I dont know where to start with my review of Atty Anthony Cotton. I had gotten my 2nd DUI and immediately started interviewing lawyers from all over southeastern WI. I found Tony through this site, and set an appointment with him in Waukesha. Every lawyer I spoke with told me I had no chance whats...oever to get out of my situation unscathed. At this point I started interviewing lawyers strictly for damage control (how can I get away from this with the least punishment?) When I interivewed Tony, he immediately started forming a defense for me on the spot. When I started asking about damage control, he very straight forward asked me, comedically, "why are you worried about damage control? DO YOU WANT TO GET OUT OF THIS OR NOT!?" Stunned, I of course said, yes. Now THAT was what I wanted to hear! I loved the aggressiveness. I hired him on the spot, and it was the best decision I couldve possibly made.
Tony guided me into the appropriate programs to lessen the damage if our defense was unsuccessful... HOWEVER, because Im an idiot, I ended up picking up a 3rd DUI while the 2nd was pending in the court systems. Now I had to defend TWO cases, simultaneously. Though I knew he was disappointed in my decision making, he treated the whole situation professionally, and took it as it was... the situation has now changed, and this is how we will have to proceed from here. He defended me in both cases, and advised me what to do, when to do it, and how to go about it. Tony was there with me the whole time, and kept me thoroughly informed throughout the entire process.
In the end, as the judges circulated into other courts (which they apparently do every couple years), we were set to go from a "friendly" judge, to a maneater. Tony advised me to settle things with the current judge instead of proceeding to fight against a judge he knew we couldnt beat. I consulted with other attorneys over this as well, and each and every one told me that Tonys advice was spot on. For a combined 2nd AND 3rd DUI, I was able to get a grand total of 110 days, taken down to 84 with good behavior, with 64 of those days under house arrest! Ive heard stories of people going to battle against the judge we didnt want getting upwards of 6 mos of straight jail time (no house arrest) for JUST the 3rd! Forget about having a 2nd and 3rd at the same time! Had we continued to fight, I probably wouldve gotten somewhere in the realm of 10-12 mos, but instead, I was sleeping in my own bed with a beautiful woman, eating pizza, and watching the Brewers from my couch in only 20 days! It was truely a miracle.
Tony has always been available when I wanted to talk to him, and he assured me that even though the court proceedings are over, he is still my lawyer with regards to the reprecussions of the case. In his own words, "You hired me to be your lawyer. Im going to be here with you until everything is completely resolved. Im not just going to walk out of the courtroom on the day of sentencing and disappear off the face of the earth, you know?"
Bottom line is, I trusted Tony, I still do, and I always will. I felt very comfortable having him handle my cases, and would not hesitate to recommend him to anybody facing serious charges. He is energetic, knowledgable, respectful, and a FANTASTIC speaker. The ease of mind of knowing I was in good hands was worth every penny for me. If youre in a tight spot, and you have nowhere else to turn, talk to Tony. Hes the Wolf from Pulp Fiction! He solves problems. :)
As a follow up, I got hit recently with a OAR driving to a job interview. I consulted Tony about this, and he looked at his schedule, realized he was going to be at the courthouse at the same time anyhow and says he'd just take care of it. For those that dont know, OARs are criminal and can carry jail time. I ended up getting a $50 fine. Nothing more. Tony's the best.