Steven W. Woods

From the start Woods and Brangwin were difficult to communicate with. They say they are a team, however once I was notified that Mr. Woods was the lead attorney on my case, I was told not to cc Mr. Brangwin on email communication. That is not a team! Also Mr. Woods was on vacation 3 times during m...y legal process. Each time I was unable to communicate and obtain needed answers. I truly believe I was just a number and the goal of Mr. Woods was to get me to accept the initial deal so he could move on and get me off his books. He never fought for me and just did the bare minimum. Look for another attorney!

I contacted Mr. Woods the day after I was arrested for a DUI. He did an excellent job explaining what my options were and what I was likely to be charged with. He also said he would investigate my arrest and fight anything he could. I blew a .14 and by some miracle he got it down to negligent driving.... We pushed the court dates out, and although it was a long process, trust him with his advice. I am very thankful I hired him as my defender. I hope to never be in this position again, but if I was I would choose him again.

Above all, Steve explained every little detail of this process. Never did he sugarcoat a topic and made sure to lay out every single possible outcome regardless of the impact. I originally saw another attorney prior to seeing Steve and let me tell you, my gut feeling was right. Post our initial c...onsultation I already felt as though the weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I knew there was a possibility of getting hit with a DUI, but I atleast knew I had the best fighting chance to get it dropped/brought down by one of the best in the industry. Kudos to Steve and his entire team for their effort and support along this dramatic process. Know that if put in this situation again (hopefully not) Steve will be the first an only call I make. Also! The man found a way to get it dropped to a reckless!!!! Cannot thank you all enough.

I unfortunately made a very poor decision one night failing to recognize that i had consumed too much alcohol to be driving and found myself charged with a dui after having blown just over the legal limit. While i am familiar with aspects of the legal system, this was my first charge ever (read midd...le age) and my immediate concerns in the following sleepless hours were hyper-focused on my job (keeping it), my license (being able to drive to....keep my job) and again on my job. met initially the next day with Steve's partner John Brangwin who effectively and non-judgmentally walked me off the panic cliff. While my intent was to hire Steve who i was familiar with, it was comforting to know that each of the lawyers of Woods and Brangwin work as a team on the firm's client's cases even if one is effectively the face during your court appearances. During my initial consult john explained that their representation covered the two legal paths that my arrest triggered (1) the criminal dui charge with its potential for jail and license suspension and (2) the separate civil administrative license suspension hearing through the Dept of Licensing due to my blowing over the legal limit. He provided a brief overview of what to expect and timelines for both processes. Steve then came on board and picked up where John had left off. He was extremely responsive to all my questions and quickly answered what must have seemed like endless emails from me. Steve's approach to law and his demeanor were a very good fit for me. He did not try to over sell what he could do for me, was candid about the legal aspects of the case that were not in my favor, gave pragmatic option based advise, and ultimately was understanding of limitations I put on his representation of me (see below). In addition, Steve is well respected in the legal community not only for his legal abilities but also his ethics, calm demeanor and ability to get excellent results without acting like Sherman burning the fields on the way to Atlanta (for you civil war buffs). All of this was very important to me. While i suspected that a reduction from dui could be negotiated due to the facts of my case including my lower (although above .08) bac reading and this being my first offense, he delivered beyond my expectations. I should note that i in effect handcuffed him to a certain degree since perhaps unlike some of his clients (1) i felt that the charge was justified and (2) certain aspects of my job demanded that i wrap the charge up as quickly as possible. This meant that Steve was going to need to resolve my case through negotiations and not protracted legal maneuvering/motions. Steve came through with a negligent driving in the first degree with no jail time (county i was charged in often requires a day in jail in exchange for a reduction down) Offer from the prosecutor in time for me to enter the plea to the reduced charge at my first appearance after my initial arraignment. At sentencing Steve convinced (with thanks to prosecutor) the judge to follow the no jail recommendation and further convinced the judge to allow unsupervised (bench probation) probation if i was able to comply with getting an alcohol assessment by a certain deadline. Further, while i was prepared to concede the Dept. Of Licensing administrative hearing, and accept the 90 day suspension (since the officer did his job and my stop appeared justified under the law) I instead followed what turned out to be very sound advice from him and set the hearing. The license suspension was overturned at the administrative hearing. I will not lose my license. I cannot emphasize how pleased i am by Steve's representation and the ultimate outcome of my case. Considering the facts of my case, Steve truly obtained the very best possible outcome from both the criminal and the DOL administrative processes for me. I highly recommend Steve to anyone who finds themselves in similar circumstances as I.