this thread is about.

 

The meds make me feel odd...

I dont see any contradiction in my statements. I dont have confidence in the justice system. I just know human nature. That people do things in the heat of the moment that they wish they didnt. Being arrested doesnt = guilt sometimes and the original poster mentioned the lack of cooperation that probably lead up to the arrest...

Can you lend me your rose colored glasses? I am going to bed. Look forward to your reply in the morning.

 

Wow, you have offered the poster no help, yet you hold me to another standard. In fact, you have totally changed the subject of this thread and caused it more harm.

Go drive your TT and lose the grumpy! Always puts a smile on my face!

 

As I recall, you recently bot your red turbo. It's a beautiful car in red and I wish you as much enjoyment from it as I get from mine in Artic. This is why I hang out here.

Let's cool it. I've seen several original posts around here recently asking for help with driving violations, all of which were immediately replied to with personal advice. It's getting a bit cliche'. Many of us come to these forums to get help with one thing or another. I'm losing my patience with people who cannot address the issue at hand. Were you really unable to see the thread ruined before I replied to your useless comments? Having been in this DUI situation, I know how it feels. And if one is fortunate enough to have a friend like the original poster at a time like this then the guy who got arrested is blessed. The OP is trying to help his friend so let's step up and facilitate any way we can, whether we find something hard to believe or not; whether we choose to believe the guy is guilty or not. If you can't offer some help or advice with the issue at hand, please
don't jump in immediately as the second poster.

Back to the issue: Someone around here has to know of some good help in Chicago. Let's help this guy out with some direction.

 

delete

 

holy moly
what happened here

 

Well, it seems the OP is looking for some legal help for his friend. Having been there myself and having seen these kinds of threads recently hijacked before w/ "personal advice" I decided to post as I did w/ the seriousness of the question in mind. I'm hoping that even though this thread took a beating, that somehow everyone who reads it could realize how thoughtless it is to respond that way to a plea for help. It's not a joke, it's someone's life that will be altered because of the event. I don't know the OP or anyone involved; I just know that someone asking for help shouldn't be replied to with flippant, condescending advice.

 

To continue with the original question:

I don't know any lawyers in Illinois, but here are some tips on hiring a good DUI lawyer.

1. Never, never hire anyone who advertises. The bigger the ad, the further you run away.
2. Don't hire the "Best DUI lawyer in town"-these guys, and there are usually 5 or 6 who are "the best", have a lot of business and if you hire them you will never see them. When you go to court you will get a first or second year associate lawyer, but you'll be paying for "the best".
3. Ask another lawyer who they recommend. Try to find someone who will take the case to heart and do the best job they can. These are usually lawyers who don't advertise, because they get clients by doing a good job for other clients. One of the best ways to find a good DUI lawyer is to ask someone at your state DMV office. In the last few years DMV officials have been given a role in DUI cases, and the staff at these offices usually know who the good, honest people are. You have to go to the part of the DMV office that handles DUI license revocations. There will be 2 or 3 secretaries there who can help you out.
4. If you call the state bar, they will just give you names on a list.
5. Make sure you hire a DUI specialist. The best question to ask is "how many DUI trials have you taken to verdict in the last 2 years". There are a lot of guys who do DUI's and have never tried a case. The problem with this is that the prosecutors know it and aren't scared. You should get someone who has beaten the persecutors down a few times.

It's important to understand that these DUI cases go very slowly. There's no rush to hire the first person you see. have your friend take his time and get the right lawyer. It can really make a night and day difference.

Let me stress this point again: DON'T HIRE THE DUI ADVERTISERS. They work on volume and have an endless supply of clients, so the incentive to do a good job for each individual is not as strong. You want to hire Jimmy Stewart, not Donald Trump.

