When you are hiring an attorney to represent you in any legal matter, who you hire can make all the difference in whether your case is successful or not. You want your attorney to be a consummate professional with the expertise to navigate the complexities of your case and, when it comes to family law matters such as a divorce, custody of a child, or filing a restraining order against a spouse or other family member due to domestic violence, even the simple details can result in a complicated legal fight.
But what if the attorney you have chosen to represent you in this sensitive matter has a criminal record? How can that affect the outcome of your case? There are a number of important factors to consider as you make this important decision for hiring the best attorney to fight for you.
The Client-Attorney Relationship
The first and most important aspect of the client-attorney relationship is knowing that you can trust the individual whom you have chosen to hire. If there is a complete and total lack of transparency, that could be a serious red flag from the very start. You want someone who has skill and expertise but is also trustworthy and ethical because your attorney’s reputation could end up hurting your case in the long run.
So it is absolutely essential that you learn more about your attorney before you hire him or her. If your potential hire has a criminal record, you want to know what it is and how it can affect your standing in the courtroom as it could be a reflection of your attorney’s integrity, trustworthiness, and ethics. The offense itself can also have a significant impact on your case as the court may view your attorney – and by extension, you – in a negative light, which could put you at a disadvantage.
Your Attorney has a DUI Conviction
Some may argue that any conviction, regardless of the offense, is cause for concern when deciding who to hire as your attorney. This is particularly critical in family law cases since the dispute between parties can involve children or the case has circumstances including domestic violence.
If one of the parties in the case has a DUI conviction on his or her criminal record, that can affect the decision in the case as the judge may rule in the other party’s favor since a pattern of alcoholism may be a component that has led to the dispute before the court. But if one of the parties’ attorneys has a criminal record with a DUI conviction, reputation is on the line, and that can have a direct connection to the outcome of your case.
Drinking and driving is a serious offense that puts many other lives at risk, not just that of the driver. We live in a society now where technology has put so many alternatives to drinking and driving at our fingertips that choosing to get legally drunk and driving an automobile shows extreme irresponsibility on the part of the offender.
When it’s your attorney making a poor decision such as this, you have every right to question his or her other decisions, particularly when it involves your family law case. Perception is everything and when you have hired an attorney with a DUI conviction on his or her criminal record, it could reflect badly on you and possibly influence the perception surrounding your case. The DUI conviction in your attorney’s background could be fodder for opposing counsel to use against you and reduce your credibility in the eyes of the court.
Better Safe than Sorry
Katie Lewis, an attorney practicing family law in Dallas, has a DUI conviction on her record and it could have you and your opponent’s attorney asking the same questions. Based on some of the choices she has made in previous cases, her professionalism and respect for the legal process leave a lot to be desired. One may wonder if the drinking isn’t a continued, ongoing problem that first affected her decision-making capabilities when she got behind the wheel and ended up in handcuffs, and now, it could be having an adverse negative effect on your case.
A cursory search for client feedback on Katie Lewis Family Attorney legal services results in complaints and criticisms of the way she handles her cases. Filing motion after motion for delaying trial dates, postponements during trial that result in these matters being dragged out well beyond what is necessary or acceptable based on the type of legal matter she has been hired to represent. Even when the judge in some cases has highly recommended that the parties settle out of court, Katie Lewis Family Attorney continues doing the opposite. You can be sure she also continues billing her client for her hourly rates throughout these extensions.
Why does she need so much extra time? Is she unprepared to represent these cases? Has her drinking affected her decisions in these matters? Whatever the truth may be, it’s the perception of her behavior that falls short of professional and, when you stop to consider that she has already proven herself as someone who lacks the ability to know when drinking has affected her capabilities, you would have every right to ask if she still remains incapable of making such a distinction.
That could put your case at serious risk and when the stakes are your financial future, your relationship with your children, or protecting yourself against a spouse or family member who is threatening your safety, do you really want an attorney with a criminal record representing you?
Something to think about. Then, do a background check into the attorney you choose to hire and have the peace of mind you deserve when you bring a matter before the family law court in Texas.