If a Virginia reckless driving attorney claims to be a former prosecutor, you should also invite them to list the jurisdiction where they were employed. If they worked as a Commonwealth's Attorney in a county which processed a large number of traffic cases (such as Fairfax County), then they'll obviously be more experienced than if they had spent time in a county with fewer such cases. Some prosecutors positions are only part-time and some listing themselves as ex-prosecutors never prossecuted Virginia state cases. Some of these "ex-prosecutors are former JAG lawyers for the government, prosecuted in another state, or, worst of all, had an internship with a prosecutor's office while still in law school!
Ethics are Important Too
In addition to experience, your Virginia reckless driving attorney should also possess a reputation that is respected and above reproach. Therefore, it is also important to ask questions about a lawyer's ethics.
The first question you should ask is whether the attorney has ever been disciplined by the Virginia state bar. This is the oversight body which monitors the conduct of lawyers and has the ability to sanction, suspend, or even disbar them for ethical or criminal transgressions.
In other words, if you would think twice about hiring an employee who had a criminal record, then you should also hesitate to engage the services of an attorney who has a record of run-ins with the state bar.
Aside from the existence of legal sanctions, there is another way to establish how skilled and respected a given Virginia reckless driving attorney is. The Martindale-Hubbell ratings are evaluations of lawyers that are made confidentially by other lawyers.
Martindale-Hubbell measures an attorney's:
- overall expertise;
- specific expertise in their chosen legal specialties; and
- professional ability standard.
The ratings use an A, B, and C scale to rank attorneys. Martindale-Hubbel has also added numerical ratings to these letters, with the highest rating being a "5.0." (For example, Bob Battle has a perfect rating of "AV 5 out of 5" on the Martindale-Hubble rating system.) But the highest rating any lawyer can receive is an AV rating, which denotes that the individual has attained the highest level of professional excellence.
What about my Virginia reckless driving case?
Finally, a qualified Virginia reckless driving attorney should be able to present strategies and opinions about your particular case. When you summarize the details surrounding your Virginia speeding ticket, a qualified lawyer will be able to speak intelligently about the challenges of your case instead of simply giving you a generic, boiler-plate answer.
However, even the best lawyer cannot guarantee an outcome in your reckless driving case. So be very suspicious of attorneys who issue such bold claims.
Bob Battle's GUARANTEE for Reckless Driving/Speeding and Other Serious Traffic Offense Defendants!
Bob Battle is the only Reckless Speeding Lawyer in Virginia to offer a guarantee that could be worth thousands of dollars in free legal representation. Under Virginia law, if you are convicted of reckless driving/speeding in the General District Court, you have a right to appeal and get a new trial in the Circuit Court. Bob Battle guarantees that, if you wish to appeal your case, he will represent you on appeal to the Circuit Court for FREE!
If you have been ticketed for reckless driving/speeding in Virginia, there is no time to waste! Get a free copy of Bob Battle's consumer guide, The Shocking Truth About Reckless Driving/Speeding in Virginia. Or, contact 804-673-5600 to schedule your legal consultation today.
