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Good DUI Attorneys Avoid Making Promises in the Opening Statement

Making Promises in the Opening Statement Experienced DUI defense attorneys know that going to trial on DUI charges can an intimidating experience, and will explain to you how they will try to argue your defense before the jury. A Sacramento DUI attorney can help you understand what to expect.

One mistake some attorneys make at trial is to make promises in the opening statement as to what they will prove or establish. This is dangerous because the attorney must be seen as credible by the jury, and if your attorney makes a promise that is not delivered at some point, the jury will lose a lot of credibility for your attorney and, by association, for you. This is especially fatal if the jury thinks your attorney sought to intentionally mislead them, and it gives them more reason to return a guilty verdict.

“Promises” happen because your DUI defense counsel assumes that certain things will come out under cross examination or direct examination. But such assumptions can be fatal, and an experienced DUI attorney knows never to assume that something will happen at trial. Your attorney should explain to the jury the basis for your case and the facts you will rely on to make it, but do not overstate what evidence will be used or what will happen during your attorney’s direct examination or through the cross-examination of the prosecution witnesses. Your Sacramento attorney should err on the side of caution.

If you have further questions about your DUI arrest, contact experienced Sacramento DUI attorney Param Pabla for a consultation.

Client Reviews
★★★★★
“Mr. Pabla represented me with my DUI case. He has excellent communication skills and always kept me informed. Mr. Pabla made sure I understood the process and my rights. He eased my mind through a very stressful situation. I highly recommend Mr. Pabla.” Gurpreet
★★★★★
“I am so happy with the service that I received from Param S. Pabla. Jarrett did a great job solving my legal issue and I can’t recommend him enough! He was able to do everything quickly, painlessly, and was ALWAYS available to talk when I needed him. If I ever need help again, I will definitely use him!" Boris
★★★★★
“Param was excellent in my court case of failure to stop at a stop sign. The officer could not see clearly because he was too far away. The officer insisted he could and said he had video but could not produce it at the trial. The officer then asked if he could suspend the trial to go get the video but the judge said he should have had plenty of time to get the video ready beforehand. Needless to say, the judge ruled in my favor and dismissed the case which enraged the officer. Pabla Param’s defense and cross examination skills were excellent and paramount in having the case dismissed. Highly recommended.” T.C.
★★★★★
“My husband and I needed to update everything -family trust, will, medical stuff. Param was really patient -answering all my questions -even when I asked them twice. He wanted to be sure I understood everything we were doing. All docs were sent to us so we could go through them on our own time before anything was finalized. I also liked when we were looking at medical stuff that he had a conversation with me about what I wanted and pointed out some things I didn’t think of.” Debbie