Blog - Vacaville Attorney

3 Things to Look for in a Fairfield Attorney

August 7, 2019 By davidknecht

Finding a good attorney can be challenging for many people. While there was a time when attorneys were not as prevalent, there has been a significant rise in the number of practicing attorneys in the United States. In fact, the attorney population has increased 15% in the past decade! A good attorney is someone who will fight on your behalf. Their goal is to focus on using ethical, cost-effective, and reasonable methods to help their clients receive the best outcome possible. Here are 3 things to look for in a Fairfield attorney.

Comfort and Personality

A good attorney will make you feel comfortable when you are working with them. While you want someone who is going to be good in the courtroom, you want someone who will valve your time in their offices. Do you feel like you can be honest and open when speaking with an attorney? An attorney cannot help you if they are not willing to pay attention to you. Reading some online reviews from past clients can help you find out if you are working with someone who does value their clients.

Attorneys who value their clients will spend time with them no matter how large or small their case is. You want to find an attorney who does answer phone calls, emails, and text messages. Even for a routine case, a good attorney understands how stressful the entire process can be for their clients, and they are here to help you through it.

Fee Structure and Record

The fee structure is something the attorney will be up-front with you right away. A good attorney will lay out how their fees work, and if there is a possibility if you do have additional charges possibly coming your way. If you have a small case, some attorney’s will do a flat rate fee while others may bill by the hour. Do some research before you start meeting with attorneys so you do have an idea of how much this case will cost you.

Before you meet with the attorney, you need to check on their record. What type of cases do they specialize in, and how successful are they in their industry? Look at the online reviews to find out what people are saying about the attorney, and make sure you know everything you can find out before meeting with them so you can bring up some issues. One bad online review doesn’t mean you have an attorney who won’t value you and your time. Check with the state bar association to read up on any complaints against the attorney.

Expertise

Going along with the track record of the attorney, you want to find out what their expertise is. What do they specialize in? What is their win-loss record in the industry? Based on what your case involves, you need to find the attorney who does have the experience and expertise that will win your case.

When it comes to finding a great attorney, you need to spend time researching. Do not just call the first number you see in the search engines. Spend time meeting multiple attorneys, feeling out how their personality works with yours, how successful they are, and if you feel they will be a good fit for you. We hope these tips will help you find the right Fairfield attorney to represent you in the court of law!

Filed Under: Fairfield Lawyer, General Legal Advice

3 Secrets to Finding the Perfect DUI Attorney

August 3, 2019 By davidknecht

One person dies every 48 minutes in America due to drunk driving. Each year, more than 1.28 million people are arrested for DUIs. Unfortunately individuals involved in an DUI car crash have a serious issue they need to face. Hiring the right DUI attorney can assist in ensuring their clients are giving a fair outcome for their trial. Here are 3 secrets that will help you find the perfect DUI attorney.

Experience and Skillset

The number one thing you want to search for is someone who has plenty of trial experience with DUI cases similar to yours. A DUI conviction can cost upwards of 20K a year! Search for an attorney based on their skills and their overall qualifications. Put together a list of attorneys in your area with the experience in cases similar to yours and start setting up interviews with them.

Online reviews are helpful to find out what other people think about their experience with the attorney. Read through the good reviews and the bad reviews to know what type of person the attorney is, and how hard they worked for their previous clients. In addition to online reviews, spend some time looking over their website to learn more about the attorneys and the team that will be assisting with your legal case.

Meet With Attorneys

When you set up the interviews with multiple DUI attorney’s, you will want to have several different questions set up to discuss with them. A few of the things you need to cover in that initial consultation include:

Discuss the facts of your case. Be upfront with what happened so they can assess your situation and come up with a strategy.
Bring documentation. Another thing you need to do is bring in the DMV letters, police report, and other documents related to your case.
Discuss the attorney’s experience. During the meeting, you need to ask the attorney about their experience. How many cases have they handled similar to yours, and how many cases have brought a successful outcome?
Who will handle your case? Will you work with the attorney you are meeting with, or will they pass you off to another person?
Comfort level. How comfortable do you feel with the attorney? If you do not feel like you can talk to them and be up-front with them, consider meeting with another attorney.

