Georgia Personal Injury, Criminal Defense, & DUI Attorneys

Our firm handles a wide variety of cases for personal injury victims, including auto accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, boat accidents, traumatic brain injury, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, slip and fall, and premises liability.

If you’ve been injured due to someone else’s carelessness or negligence, our experienced Georgia personal injury trial lawyers can help with your accident claim. An accident can cause more than medical problems. You may have missed work or have emotional pain and suffering.

Our Atlanta personal injury attorneys have years of experience. We will sit with you for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and legal advice specific to your circumstances. We will listen to your side of the story, get a full understanding of the extent of your injuries, and take a full account of your overall situation.

We’ll begin to work on a sound strategy to get payment for your car damage, hospital bills, lost wages, and other injury-related losses.

Remember, insurance companies will stop at nothing to save money. They will investigate you. They will troll your social media, get medical records, talk to your neighbors and friends, and look at your credit history. They keep nationwide systems showing previous claims. Our Roswell personal injury lawyers assume the insurance company has every bit of information about you.

We will send a letter of representation, letting the insurance company know that we are working on your case and telling them to direct all communication to us – all calls, all letters, and all forms. We do this to protect you and lighten your load.

We will look for coverage available under your policy that will reduce your out-of-pocket expenses. If there is uninsured or underinsured coverage available, we will reserve the right to file a claim under your policy, as well as with the at-fault driver.

We then send letters, along with signed medical authorizations, to all medical providers. We request medical and billing records for the duration of your treatment for injuries related to your accident. We send letters to Medicare and State Medicaid Agencies when needed. We stay in communications with your providers regarding your diagnosis, progress, and billing.

We also request other records, such as police reports, wage loss records from your employer, and property damage estimates. Police records often include photographs and videos.

We contact witnesses early because their memories are fresh, and they’ll remember more details. This will also help us determine if your claim can be challenged. We may discover inconsistencies between what a witness says and what the other driver or the police are saying.

As you are being treated, our Roswell personal injury attorneys research cases similar to yours to find out what settlements were awarded. Then as soon as you finish medical treatment, we are ready to make a settlement demand to the insurance company. We will do this before you finish treatment since continued treatment could jeopardize your case.

Each experienced personal injury lawyer allows time to make the demand and continue negotiations far in advance of the statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit. The statute of limitations begins with the date of your accident and runs for 2 years.

This limitation is one of the reasons why it is imperative that you begin medical treatment and seek legal representation as soon as possible. I had a woman come to see me a week after the 2-year statute of limitations had run out. She had just started seeing a doctor because her pain had come back. She had never called the insurance company or talked to a lawyer. There was nothing I could do to help her. It’s important that you have no gap in treatment. Insurance adjusters have a huge advantage over you. They know all the tricks and will use them against you. The companies they work for have years of practice diminishing, devaluing, and denying accident victims and wrongful deaths. They will do everything they can to discredit you. It’s better that we know everything before they do.

If the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will recommend filing a lawsuit.

Many people ask if they’ll have to go to court. We are usually able to reach a favorable settlement without going to trial. Settlement can occur at any time as long as both sides agree and understand the terms. Even if we file a claim in court to protect your interests, your case won’t necessarily go to trial. If your case does go to trial, we will walk you through what’s involved and prepare you every step of the way.

The only thing worse than being seriously injured in an accident is to have the situation get even worse by NOT getting the compensation you deserve.

We believe that you should have a Georgia criminal defense lawyer involved in your case as soon as possible. The State has investigators and interrogators who are highly skilled in obtaining confessions from an unsuspecting person. They often twist your words or get you to say something that may be incriminating. It is very important that you contact an experienced lawyer before you say or do anything that could incriminate you or hurt your chances in court.

Our team of experienced criminal defense lawyers has been representing clients in felony and misdemeanor cases in Atlanta, GA and throughout the State of Georgia. Our attorneys' experience in criminal practice areas include Assault & Battery, Drug Offenses, DUI Alcohol, DUI Drug, Federal Crimes, Forgery, Fraud, Murder & Manslaughter, Parole and Probation Violations, Racketeering, Sex Crimes, Theft, Vehicular Homicide, Appeals, and Juvenile Offenses.

Contacting us early allows our team to have more time to investigate your case, question witnesses, obtain evidence and develop strategies that can help in your defense. We want to build the attorney client relationship and trust from the beginning. Being proactive can make all the difference in your freedom when you face criminal charges. Call today for a FREE CONSULATION.

We’re here to help and represent you every step of the way—preliminary hearings, investigation and defense strategy, arraignment, negotiations for reductions in charges or conditions, discharges, motions hearings for dismissals, and trials. We will guide you in meeting any conditions the court may impose.

