--- title: Why a Hasty Decision to Hire a Defense Attorney Can Come Back to Haunt You description: Learn why hiring the wrong attorney –– someone who lacks the proven track record of success, experience, reputation and skill –– can come back to haunt you. image: https://www.stangllaw.com/hubfs/achievement-agreement-businessman-862734.jpg --- [![](https://www.stangllaw.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/stl_2023/images/stl-logo-hrz.svg)](https://www.stangllaw.com/) Menu × - Local [(608) 831-9200 ](tel:+6088319200) - Toll Free [(800) 353-2120 ](tel:+8003532120) - [Practice Areas](https://www.stangllaw.com/practice-areas) - [Drunk Driving Charges (OWI)](https://www.stangllaw.com/practice-areas/drunk-driving-owi-defense) - [Drug Charges](https://www.stangllaw.com/practice-areas/drug-charge-defense) - [Fraud Charges](https://www.stangllaw.com/practice-areas/fraud-defense) - [Weapons Charges](https://www.stangllaw.com/practice-areas/gun-and-weapons-charge-defense) - [Other Criminal Charges](https://www.stangllaw.com/practice-areas/criminal-defense) - [Appeals](https://www.stangllaw.com/practice-areas/criminal-appeals) - [Personal Injury Claims](https://www.stangllaw.com/practice-areas/personal-injury-claims) - [Federal Charges](https://www.stangllaw.com/practice-areas/federal-charge-defense) - [Victories](https://www.stangllaw.com/victories/success-stories) - [FAQ](https://www.stangllaw.com/faq) - [Blog](https://www.stangllaw.com/blog) - [About](https://www.stangllaw.com/about) - [Testimonials](https://www.stangllaw.com/testimonials) - [Contact](https://www.stangllaw.com/contact) [![Free Consultation](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/493205/88bf7f8d-515b-44e1-8103-ebea0304d9c0.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/493205/88bf7f8d-515b-44e1-8103-ebea0304d9c0) # Why a Hasty Decision to Hire a Defense Attorney Can Come Back to Haunt You Updated by Stangl Law on September 09, 2021 ![two men shaking hands over desk with open laptop and clipboard](https://www.stangllaw.com/hs-fs/hubfs/achievement-agreement-businessman-862734.jpg?width=1000&name=achievement-agreement-businessman-862734.jpg) When you're charged with an [OWI offense](https://www.stangllaw.com/practice-areas/drunk-driving-owi-defense), whether it be a first offense, a subsequent criminal OWI, or any other criminal offense, it's natural to feel anxious, scared, and unsure of what to do. ## **The Challenge of Finding the Right Attorney From the Start** People who find themselves in this difficult position often assume they need to hire an attorney immediately. But this is not the time to make a snap decision that leaves out the important due diligence and research process to find the very best OWI and criminal lawyer for representation. Hiring the wrong attorney — someone who lacks the proven track record of success, experience, reputation and skill — can come back to haunt you. I have encountered this problem many times over my [30-year career as a defense attorney](https://www.stangllaw.com/about). Without the right attorney, you risk potential procedural and substantive errors that can affect the outcome of your case and your life. Sometimes clients find they're unsatisfied with the lawyer they initially hired, as they get farther down the road. But that presents a problem: **If they switch lawyers, the new one is stuck with what previous one did or, more often than not, did *not* do**. These omissions can be serious and irrepressible, such as waiving of potential issues that may have existed because they weren’t properly raised or preserved. ## **Overcoming These Challenges from Day One** If you find yourself charged with an OWI or a criminal matter, **carefully review all of your paperwork, and make sure that you know your dates for court appearances**. Often, you will not have a court appearance for a month or even a couple of months after the alleged incident. **Make sure to diligently determine whether, in an OWI case, you need to do something within 10 days**. **Then do your due diligence and look for an extremely competent defense attorney who has a proven track record of success**. ## **If There's a Way to Win Your Case, Stangl Law Will Find It** Attorney Stangl checks all those boxes, having successfully defended in numerous OWI-PAC cases and other criminal cases throughout his career. Before you make a hasty decision and run out and hire an attorney give us a call for a phone consultation so we can make sure that if you have a 10 day time limit which applies in an OWI case we can inform you of what to do. We would love to put our experience and proven track record to work for you to achieve the best possible results under the circumstances. **If you’ve been arrested or charged with**[**OWI**](http://stangllaw.com/areas/owi/) **in Wisconsin, contact an experienced Madison OWI lawyer today.** **[Contact Attorney Patrick Stangl](http://stangllaw.com/contacts/)** **for a free consultation.** [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/493205/9b8ca462-1c37-481b-b42d-c487c0875d08.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/493205/9b8ca462-1c37-481b-b42d-c487c0875d08) ![Attorney Patrick J. Stangl](https://www.stangllaw.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/p-stangl-avatar.webp?width=65&name=p-stangl-avatar.webp) Attorney Patrick J. Stangl Stangl Law Offices, S.C. ### Request a free consultation ## Sign up to be notified when a new blog is posted [![](https://www.stangllaw.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/stl_2023/images/stl-logo-white.svg)](https://www.stangllaw.com/) Proven Wisconsin law firm defending clients against OWI, drug charges, fraud, weapons charges, federal charges and more. Skilled and thorough assistance with appeals and personal injury claims statewide. The content provided on this site is intended for informational purposes only. For legal advice, contact Stangl Law directly. - Toll Free [(800) 353-2120](tel:+8003532120) Local [(608) 831-9200](tel:+6088319200) - 6666 Odana Road, Suite 112 Madison WI 53719 - [![Get a Free Consultation](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/493205/3425f7df-9ead-488c-918c-2242504f1af9.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/493205/3425f7df-9ead-488c-918c-2242504f1af9) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Stangl Law", "url" : "https://www.stangllaw.com/blog/author/attorney-stangl" }, "dateModified" : "2024-04-04T21:36:02.202Z", "datePublished" : "2020-03-19T14:23:07.000Z", "headline" : "Why a Hasty Decision to Hire a Defense Attorney Can Come Back to Haunt You", "image" : [ "https://www.stangllaw.com/hubfs/achievement-agreement-businessman-862734.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.stangllaw.com/blog/why-a-hasty-decision-to-hire-a-defense-attorney-can-come-back-to-haunt-you", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" }, "name" : "Stangl Law Offices, S.C." } } ```