DUI Attorney Fees

When it comes to a DUI, you need to expect you will pay a lot of money for your case and for penalties. The cost for a non-injury, non-property damage DUI can cost $5,000 to $12,000. Some DUI attorneys will charge more based on their experience and expertise in winning difficult DUI cases.

David Knecht Law in Vacaville has over 30 years of experience in DUI law. Our job is to represent your legal rights and provide you with the best outcome. Contact our legal team to set up a consultation and let us help you navigate through this difficult time in your life.

Filed Under: DUI, Legal Advice

How to Know If You’ve Selected the Wrong Divorce Lawyer

August 1, 2019 By davidknecht

With over 1.35 million lawyers currently practicing in the United States, it is easy to say not EVERY lawyer is going to be a good one. How do you know if you are hiring the right person? How do you know if you’ve hired the wrong divorce lawyer? Over the years, our Vacaville lawyers have dealt with a number of good and bad lawyers. We can give you some clear signs of what makes a good lawyer, and what makes for a bad lawyer. Here are just a few of the things that show you that you’ve hired the wrong divorce lawyer.

Failure to Communicate
One of the most important things you need in a good lawyer is someone who will communicate with you. A good lawyer will tell you what is happening with your divorce case. While it is expected for a lawyer to be busy, they should have a good team in the office who will handle responding to your case. An attorney who takes days or never responds to emails, phone calls, and text messages is one that doesn’t value your time.

Lack of Interest
When you meet with the divorce lawyer, do they seem to take an interest in you? Do they seem to care about how difficult this time in your life actually is? One of the biggest issues people find with their divorce case is the fact that they have a lawyer that doesn’t seem to care about them. If the lawyer keeps pushing you to settle on something that seems unfair, or they just don’t want to fight for you, it’s time to look for a new divorce lawyer. Some other signs of a bad lawyer include:

Showing up late to court and appointments
Failure to file documents on time or filing the paperwork wrong
Ignoring phone calls
Making decisions without consulting you first

Expensive Fees and Hidden Fees
A good lawyer is always upfront with their costs. Some lawyers will find ways to nickel and dime their clients, and that is what you have to be worried about. Lawyer’s aren’t cheap, but if you are seeing a lot of charges or overbilling charges, contact the lawyer right away. Clearly something isn’t right with their billing and fee structure, and they were not up-front with you in the beginning.

Unethical Behavior
There are some lawyers out there that have poor communication, and overall just lack integrity. If you feel like you are working with someone who you feel is lying or engaging in practices that are not ethical, it’s time to move on. Breaking the law or lying is not acceptable from a divorce lawyer, do not work with them!

Lack of Empathy
Divorce cases are some of the toughest out there for emotions. A good divorce lawyer will show empathy for you and your situation. A divorce case needs to have a lawyer with experience in several divorce trials, with favorable outcomes for their clients. You need to be able to trust your lawyer to assist you with your case, and ensure they have your best interest in hand.

For more information about divorce lawyers in Vacaville, contact David Knecht Law today!

Filed Under: General

What Makes a Great Vacaville Attorney?

July 28, 2019 By davidknecht

If you find yourself in a difficult position and you need legal representation, how do you find the right attorney to help? Choosing a great Vacaville attorney doesn’t need to be as challenging as you might think. Here are some tips to follow to find a great attorney, and how you can tell if your attorney is a great one!

Experience in Legal Matters

When you begin looking for a Vacaville attorney, you want to start by looking at their experience. How long have they been practicing law? How long have they been in your area? What type of experience is their main expertise? What is their track record of success? Find out if they have malpractice insurance, how their fees are structured, and who will be handling your case. The more you learn about their experience, the easier it is for you to understand what type of attorney you are working with.

Referrals and Reputation

How do you know if you have a great attorney? One of the easiest ways to find out if you have a great attorney is based on their reputation. What do other attorneys say about this particular attorney? Take a moment to read over some of the reviews previous clients have left so you can gather a little information about them and how they have helped people before. Read both the bad and good reviews to ensure that you have the information you need to know the character of the person along with their experience.

