Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

140 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (140) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 21 - 25 of 47 reviews | Practice Area Knowledge

Posted by A client | July 01, 2015 | Criminal Defense

Responsive and Caring

In the wee hours of the morning, David Haenel promptly returned our desperate call for help. A family member was in trouble, and needed a lawyer. From the very first call and visit, David educated us on the charges and guided us through each of the legal steps to resolve the case. He was always tru...thful and never misled us. Both David and Marla were readily available and responsive to all our questions and kept us updated as the case proceeded—no matter how often we called. We could not have been more impressed with the professionalism and care that both David and Marla demonstrated through this most difficult time. We are confident that no other lawyer could have negotiated the positive result for our family member, and we will be forever grateful.

Posted by anonymous | February 17, 2015 | DUI & DWI

You want him on your team

Got stopped for DUI in May 2014, worst experience of my life. I hired David Haenel on a referral. Best decision ever. From the first meeting Mr Haenel sets you at ease, explains the process and all the possible outcomes. He is optimistic yet realistic, smart, high energy and patient with questions. H...e negotiated my case to a reckless driving without a trial. Could not have asked for a better outcome. Though I will never put myself in the position of needing his services again, trust me, David Haenal is the guy you want on your team! DV

Posted by BPR | January 09, 2015 | DUI & DWI

The BEST Attorney in Orlando!

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!

Posted by anonymous | January 05, 2015 | DUI & DWI

Miracle worker!

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.

Posted by C. A. | November 02, 2014 | DUI & DWI

OMG..... AMAZING! Even responds promptly on week-ends!

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!

See All Client Reviews