Stories of Defendants Can Help Says Fairfax DUI Lawyer

Stories of defendants can persuasively assist them with settlement negotiations and any sentencing, says Fairfax DUI lawyer

Stories are an important part of persuasion, when done right, sincerely, with sufficient depth, and with drawing the listener into the circle of the story. As a Fairfax DUI lawyer, I have seen many prosecutors and judges nod their heads as I present the story of what happened on the incident date and why, who they are as a person, the extent to which they have been scared straight (including their not wanting to put their careers, security clearances, and personal lives at further risk), and why their alleged or convicted actions were aberrations committed by a person who is now much advanced on the road to not repeating such behavior. I am not talking here about entertainment stories, but about hard hitting stories of the kind you read in the best periodicals.

"Jane was hanging out with her friends when her husband urged her to come home right away..."

Great Virginia DUI defense stories set the scene, the mood, the chronology, the focus on what is most persuasively focused on, and the hook to persuade the listener to the storyteller's side. For instance, the following , if true, might be used to obtain a more favorable Virginia DWI case settlement than otherwise. : "Jane was hanging out with her friends when her husband called and urged her to come home right away. Jane was tired. Jane had shared a six pack with her friends. She  called an Uber. None showed up. Her husband called a few more times, urging that he was exhausted and she belonged home, helping put the preschool age children with their bedtime story and bed. Jane gave into this urging, driving as carefully as she could for the one mile ride home. This arrest was enough to convince Jane always to listen to her head from now on. Since then, she has attended ten Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, gotten evaluated as a social drinker by a local alcohol treatment program, and completed a driving improvement class." This foregoing story can transport the listener to that TV room with the six pack being shared (meaning a moderate level), then the wakeup call to reality that Jane's children needed her, followed by the further wakeup call of her arrest, followed by her making time for those AA meetings. The listener may be able to feel the positive and lasting change that Jane has already undergone, and will be in a better place to understand Jane as a fully remorseful human being, and not as the day's Defendant number 4.

How do Virginia DUI defendants get their best story told in court?

A Virginia DUI defendant already has the strike against him or her that nobody approves of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Even I  -- who wants much more liberalized DWI laws and sentencing, that eliminates per se rules of guilt and mandatory minimum sentencing -- am not about to tell anyone that it is okay for them to drive any motor vehicle or boat, nor to operate an airplane in any conditions other than being wide awake and stone sober. With all of that in mind, Virginia DUI defendants get their best stories presented in court by obtaining a qualified lawyer whose strengths include persuasive storytelling, together with the needed ability to do a persuasively great job at trial and to be convincing through settlement negotiations and any sentencing.

How does my Virginia DUI lawyer learn how to tell persuasive stories?

How does your Virginia DUI lawyer learn to tell persuasive stories for his or her defendant clients. Law schools generally spend substantial time teaching law, analysis and argument, but little about storytelling except to the extent that it is included in trial advocacy classes and litigation legal clinics. Most importantly for a Virginia criminal defense lawyer is to learn storytelling by doing, starting not as late as the start of trial, but with settlement negotiations, and with any sentencing. Early on as a criminal defense lawyer, I learned not to parrot those who do cookbook opening statements, direct and cross examination, and closing arguments. Instead, I learned about telling a persuasive story at every stage of trial, with that foundation having been particularly strengthened through my participation in the National Criminal Defense College's two-week Trial Practice Institute (1994) and the then-four-week Trial Lawyers College (then in Dubois, Wyoming). At both colleges -- each highly competitive to get admitted to -- a lot of what we did at first was to unlearn so much of what we had learned about being able to argue both sides of the case equally as well, and instead to get that extra oomph into our advocacy through through fully caring about our client and their cause, with the client at both programs being a living, breathing, human being, rather than a corporation or government entity (which is not meant to pan either).

How do I find the right Virginia DUI lawyer for me?

Many moving parts are at play when you are defending against a DWI prosecution. Your Virginia DUI lawyer needs to obtain and fully review the prosecutor's discovery / evidence against you, to understand the involved science and law, to fully integrate you into the case defense and development, and to persuade for you at virtually every turn Hopefully it is second nature for your Virginia DWI attorney to know how to present a trial well. As a Fairfax DUI lawyer, around 30% of my clients are Virginia DWI defendants. I have successfully defended hundreds of DWI clients and have successfully taken hundred of their cases to trial. My commitment to top-notch Virginia DUI defense against allegations of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs under Virginia Code § 18.2-266 goes further, by my being a member of the National College of DUI Defense, and by my having been trained to conduct field sobriety tests (SFSTs or FSTs) to people who have recently consumed alcohol. Consequently, when you need a highly performing Fairfax DUI lawyer or Virginia DWI attorney, call my office at 703-383-1100 to schedule a free in-person confidential consultation concerning your court-pending prosecution.