If you are dealing with a certain type of case and you have worked with other attorneys in the past, contact them first. These attorneys, (as long as you have had a good experience with them in the past) can typically give you some referrals to get started in finding a good attorney for your new case. Other attorneys know the reputation and skill of others in the industry and they can give you some good information about the way they act in the courtroom, how well they have worked with people in the past, and their win-loss ratio. You want to learn as much as you can about the attorney so you can hire the right attorney.

Meet with Multiple Attorney’s

When you are looking for a great attorney, schedule consultations with multiple people. The goal is to get to know them and find out what their demeanor is like, how they treat people, how they talk to you, and of course their experience. When you have a brief tour of their office, you want to look around and see the staff. Are people friendly and helpful? Do you feel like you are treated with respect, or do you feel like “another number.” Watch out for some of those red flags that show they may not have a lot of experience and people in the office to work the cases.

Use our tips to help you start searching for the right attorney to represent your case. At David Knecht Law in Vacaville, our goal is always to work directly with our clients and provide them with the best outcome for their case. Contact our office today to schedule a consultation and let us help you move forward with your case.

Filed Under: Vacaville Attorney, Vacaville Lawyer

3 Characteristics of The Best Divorce Attorneys

June 7, 2019 By davidknecht

What makes the best divorce attorney in Vacaville? When you are searching for the right person to represent you and your rights, it pays to do a little research. At David Knecht Law, we represent your legal rights and focus on ensuring your voice is heard in the court of law. Here are our three recommendations as to what makes a good attorney.

Communication

The MOST important quality of a good divorce attorney is having the ability to communicate with their clients. If you meet your attorney once, and never hear from them again, except when it’s time to pay the bill, you did not choose the right person. You can tell if the attorney will be difficult to deal with based on how they interact with you. If they always cut you off before you finish a sentence, or they do not explain things clearly, move on.

Compassion

Divorce is one of the most difficult things to deal with, and many clients are not emotionally ready to start making challenging, life-altering decisions. No matter how amicable the relationship is between you and your ex, it is important to cover yourself and make sure you are making the right decisions. Your attorney will show empathy for your situation, but they will also be compassionate to you and will help you through this journey. Their job is to focus on helping you navigate through the divorce and they will do so without judgement or disrespect.

During the time you are going through the divorce, your attorney will help you to make informed decisions. Their goal is to ensure you have the right information needed to determine certain choices pertaining to retirement accounts, cars, homes, debt, and more. Make sure you hire someone you know you can trust to protect you during this time!

Availability

Another good characteristic of a divorce attorney is how available they are to their clients. Do they return your phone calls, emails, and text messages? Is it easy for you to get in for an appointment? A good attorney will make their clients a priority, and that shows in how they treat you.

At the Law Offices of David W. Knecht, we are here to protect your legal rights. If you are dealing with a divorce in the Vacaville area, we are here to help. Our legal experts have been practice law for the past three decades, let us represent you.

Filed Under: Divorce Lawyer, Fairfield Attorney

3 Things to Do When You Think You Wife is Cheating

June 4, 2019 By davidknecht

Anger, hurt, grief, all of these feelings come to full light when you find out your spouse is cheating. If you have suspicions, it is a good idea to find out if your wife is cheating as it can assist you in the divorce process if you do end up taking this road. Sometimes it can be challenging to know if your spouse is cheating. There are some signs to watch for such as changes in social habits, their behavior at home, and changes in their appearance.

Stay Calm and Gather Information About Your Spouse

If you have confirmed that your spouse is cheating, you need to remain calm. Collect information about your partner to help you in the decision-making process from this point. Was this affair a one-time thing, or is this on-going? If it seems the marriage is destined to fail, you’ll need as much information as you can when you move into the legal proceedings.

Step Away and Surround Yourself with Support

Staying with the person who has hurt you deeply can make it almost impossible to make decisions, and to start the healing process. Take a step back from the relationship and find people to help support you. Surrounding yourself with good company will allow you to start to process these feelings you are dealing with and can help you walk through several scenarios to start this new chapter in your life.

Carefully Consider Your Future

Once you know if divorce is right for you, it is time to call a divorce attorney. The attorney can help you with multiple elements in separation of you and your soon to be ex. Here are some things you need to carefully consider:

Children – who will be the primary caregiver? How can you protect your children as much as possible including their education costs, housing needs, and custody?
Assets – how do you plan on dividing the assets?
Alimony and child support – there will be new costs to deal with, are you planning to ask for alimony or child support? Will you need to pay alimony and child support?

