When the cuffs go on, the fight for your freedom begins. The government is merciless. It doesn’t care about you, your life, your circumstances or your future. We make them care.
If you’ve been accused of DUI in Pennsylvania, the smartest thing you can do is hire an experienced DUI lawyer to fight back against your charges. Good lawyers aren’t cheap and cheap lawyers are no good. In America, you generally get what you pay for. Sure you can find someone to do an entire DUI case for $500, but what do you think you’re going to get for that? Nothing.
When selecting which attorney to hire, please consider:
- Can you call anytime and talk to a live person?
- Do they offer payment plans with no credit checks?
- Will your attorney be attentive and explain what’s going on?
At The McShane Firm, we answer yes to all of these questions. We strive to provide you with a great customer service experience during this tough time.
What DUI Lawyers Cost
Great legal representation costs money. When it rains, it pours. We understand that. These things rarely happen when folks are flush with money. We get that. All of the attorneys and staff at The McShane Firm worked in the non-legal world before they came to the legal world. We know what it is like to live on a tight budget. That’s why we are one of the few law firms that will allow you to finance your DUI lawyer costs over months if you need to do so.
At a time in your life when you’re likely already worrying about
- fines,
- potential loss of license,
- losing your job,
- losing your income, and
- your reputation
you might wonder if the additional cost of a DUI lawyer is worth it.
Isn’t it cheaper to just plead guilty?
Not when you consider the true costs of a DUI conviction.
Recommended additional reading: Free resource guide on PA DUI info
How Much Does a DUI in PA Cost?
There are hard costs and soft costs. Hard costs means cash. Soft costs means time away from doing what you want. Let’s look first at
Soft costs to a PA DUI
If you are convicted of DUI in Pennsylvania, the following types of soft costs happen at a minimum:
- attend traffic school on your own time and at your own expense,
- go to and pay for the MADD DUI Victim Impact Panel on your own time and at your own expense,
- a minimum of 40 hours to as much as 300 hours of community service on your own time and at your own expense,
- even if you’re not convicted, at the very least you’ll need to take time off of work for your court dates. But a contentious attorney, like The McShane Firm, will arrogance with the DA and the Court to go in your place so you don’t waste your time or lose a day’s work.
- jail. Jail time means you are not available to earn a living. It is time totally lost.
- a conviction on your record forever. That stands in the way of a getting your dream job at your dream income. Missing out on your dream job and dream income can cost hundreds of thousands or more.
- loss of your driver’s license. You still need to get around though. So you will either have to
- walk (which takes time) or
- drive (which means if you are caught even more jail and fines and loss of license),
- hire an on-call driver (which is very expensive)
- use a ride sharing service such as Uber and Lyft which can add up)
- beg friends for a ride (which burns bridges)
What is The McShane Difference?
- We take time to understand your personal needs and goals. Then we cater our legal strategy to fit you.
- We care about you. We listen and return phone calls. We will take time to explain things so you are not left anxious in the dark.
- We will make this as easy as possible. We will try to minimize the number of times you have to be in court which means less disruption of your work and family life.
Does this sound like what you are looking for in an attorney? If yes, then take the next step and call (717) 657-3900.
Hard costs to a PA DUI
If you are convicted of DUI in Pennsylvania, the following types of soft costs happen at a minimum:
- fines as determined by the Court. The minimum fine for a first offense DUI in PA is $300, but depending on your BAC, your prior record, your license type, and whether your case involved an accident, injury, or death, your fines could be as high as $10,000. With a range of between $300 and $10,000, you can see how just how a great DUI attorney can save you money. A bad one will not argue for a low fine and just accept whatever the court says.
- all sorts of “fees” such as multiple offender fee, sheriff’s fees, booking fees, and the “costs of prosecution” all of those alone can add up to hundreds or thousands of dollars.
- your car insurance rates are sure to go up significantly, assuming your insurance company doesn’t drop you outright. If you have two prior DUIs in your lifetime, you will be placed into the state’s high risk car insurance pool. This is called the Pennsylvania Assigned Risk Plan. The costs may be impossible to afford.
- installing and maintaining an interlock device for your car. An interlock device is a sort of personal breathalyzer that will only let you drive after it tests (and clears) your breath. The price for the typical interlock device is $1,000. Plus, there is a monthly maintenance fee. if your device needs resetting, there is of course a fee for that too.
- work release or House Arrest/Electronic Monitoring. All Work Release Centers are profit making centers for the county. They either charge you by the day or take a huge percentage of your paycheck leaving you with little to pay your bills. Plus, if the court sentences you to house arrest with electronic monitoring, guess who pays for the electronic monitoring? You do. If the sentence includes monitoring by a SCRAM or other like device that costs even more. And if you can’t pay, they will put you in jail.
Over a lifetime, a DUI can cost you a lot. How much are those things worth to you? Can you put a dollar value on
- staying out of jail,
- protecting your permanent criminal record,
- keeping your ability to drive your car when you want or need to
- keeping your head held up high because you are not a convicted criminal
Our Clients are entitled to a Bill of Rights which states:
- Our clients have the right to expect, we will be proactive in communication. You will hear it from us first. We will return all phone calls, texts and emails promptly.
- Our clients have the right to expect plain speaking, straight shooting. No B. S.
- Our clients have the right to expect us to do it right the first time, every time.
- Our clients have the right to expect us to be on time and professionally prepared for all court appearances, and all meetings.
- Our clients have the right to expect that they will be fully informed at all times.
This is our promise to you. Call today to get us on your side: (717) 657-3900.
When you add up the potential costs of a DUI conviction, you can see why hiring the best, most experienced DUI lawyer to defend you can save actually save you money in the long run. Make the smart choice. Put our DUI attorneys in your corner to defend your rights, your freedom, and your pocketbook.
More information on DUI in PA: How much does a DUI cost in PA (Fines)
DUI
Justin McShane and his entire staff made me feel like they took my case personally and really cared about a suitable outcome of my case. All my calls and questions and emails were answered very quickly. I would highly recommend The McShane Firm for any representation.
C.A.
The best of the best in DUI cases. Worth every penny. 8 years later and I still can’t thank you guys enough.