 

sc, I'm (obviously) really disappointed in the initial responses you got in this thread. I'm no moderator, just someone who has been there. It's just my opinion that thinking people with enough gumption to reply to your request shouldn't make thoughtless comments. I'm hoping that whenever another thread similar to this one appears that stupid people will somehow restrain themselves. One can always hope. And for my part, I'm sorry for the distraction. You obviously know what friendship is and your friend is going to need it as he goes through all the ridiculous stuff ahead of him. Good luck and I hope someone can chime in here with some info for you.

 

What a great post. I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING above. The advertising attorneys know you feel demoralized after the arrest. 3 days after I was arrested the flood of DUI attorney junk mailings began and didn't stop for WEEKS. And if you start doing internet searches it can be worse. I found a firm there with an awesome website that specialized in DUI. They just want you to sign up and take your retainer. Then as things progess, you'll find out the person working on your case is 1-2 year law school grad. At this point the initial retainer fee may be almost used up. Then you find out that if you want the bigtime lawyer you initially spoke to to fight your case personally it will cost twice as much. So most people then just have the rookie attorney fight the case, which will be a disaster. Get ALL the details of who will do what upfront.

There's lot's of time initially, so get the right person first. Also, you should discuss, depending on the circumstances, a Motion to Supress to see if you can stop the case in it's tracks. Attorneys are not often aggressive about this because it means less payday for them.

Also, it helps if the attorney has experience w/ the court involved, including knowledge of the judges presiding there. I was amazed at how the judge treated my attorney vs the local assistant DA prosecuting. Expect the cop(s) to lie under oath. You can read part of my story earlier in this thread. The local police arrested me and then, when they realized they shouldn't have, called the CHP. When the CHP arrived at the scene I was handcuffed in the back of a police car. At trial, under oath, the police said they never arrested me and the CHP said I was not wearing cuffs or being detained by police when he arrived on scene. And these responses were to the DA's questions. He took this line of reasoning at the start to show us the cops would lie if my attorney tried the same questions. Can you imagine what that feels like as a defendent?, wanting to stand up and call them liars? It's my opinion the DA won't do that to a "local" defense attorney that he/she has to live with everyday in the courts.

 

+1 Steve

I also got a PM from dtmarsh instructing me on the proper way to reply to the forums and to only stick to the topic on hand and not give personal advice. Seriously, dtmarsh, you need to go for a long drive. You are way to wound up. Hitler has nothing on you buddy.

My advice, if you dont want public opinion, dont post on a public forum. God bless America! I am done in this thread.

 

We are ALL certainly in agreement with this. What could be more fundamental to 6speed? What seems to keep going over Chad's head is that if someone has a question about what engine oil to run, no progress is made by a replying with advice about suspension. It would seem obvious that there is limited value in answering questions that were never asked. 6speed is a (usually) great place to learn because most people here know and understand this.

Steve, for the record, here is the PM I sent Chad:

Chad,

Take a glance at how this thread unfolded.
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/9...y-seattle.html

The flow of thoughtful, actionable ideas could be a model for anyone willing to discuss almost any question around here. This is just my opinion. Please don't think I'm imposing on you a process of communication where topics are addressed specifically and incrementally developed in consecutive posts for the benefit of all parties.

How he could conclude I'm "instructing" him, I have no idea. I think the posts in this link speak for themselves. As for Chad being done with this thread, what a relief, as he came offering no value and left without any contribution to his credit. I'd like to think he's learned something about 6speed through this and will perhaps think about something useful to say when someone has a serious question about events he knows little or nothing about. One can always hope.

Maybe now more of us who have experience with the original topic can chime in.

 

I found his firm on the internet- I spoke with his son James Geocaris Jr. Thanks.

 

From what i have learned. their is no point in arguing with a cop, get a lawyer. They can BS just about anything and get away with it.

i.e. i got a ticket because someone called in saying i was goiong over 100mph. I wasent. I got pulled over and cited for 75 in a 65 when i was doing 65. who is the judge going to believe? last time i was in traffic court a judge didnt drop a ticket that 37mph in a 35 for a poor lad. BS.