Emotions run high when you find out your wife is cheating. It is important to compose yourself and carefully deal with the situation. Our experienced divorce attorneys can help you navigate your divorce tactfully and ensure that you are taken care of and able to start building a new future. Contact the Law Offices of David Knecht to help you with your divorce case.

Filed Under: Divorce Lawyer

3 Most Important Things to Avoid Doing When Getting 2nd DUI

June 1, 2019 By davidknecht

If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of a second DUI in California, hire an attorney immediately. Under California vehicle code section 23540, individuals with a second DUI will find themselves dealing with more jail time, expensive fines, and a DUI program including filing a SR-22.

Anyone with a previous DUI will now deal with stricter penalties including:

Increased jail time, including at least 96 hours in county jail
Larger fines of $390 or more in addition to court penalty assessments which can total upwards of $1950
Longer jail time or community labor requirements

License Revocation

Following a second DUI within a 10-year timeframe, your license can be revoked for at least a year. You can get a restricted license following the installation of an ignition interlock device. SB 1046 will explain in detail how the ignition interlock device and legal requirements one must follow.

Mandatory DUI Program

A mandatory DUI program is the next thing you will be ordered to do when convicted of a second DUI. The mandatory DUI program ranges from 18-30 months. When you complete the program, you can receive your license again.

AA Programs

Some judges will require that you attend AA programs. The goal of the program is to help you understand the seriousness of the DUI, and to help you make better decisions in the future.

Why You Need a DUI Attorney

Many people are not sure of the seriousness of the offense. In many situations, a DUI attorney is the only voice of reason. A good attorney can assist you with several things including

DUI Stop
Sobriety checkpoint misconduct
Rising blood alcohol defense

An attorney will investigate your case and determine if there are issues with the DUI. Certain elements of your behavior will impact the severity of your case as well. It is important to cooperate with officers when you are pulled over for a DUI. If you become combative with the officer, it will only cause additional charges and problems. Contact the Law Offices of David Knecht today to have your legal rights protected!

Filed Under: General

How to Start Over After a Painful Divorce

May 26, 2019 By davidknecht

Going through a divorce is an emotionally grueling process. If you do not have the right people on your side to help support you on your new path, it can be even harder to move into this new phase of your life. Here are some things you can do to start over after a divorce:

Take time to grieve. You need to take some time to cry and grieve for the end of your marriage. If you do not grieve and you only hang onto anger and resentment, the internal turmoil you have will worsen.
Learn who you are. The other thing you need to do is start learning who you are. You need to start finding things that are important to you, and what you enjoy doing. Take some time to try new hobbies and find out what causes you to be happy. You need to re-establish your identity as a separate person and no longer as “we”.
Get a therapist. It is important to hire a therapist to speak with on a regular basis. Therapy will help you to process your feelings, and they can help you manage some of the harder days such as holidays, birthdays, and vacations. Therapists and coaches are trained and qualified to make your new life easier, and they want the best for you.
Trust yourself. You have talent. You have worth. Trust yourself to make the right decisions. As you start relying on yourself, you can start gaining confidence in new talents and skills. Try doing some projects around the home on your own or tackling new things that you used to hire people to do. As you continue to learn new things and trust yourself, you will start to feel accomplished in your life.
Become social. Even if you are an introvert, you will want to teach yourself to become social. Join a gym and start going to classes. Not only will it help to improve your health and manage stress, you might end up meeting some new friends. Other things you can try doing is to go out with friends or co-workers. Church and support groups are other great ways to start getting out of your house and experiencing life with others.
Change up your lifestyle. If you have been doing certain things the way your spouse liked it, and not necessarily the way you like it, change things up! You need to find yourself in everything like redecorating in a way you appreciate or changing in your car for something you enjoy driving or enjoying. Even small things like rearranging furniture can help you to establish a new identity.

The divorce process is life-altering, and one of the hardest challenges you will ever face. Contact your divorce attorney in Vacaville to help you navigate the divorce process and ensure your legal rights are protected.

