Arthur Brannon Edge IV

Arthur "Skin" Edge came recommened from a few different sources in the Newnan area. I had heard he was the "best in town." Although, one person had warned me that he will "plea you out," because he had a friend that was a client of his that he did that with. I decided to go with him due to the mor...e favorable reviews. I had consulted with 2 lawyers before going to see Mr. Edge. Both seemed to ask more questions up front. I was still of the opinion that with the favorable reviews, I would go with him. Over the course of a couple of months, it was difficult to get in contact with Mr. Edge. Even up to the week of the motion hearing, I hadn't gotten the call that his secretary, Karen, told me I would. He texted me to meet him at the courthouse on the day of the hearing 15 minutes before it started at 9 am, and then didn't show up until right at 9. During the day's events, I watched as Mr. Edge represented approximately 10 clients. The recurring theme was that everyone plead out as Guilty, with the majority of them DUI cases. After Mr. Edge had spoken to the State's Attorney, he advised me to enter a plea of guilty as well. He said they were willing to give me a license to drive to work for my plea. Even though there was not a breathalyzer test or video of the stop, he said that the jury would take the officer's version over mine, even without the evidence to support it. He advised me that the court would basically throw the book at me if I chose to go to a jury trial and lost, adding that I may lose my license for the year with no work permit, increased fines were likely, and that I may see jail time. All this from a first time DUI. I protested, but Mr. Edge didn't seem to have any will to go to a jury trial on my behalf. Basically, Mr. Edge made about $15000-20000 dollars that day, while the state racked up another $20000 on his clients. All for something any of us could have done on our own. So much for fighting for your client's right to a fair trial. I truly feel as if Mr. Edge worked for the state, and not me as his client. The moral of the story is don't drink and drive or hire Skin Edge as your attorney if you happen to get charged for DUI.