Why Hire Me?

Hiring a Qualified Houston DWI Attorney

I am of the belief that a person accused of a crime should hire the best attorney that he/she can find and afford. If an accused citizen walks into court with an incompetent attorney or one without the proper background and training, it can haunt them for the rest of their life. The prosecutors on the other side are skilled attorneys. Once a case gets to court, I believe their primary goal is to obtain a conviction. The better the defense attorney, the tougher it will be for the government to be successful in convicting you of the charges.

Many times, I have been hired in cases when a person has been to court several times with an attorney they are not happy with. They either did not put the time and effort into finding the right attorney, or tried to save some money and hired a less expensive one. In order for me to be the most effective, it is important that I work on your case from the beginning. Many times I have been hired after another attorney has been fired by the client. At this point, it is possible that legal deadlines have expired, making these cases more difficult to defend.

What Can I Do For You:

1. Get the Charges Dismissed:

   The ultimate result to a DWI case is an absolute dismissal of all charges. These results are usually only obtained when the prosecution is convinced they will lose in trial. It is the job of a defense attorney to point out legal and factual weakness in a case. If a prosecutor knows the defense attorney is highly skilled and experienced the more likely you are to obtain a dismissal of the charges.

2. Obtain a Not Guilty Verdict:

   In the event the prosecution will not dismiss the charges the other way to clear your name is by a judge or jury saying you are "not guilty." This is done in a trial. Only a highly skilled and trained attorney should handle a case at trial. The evidence must show guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt" before a guilty verdict is returned. Before a case goes to trial it should be evaluated properly and prepared or the results could be terrible. Trial is the ultimate defense and should not be handled unless the case is totally prepared by an extremely skilled and competent attorney.

3. Other Possible Results:
   

   A. Dismiss the DWI and plea to a lesser offense

   In the past I have disposed of certain DWI cases where the client plead guilty to a charge such as reckless driving, public intoxication, obstructing a highway or a minor with a detectable amount of alcohol (DUI).

   B. Keep you out of jail:

   If there is a bad accident in your case or other aggravating facts (prior convictions....extremely high breath or blood test) the prosecution may want to put you in jail. Most people do not want to spend any amount of time in jail. It is the job of the experienced attorney to avoid jail time for their clients, if possible.

   C. Save your drivers license:

   In almost every DWI case the prosecution will attempt to suspend your drivers license. It is your attorney's job to fight these efforts to suspend your license. The laws allowing the prosecution to suspend your license have become tougher in recent years. This requires that an attorney be highly qualified in this area to properly fight these attempted suspensions.

It is impossible to say what I can do for your case without knowing the facts and doing a full investigation. Every case is different. I have been handling these cases for years, and I am always striving for new ways to win. A few of the ways I have won these cases in the past are:

1. Show that the stop of the vehicle was illegal. (Requiring the case to be dismissed).
2. Show the standardized field sobriety tests were administered improperly by the arresting officer and may not be used against the person in court.
3. Have the video tape of the person being arrested excluded from court.
4. Show that the breath test was administered improperly and may not be used against the person arrested in court.
5. Show the police officer has testified inconsistently and cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
   
6. Prove the arresting officer has violated his/her police department policy, requiring the case to be dismissed.

The examples above are a few of the ways I have defended some drunk driving cases in the past. It will give you a small idea of some of the tactics that I have used over the years.

If you have been arrested for DWI or know someone who has, please call me immediately so that I may begin work on your case right away. Let's work to get the best possible result for you!

Call me toll-free at (800) 338-8070 or (713) 222-6767.

Sincerely, Ned Barnett