Filed Under: General

3 Things Stupid People Do After Getting a DUI

April 26, 2019 By davidknecht

Following the arrest for a DUI, many people tend to make mistakes that can cost them more money, or possibly end up serving jail time for their mistakes. If you have been arrested for a DUI, it is important to contact an experienced attorney right away to understand the legal process and the next steps to take. Here are three things stupid people do after they get a DUI.

Arguing Instead of Writing Down the Story

One critical error that occurs following a DUI is failing to write down your recount of the arrest. Here are some of the things you MUST note and have on record to help you through this process:

When and where were you stopped for a DUI?
What was the reason for the officer stopping you?
Did you receive a breath test? What did the machine look like?
Did you tell the officer about anything you had to drink?
Did the officer perform additional tests such as eye tracking, one leg stand, and walk and turn?

Writing down your account of the event will help your attorney as they gather more information to focus on pleading your case. Far too often people spend their time yelling and screaming about their innocence that they fail to see what needs to be done to move forward from this point.

*Important Tip – Make your social media accounts private so the courts cannot use the information you have posted online. Let’s say you posted photos of you partying and drinking on the night in question, it’s not hard for the prosecution to slap you with a penalty and prison time when the evidence is there to support the officer.

Failure to Hire Representation

DUI cases are extremely serious. Whether this is your first case or multiple offenses, you need to have an attorney on your side to help you navigate life post-DUI. Using a court appointed attorney can be tricky as they might not have the experience you need, and you may end up waiting around in prison for months to get a trial date.

DUIs are extremely complex and they do require a great deal of time, research, skill, and experience in a specific manner. A skilled DUI attorney will focus on using their abilities to provide you with a favorable outcome in the court system.

Failure to Request a Hearing

Another issue we have seen is people fail to request a DMV hearing. The DMV hearing is designed to help you keep your driver’s license. You typically only have 10 days after your arrest to request the DMV hearing and start the process of improving your driving record and hopefully preventing your license from being suspended.

A DUI case is one of the most stressful events you can encounter. It is natural to worry about what will happen, but it is important to have trust in the skilled attorney you have hired. If you need a Vacaville DUI attorney, contact our office. We have handled hundreds of DUI cases with successful outcomes for our clients.

Filed Under: General

5 Character Traits All Good Family Attorneys Possess

April 26, 2019 By davidknecht

With over 1.34 million attorneys practicing in the United States today, how can you be sure you have selected the best person for your case? Is it the intelligence of the attorney, their experience, or their personality? While there are core elements every attorney must have, there are some elements that people might overlook that could truly help them identify the good attorneys from the lackluster ones. Here are five traits that a good family attorney will possess.

Compassion and Understanding

Going into any family law case is going to be emotional, so you need a person that understands this mentality. The goal of a good family law attorney is to aid in resolving the problem effectively and in the best interest for their client and family. At David Knecht Law, we often deal with cases that are sensitive in nature, and we always approach each case with compassion for the situation and understanding the best way we can handle the case. We want to gain your perspective and help you to see the full picture of how the legal matters will play out.

Excellent Listening Skills

Another key element to being a good family attorney is to learn to listen. Effective communication is vital to a client/attorney relationship. We not only listen to our clients, we listen to everything pertaining to your case and strategizing how we can work in your best interest.

Integrity and Assertiveness

As an attorney, having integrity is vital. The legal world can become quite confusing and manipulative without the right person. Integrity is something we take seriously in our practice and are assertive in the courtroom to ensure the other party is approaching the case with integrity. Good attorneys are upfront with you about your case, and where your case may have some areas of weakness, and strength.

Patience and Perseverance

One of the most common questions people want to know is “How long will my divorce take?” Unfortunately determining how long a case will take is all up to the nature of the case. Does the other party want to move things along swiftly and amicably? If so, your ability for the divorce to be over quickly won’t take long. However, there are so many issues in family law cases that it can often end up being years before a case is completed. Going through a divorce is going to be emotional, you need an attorney that is patient and able to remain calm and professional throughout the case.

Experience and Skills

A good attorney is one that will be able to bring their skills into the courtroom. Review case results to find out what type of track record the attorney has, and if they have dealt with cases similar to yours in the past.

If you need a family law attorney in Vacaville, CA, contact the law offices of David Knecht today. Our experienced team is here to help you navigate your family law case with confidence and security.

Filed Under: General