Attorney-Client Communication Could Have Helped Hilton Avoid Prison
After a media circus worthy of three rings, scattered socialite Paris Hilton is back behind bars. But as pundits rail against the media hype surrounding her imprisonment and gossip rags speculate on her daily activities in jail, what's a lawyer's take on the Hilton hoopla?
Civilians may be up in arms about the judge/sheriff showdown that landed Hilton back in jail after a brief bout with freedom, but lawyers are wondering how this mess could have been avoided in the first place. Hilton's repeat DUI offenses, ignorance of her own driver’s license status and failure to appear in court signify a serious breakdown in attorney-client communication. Hilton was first arrested on a DUI charge in September 2006. She pleaded no contest to this offense and was given three years’ probation. Hilton signed paperwork acknowledging that her license had been suspended; however, in February 2007 she was pulled over for driving without headlights and taken off probation.
However, Hilton’s sins didn’t stop there – she failed to sign up for a mandatory alcohol education course and racked up several traffic violations on a suspended license. Had she played it safe after her DUI conviction and acted on the advice of counsel, it is possible that she would not have violated probation and been essentially held in contempt of court. A responsible DUI lawyer knows that failures to appear or follow court orders are to be avoided at all costs – and knows how to convey that information to a client. Open communication between attorney and client can not only lead to legal strategies that provide winning solutions in DUI cases – they can also prevent imprisonment, hefty fines and other repercussions for those accused of DUI violations. We may never know the true story about communication between Hilton and her attorneys, but we can predict that in the future, Paris will have her lawyer on speed-dial.
If you have been charged with drunk driving, please call today for a DUI case evaluation with an experienced New Jersey criminal defense attorney.
