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Evaluating Your Potential as a DUI Witness
When meeting with your lawyer for the first time, he will need to evaluate both your case and your temperament as a potential witness. An experienced Sacramento criminal defense attorney will look for someone whom he feels will put his or her best foot forward in court while working cooperatively to achieve success in the case.
Your Sacramento criminal defense attorney will first meet with you to discuss the case and how it may play out with testimony, witnesses, and the jury in court. The attorney will be assessing your ability to present yourself well before the jury, as your demeanor can make or break the case. The jury will not look kindly upon negativity, and will respond positively to a respectful, well-behaved witness.
In addition, the Sacramento criminal defense attorney will want to know whether you can handle the rigors of court. Undergoing cross-examination can be a difficult experience, and the prosecution will not be sparing your feelings. It may be helpful for your potential lawyer to run you through a mock examination in order to get a feel for how you will respond to questioning in court. This will help him make a decision as to how your behavior and performance in court can ultimately help or hinder the case.
Your TestimonyDuring your initial interview, your Sacramento criminal defense attorney will also want to know how much you actually recall about the incident. Typically, DUI attorneys place witnesses within three brackets:
- The first type of witness “blacked out” and recalls nothing at all about the incident. This witness is the least helpful, although recently people have begun using hypnosis to help defendants recall information about the incident.
- The second type of witness remembers bits and pieces of the event, and is also not very helpful and can even damage the defense with these lapses in memory. This type of witness may be helped by hypnosis as well.
- The third type of witness remembers most, if not all, of the event, and his or her good memories are a welcome addition to the trial for any DUI attorney. Being able to demonstrate excellent recall of the event before a jury will also help demonstrate that you were not intoxicated.
If you are seeking the aid of dedicated Sacramento criminal defense attorneys, get in touch with Param Pabla at (916) 285-7900 to meet with qualified representation as soon as possible.
