Almost everyone has dreams of starting their own law firm. I know I did. The thought of being your own boss (for me a DUI lawyer). The thought of taking the direction of your business wherever you want. The thought of creating a culture of excellence that just plain doesn't exist at a lot of place. And the thought of putting all of the money my hard work earns in my pocket were too much to pass up.
But it's not all roses and rainbows. I started a law firm with the idea of being the number one eminent domain attorney in Seattle, and that quickly morphed into the best DUI attorney in Seattle. I'd done a little bit of both, and I quickly realized that as a DUI lawyer I could do two things - I could help more people out of bigger problems, and I could make a lot of money.
It's this kind of twist and turn that you've got to be ready for if you are considering starting your own law firm. Because they will come, and they will come hard. Maybe there just isn't a market out there for what you want to do. Maybe what you think works really doesn't. Or maybe it just takes longer than you thought it would to get going.
Starting a criminal law firm is tough. Being a DUI attorney is hard. But it's rewarding. And there is success to be had out there. All you need to do is put one foot in front of the other. Keep working hard, and the results will come.
5.24.2010
5.09.2010
DUI Attorney | Walk And Turn Explained
I'm a Seattle DUI attorney. That means I spend a lot of time helping people get out of DUI charges. And, more specifically, I help people tell prosecutors, and sometimes juries, why they actually weren't drunk but were the victim of a set of failed tests that people have been brainwashed to believe are fail safe.
One of those tests, called standardized field sobriety tests by the cops, and simply called field tests by DUI lawyers, is the walk and turn. As the name implies, it is a test that involves walking and turning. But there is much more to it. And if you fail, it allegedly provides an officer some level of certainty that you are too drunk to drive.
The instructions for the test are fairly straightforward, though if you've never heard them before the length can be a little distracting. In short, these are the instructions: "Place your right foot in front of your left foot with your hands at your side and stay there until the instructions are finished. With your hands at your side, walk heel to toe nine steps, then pivot around with small steps around your left foot and take nine heel to toe steps back. While you are walking keep your eyes fixed on your feet and count out your steps. Go."
Sounds pretty easy, right. Okay, do it. See how easy it is. The clues they use are these - starts before the directions are finished, no heel to toe, arms are raised away from side, sways while listening to directions, doesn't take the correct number of steps, doesn't count the steps. If you do two of these things you fail and you better be on the phone to your criminal attorney pronto.
The problem with this test is twofold, at least. First, it doesn't test your ability to drive a car safely. It is a completely random test dreamed up by someone who thought there might be a correlation between it and driving. But the tests don't add up (these tests have never been scientifically validated and published). Second, the test doesn't take into account age, height, and weight differentials. Think a 25 year old fit man and a 65 year old overweight man should perform the same? The people who made this test up do.
This is why most DUI lawyers preach that you should not do field sobriety tests if asked. You most likely won't pass, and if you don't, there is that much more evidence they'll try to use against you.
One of those tests, called standardized field sobriety tests by the cops, and simply called field tests by DUI lawyers, is the walk and turn. As the name implies, it is a test that involves walking and turning. But there is much more to it. And if you fail, it allegedly provides an officer some level of certainty that you are too drunk to drive.
The instructions for the test are fairly straightforward, though if you've never heard them before the length can be a little distracting. In short, these are the instructions: "Place your right foot in front of your left foot with your hands at your side and stay there until the instructions are finished. With your hands at your side, walk heel to toe nine steps, then pivot around with small steps around your left foot and take nine heel to toe steps back. While you are walking keep your eyes fixed on your feet and count out your steps. Go."
Sounds pretty easy, right. Okay, do it. See how easy it is. The clues they use are these - starts before the directions are finished, no heel to toe, arms are raised away from side, sways while listening to directions, doesn't take the correct number of steps, doesn't count the steps. If you do two of these things you fail and you better be on the phone to your criminal attorney pronto.
The problem with this test is twofold, at least. First, it doesn't test your ability to drive a car safely. It is a completely random test dreamed up by someone who thought there might be a correlation between it and driving. But the tests don't add up (these tests have never been scientifically validated and published). Second, the test doesn't take into account age, height, and weight differentials. Think a 25 year old fit man and a 65 year old overweight man should perform the same? The people who made this test up do.
This is why most DUI lawyers preach that you should not do field sobriety tests if asked. You most likely won't pass, and if you don't, there is that much more evidence they'll try to use against you.
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