Posted by Steve | January 26, 2024 | Hired Attorney

Case Dismissed! All Charges Dropped!

Those were the words I most wanted to hear in court, but that seemed impossible. That all changed, however, the moment I chose Jennifer Watkins to be my attorney. The icing on the cake was that I heard those words WITHOUT incurring the expense and stress of going to trial, which also seemed to be a...n impossibility. My math calculation is this: 1 Impossibility + 1 Impossibility = 1 Miracle! I’ve had more experience than I ever wanted when it comes to needing an attorney, which means I’ve learned how to be a better judge when it comes to selecting one. Will Rogers once said, “Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.” I’m happy that the “school of hard knocks” gave me the good judgment to hire Jennifer, because she had the exact skill set needed to make the impossible, possible. Twice! Jennifer is “wicked smart,” thoroughly understands Colorado DUI laws and, equally importantly, she knows the intricacies of the Boulder County Justice Center. She knows the judges and the DAs, and they her. She knows how to navigate the complexities of the system and how to work with, and work ON individual DAs, all to her client’s best advantage. Jennifer listens with rare intensity. I felt heard, understood and accepted. She took the time upfront to get to know me, understand my background and needs, answer a gazillion questions, patiently and repeatedly explain the process, clearly define my options - and then recommend a course of action. Those are all wonderful qualities, right? But what REALLY sets Jennifer apart from other attorneys, in my opinion, are her interpersonal skills and her emotional intelligence. I believe that those were the qualities that empowered Jennifer to achieve the miraculous outcome that she did. What did she do and how did she do it? A new DA was assigned to my case about the same time I hired Jennifer. He was young, inexperienced and a total unknown; which Jennifer viewed as an opportunity instead of a problem. She set out to get to know him, observe how he operated and “what makes him tick.” She accurately “sized him up” as being in-over-his-head, overwhelmed and stressed, so she started to help him out here and there, show him the ropes, make suggestions. She slowly and incrementally earned his appreciation, respect and trust, thereby causing him to be more receptive to her input. That’s emotional intelligence at work! It took eight months for my case to snake its way through the court system, which gave Jennifer numerous opportunities to talk to the DA about it. She kept letting him know, sometimes playfully, that he could never win if my case went to trial. Her goal was to get him to offer an acceptable plea that would have lesser consequences than a DUI. Eventually the DA did, in fact, offer a reasonable plea agreement, which I quickly accepted and signed, all with an abundance of gratitude and relief. Mission accomplished! But then when it came time to stand in front of the judge, the DA shocked the courtroom - me most of all - by telling the judge that he'd changed his mind! The DA told the judge that my case was so weak that he believed it would be impossible to win at trial (just as Jennifer repeatedly told him). He told the judge that just because he COULD get me to accept a plea didn’t mean it was the “right thing to do” given all the negative consequences I would still suffer. Instead, the DA withdrew all charges, the case was dismissed and the file was automatically sealed; all without the expense and stress of going to trial! How do I explain the outcome? Jennifer helped the DA grow a conscience! Now, if THAT’S not a miracle, I don’t know what is! She may not be able to perform a miracle every time or for everyone, but she’s the only attorney who ever performed one for me! I can’t recommend Jennifer Watkins highly enough.