Posted by Stephen | August 21, 2018 | Hired Attorney

Saved me from one of the darkest times in my life

I was arrested for my first DUI in early April, and my mind went to the worst possible places—potentially losing my job, my money, and the respect of my friends, family, and self. After calling my parents back in Illinois and letting them know about my arrest and opening up about my own alcohol probl...ems, my dad encouraged me to research lawyers in the area to help with my case. I called a couple lawyers for consultations the next day, and I wasn’t really sold on any of them. Having just been arrested and facing several thousand dollars in fines and possible jail time, I needed someone who was not only on my side, but someone who took the time to understand my situation and would be willing to help me through the long and difficult process of recovering from a DUI. I remember calling Jennifer Watkins in the car of my school parking lot to schedule a consultation, and I knew within our initial phone call that I wanted to hire her. She took time out of her busy schedule to talk to me for nearly an hour. She was caring and compassionate as she listened to me talk about my situation and my personal problems that led to the DUI in the first place. The other lawyers I talked to seemed to be more interested in winning another case, and while I’m sure Jennifer wanted to win for me too, the main thing that sold me on her was that she genuinely cared about my life and wanted to see me recover from this mistake. I met with her the following week for a more official consultation and we ended up talking for a couple hours. Again, she was compassionate and understanding, but she did not sugar-coat my situation. I knew, because of my high BAC, that I was looking at high court fines, probation, a lot of community service, multiple hours of mandatory therapy, and potential jail time. I understood that, but she assured me that she’d do everything in her power to minimize my punishments. I hired her, trusting that she would be there for me every step of the way. Fast forward a couple months later to my court hearing, and she helped me walk away with just the minimums, no jail time, and many of my fees waived (pending successful completion of probation). I’m very thankful for that, but what I really love about Jennifer is that she is always available via email for any questions I may have. Whether it's a serious question about my case or a trivial question about license reinstatement paperwork, she never fails to respond within 24 hours. If it weren’t for her, I would have crumbled underneath the added stress and anxiety that comes with a DUI, but she was able to help me maintain a level head the entire time. Fast forward a couple months later to today, and I am happy to say that this experience has given me a much-needed wakeup call and has provided the opportunity for me to make some serious changes in my life. I have been alcohol-free since the arrest (almost five months now), I have grown closer with certain friends, co-workers, and family members who have supported me throughout the arrest, and I feel like a much stronger and more responsible person. I owe much of that to Jennifer Watkins and her support throughout what has been one of the darkest points in my life. I would definitely hire her again, but I don’t plan on getting another DUI, so the best I can do is recommend her to anyone else who may find themselves in this situation in the future.