If you are being held without bond or cannot make bond, we will represent you in a preliminary hearing. The State will call the arresting or investigating officer as a witness. If the judge determines that it is more probable than not that the defendant committed the crime, the case will be bound to either superior court or state court.

We thoroughly investigate our criminal cases and gather all pertinent information that will aid in your defense:

• Incident and supplement police reports
• Video of your arrest
• Video of your test at the police station
• Dispatch reports
• Intoxylizer maintenance records and user logs
• Witness statements
• Performance and training record of your arresting officer
• Various other reports and files

• Review and discuss the findings of the investigation with you so that you completely understand the facts surrounding your case
• Recommend the best defense for your case
• Map out the defense strategy that will give you the best possible outcome
• Decide how you want to proceed

If you have been charged with a misdemeanor, your case involves an accusation process. The Solicitor’s Office (the prosecuting attorney) will draw an accusation formally charging you with an offense within the State Court System.

If you have been charged with a felony, your case involves an indictment process. Your case is usually assigned to an investigator in the District Attorney's Office. The investigator gathers information and interviews witnesses. If the Assistant District Attorney believes there is enough evidence to move forward, the case is then presented to a Grand Jury. The Grand Jury will either return a True Bill of Indictment (which occurs most of the time) or a No Bill (the charges will not be pursued).

Once a case is accused or indicted, it is placed on an Arraignment calendar. The State will read charges against you in open court. You will have the opportunity to plead Guilty or Not Guilty. We will generally plead on your behalf in court or waive arraignment. A waiver is simply a plea of not guilty formally filed with the court in advance. If arraignment is waived, the State will provide written notification of the charges against you.

Our expert team prepares Motions, which are a legal means for protecting your rights and excluding evidence. Motions may lead to a dismissal of your case. Preliminary Motions are prepared at the time of Arraignment and include, at a minimum, a demand that the State provide all evidence being used against you. While we are often able to obtain some evidence in our own investigation, this forces the prosecuting attorney to disclose evidence that may be used against you so we can prepare for every aspect of your defense.

In all criminal matters, we usually file additional motions to address issues specific to events leading up to and during your arrest. These can include arguments against the admissibility of evidence.

A hearing will be scheduled for attorneys on both sides to argue the Motions we have filed on your behalf. You will be required to attend with us along with the Prosecuting Attorney, the Arresting and Investigating Officer, and any Witnesses relevant to the Motions. Motions Hearings are either specially set or directly precede the beginning of a trial.

If the Motions Hearing results in a ruling favorable to you, the State may be forced to dismiss some or all of the charges against you.

In some cases, we’ll recommend a plea with a negotiated sentence. We will walk through all your options and be by your side if you choose to plead your case.

Your case will go to trial if a satisfactory plea offer or dismissal of your charges cannot be worked out. There are two types of trials, each with their own pros and cons. You and our team will discuss which is most likely to result in the best outcome. The primary difference between the two trials is who hears your case and decides the verdict.

• In a Bench Trial, the judge hears arguments from Defense Counsel and the Prosecuting Attorney and is solely responsible for deciding the outcome.
• In a Jury Trial, your case will be argued in front of 6 of your peers in a misdemeanor case and 12 in a felony case.

Witnesses will be called and evidence exhibited. Each side has an opportunity to question (cross-examine) each witness. Your team will meet with all expert and other defense witnesses prior to trial and will help prepare everyone for the type of questions they may be asked.

Closing arguments will be made by both sides. The judge then “charges” (explains the law and the responsibilities) the jury, and they deliberate the case until a verdict is reached. If a Bench Trial, the Judge renders the verdict.

If convicted, we can file a motion for new trial within 30 days of the sentencing order.

If the motion for new trial is lost, we can file a notice of appeal with the Georgia Court of Appeals. This must be filed within 30 days of the ruling denying the Motion for New Trial or, if such a motion was not filed, within 30 days of the sentencing order.

Don Turner is a Founding Member of the National College for DUI Defense. He has successfully defended DUI clients for over 40 years.

The pressure to make DUI arrests in Atlanta, Georgia and throughout the United States is tremendous. An arrest could happen to anyone, and it’s never expected. An arrest can make you feel that you’ve gone from a respected citizen to a criminal overnight. No one is prepared, mentally or emotionally, to deal with the possible consequences.

If you have recently been charged with a DUI, time is of the essence for an appeal to save your license. By law, you have only 30 days from the date of arrest to prevent your license from being suspended or even revoked. If you are charged with DUI and refused to take a breath, blood, or urine test or your test results indicated your blood-alcohol level was 0.08 or higher, we must request a special hearing. Save your license! Call us today for a free consultation.