I hired David for my DUI and couldn’t be happier! My situation was damn near hopeless, as my breath result was extremely high and I’m sure my video(s) probably looked awful. I called their office on a Sunday night, I think, and he got back within about 10 minutes. He didn’t sugarcoat it like other... lawyers might have; he was straightforward about my situation and what I was facing, but promised that if I did hire him, he would get the best possible outcome. That’s exactly what he did. Admittedly, I was a complete neophyte with these types of situations. I had never really gotten into any trouble before (I had a perfect record), so I literally knew nothing about the legal and court systems and how everything works. However, David’s office handled all of the paperwork for me and I really didn’t even have to show up at court until the case was resolved. I was potentially facing jail time and a nightmare of other penalties, so you can imagine my surprise when he called shortly before the court date to tell me that he had gotten the charge reduced to a reckless. One thing that I became worried about after reading some reviews about other lawyers and hearing some things—not just about DUI attorneys but attorneys in general—is that after you hire some of them, they end up neglecting your case and merely hand it off to one of their underlings at their office. Thankfully that didn’t happen; David was actively involved with my case, informed me about any developments, went to court with me, and was committed to doing everything possible in my defense. Surely, a lot of what happens in the legal system is based on luck—how reasonable the prosecutor is, who the judge is, and probably a lot of other factors. (The same is true with the police, as some are very reasonable and others are totally unreasonable.) So there are never any guarantees as to what kind of result one can expect to get. But I can guarantee that David will fight for you and get you the BEST possible outcome for your situation, which I know other lawyers wouldn’t be able to get or even spend half as much time on. He was also the prosecutor of the year for Florida at one point, too, so it doesn’t hurt that he knows everything about the DUI law inside and out. Needless to say, I couldn’t be happier with my decision to hire him. Lastly, on an unrelated note, I would recommend that if/when you do go to court, make sure to dress formally! I was absolutely stunned at how many other defendants were dressed in street clothes. This includes shorts, flip-flops, bandanas--unbelievable. I think I was the only non-lawyer in the courtroom who didn’t have an Adidas shirt on!

I am a student that happened to make a poor judgement call one night. I thought everything I had worked for would be cut short because of one bad decision. Mr. Haenel came to my rescue! He immediately put my mind at east with a plan and schedule, outlining what I can do to help remedy or at least ...shrink the time frame of consequences. He was honest about the potential outcome of my case, guided me to obtain a hardship license, called me every step of the way. Without going into specifics, it was a pretty open and shut dui conviction. However, Mr. Haenel pleaded with the prosecutor explaining my situation and future. When the prosecutor wouldn't budge, he talked to his superior and pleaded with him! He went above and beyond. The DAY OF MY PLEA, he was able to negotiate a reckless driving instead of a full dui! He never stopped fighting for me! After two months, I was already done with probation and my life is back to normal! No mandatory insurance, no dui conviction. I cannot recommend Mr. Haenel enough. Even after his work was done, he still helped me with my drivers license and all follow up questions I had. My gift to him is writing this review. Please let him help you through this tough time.

The whole office is Amazing, dedicated, caring, and always looking out for your best interest. I was stopped on a friday evening, Spring 2014, and charged with a DUI. I searched the internet all week-end and on Sunday evening around 8:30, I found David and his law firm. After reading the reviews, I s...ent a question (not expecting to get any response until sometime during the week) and it couldn't have been but a few minutes later I got a response from David which I am ever so grateful that he did. We discussed my case and I had a meeting with him the next morning. David is extremely knowledgeable and he was very helpful in getting me started in the process, explaining to me know what I needed to do, (he also e-mailed me a copy of the book he and the firm wrote "Surviving Your DUI, A Citizen's Handbook") how and where to go to get the next steps accomplished (DMV Hearing and DUI School) and what to expect next with the criminal process. My experience with other attorney offices have been when you hire one attorney, there may be someone other than the attorney that you hire handling your case so I asked David "If I go to court, who would be going with me?" His response was "All of us" and Yes, I soon found out when you hire one attorney, you get the expertise of "All" the attorneys as not only did I have David representing my best interest, I also had the expertise, wisdom, and knowledge of Darren and AnneMarie, (My Dream Team!) They all played their own part, the District Attorney did NOT want to co-operate, but with their knowledge, experience, and determination, I was able to plea no contest to reckless driving with hold of adjudication meaning there is No plea of guilt, I am able to have the record sealed, no points on my license, and after a very wise learning experience, I am able to put this situation quickly behind me and move on to a better and wiser life. If you find yourself in a position that you need his services, I highly recommend David and every one of his firm. Also, during this time I was involved in a minor fender bender on a Sunday morning and the sheriff's office was called. I had enough fore thought to call David's office, I was not sure (or expecting) anyone to be available to take my call or message. To my amazement, a "person" answered the phone, got my message to David and he called me back "before" the sheriff's office arrived. Thank you! I am forever grateful!

I hired David Haenel in June after being charged with DUI. This was my second offense. Before even being retained David clearly outlined what I was facing and what our goal would be. From day one one he kept in constant contact on the status of my case. His demeanor and professionalism were a const...ant reminder that I had hired the right lawyer. I never doubted that he would be able to achieve the best possible outcome. In the end David managed to get my charges reduced greatly reducing my fines and penalties. I would not hesitate in recommending this lawyer.

Last year I was on vacation in the Sarasota / Englewood area when I was stopped around 3 am for going 75 mph on US 41, in a 45 mph zone. Clearly I wasn't paying any attention to my speed on this seven lane highway and found out later that this was a favorite place to give out tickets for speeding du...ring those early morning hours when the highway was virtually empty. My girlfriend and I had a few beers earlier that night and when I truthfully answered the officer's question if I had been drinking, the officer told me to take a breathalyzer. When I refused until I had a chance to speak to my attorney first, I was immediately arrested, handcuffed, taken away in his police car and booked in the county jail! The fact that I went ballistic over my treatment by both the arresting officer and later the jailer didn't help my case either. After I was bailed out by my girlfriend, I contacted David for help. Although the prosecutor wanted a DUI conviction, a huge fine, suspension of my driver's license, impoundment of my car and even jail time due to my behavior after being arrested, David was able to get all of these charges either dropped or reduced. I know I was going too fast and had to pay for this mistake but on the other hand I felt I was not impaired and believed the punishment proposed by the prosecutor was excessive. It was a scary time for me and when all is said and done, a very time consuming and expensive mistake as well. Fortunately this was my first offense and the judge agreed to a reduced charge. David did an excellent job defending me. David is also the author of several books on this subject which are available for free at his office at 200 N. Washington Blvd in downtown Sarasota. The books do an superb job in explaining your rights after a DUI arrest. My only regret is that I was reading this information after the fact and could have saved myself a lot of grief if I had known all this before. My first mistake of driving too fast was compounded by another mistake and then another that night. I discovered the hard way that Sarasota does not take kindly to DUI offenders refusing to take a breathalyzer let alone talking back, but I must say David knows how to obtain a fair result in spite of all this. I don't know what I would have done without him. If you have been charged with a DUI, I learned my lesson, drive more safely, and David Haenel is the attorney you need to see! Thank you! AH