The NC DWI Guy

On today's episode, special guest Chas Post is back on the podcast. Chas, an NC Bar board-certified specialist in criminal law, was the first attorney guest to come on the show back on Episode 6. In today's conversation, Chas and Jake offer 10 ways that DWI defense lawyers can level up their game. If you are looking for a way to kick start your professional development in 2023, this episode is for...

Happy New Years! To kick off 2023, Jake offers three areas of focus to make sure your dreams become reality: mentality, action, and education. If you are committed to making 2023 the best year in your firm, and your life, hear Jake's insights on where to focus your energy at the beginning of this journey. If you are looking for shortcuts to success, this episode has none. If you are ready to put i...

'Tis the season for gift giving! In this episode, hear Jake discuss the power of gift giving and why gift giving should be part of your business strategy. Referencing John Ruhlin's Giftology , Jake explains why you have not missed the boat if you did not give professional gifts during the Christmas season. If you want to grow personally and professionally in 2023 make sure that Giftology is a part...

On today's episode, Jake sits down with law firm SEO expert Chris Dreyer . Chris has over a decade of experience working as a digital marketing specialist helping attorneys grow their businesses and their bottom lines. He recently released Niching Up: The Narrower the Market, the Bigger the Prize , in which Chris reveals the path to enduring notoriety and long-term profitability by way of a stream...

"Business is a marathon, and most of society thinks it's a sprint" marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuk once remarked. On today's episode, after finishing tenth overall during his first 100-mile run, Jake takes this analogy one step further by suggesting that business is an ultramarathon. Jake compares his training for and competing in the Daytona 100, a road race from Jacksonville to Daytona, with the...

If an officer is mistaken about the law or a particular fact during a traffic stop such that no law was actually broken by the defendant, is the stop unlawful? It depends on whether the mistake was reasonable or unreasonable. On today's episode of the podcast listen as Jake discusses the case law in North Carolina when it comes to an officer's mistake of law or fact and gives you some practice tip...

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Coming your way in 2023 is the inaugural Freedom Fighters Summit , a marketing and brand building conference designed for criminal defense lawyers who want to take their practice to the next level! Warning:  This is NOT your traditional CLE . If you are happy with the way your law firm is operating currently then  don't  waste your time, money and energy attending this Summit.  H...

Any time you have a defense named in the Latin language you better do your research before arguing in front of the judge. In a DWI case, a Corpus Delicti issue is potentially a defense where there is a "naked confession," or an admission of drinking and driving but little other corroborating evidence of the crime of DWI. In this episode, Jake explains when a Corpus Deliciti defense may be a triabl...

As criminal defense lawyers, we are often tasked with knowing our client's constitutional and statutory rights when it comes to police interactions. But what about practical advice for our client to have a safe and anxious free interaction with an officer who initiates a traffic stop? In this episode, Jake offers simple steps for any driver to follow during a traffic stop and talks about why the d...

Your network is proportionally equivalent to your net worth. As Jim Rohn famously said "you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." As a lawyer looking to build your current or future law practice, who are you spending time with in or to map out your legal business? On today's episode listen as Jake discusses the power of networking, and call you to a simple but powerful...

Helping clients overcome alcohol dependance or drug addiction is a critical aspect of any attorney defending DWI cases. On today's podcast, Alan Eargle talks with Jake about some of the available technology that can be used in addressing addiction as well as the software developments coming down the pike that will impact society, and specifically the world of criminal defense lawyers. Alan is the...

Question: Is a driver "seized" within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment when a police officer in a marked police cruiser drivers slowly past a parked vehicle at night, backs up, pulls in behind the vehicle while activating the patrol car's blue lights, blocks the driver's exit, and then remains in the police cruiser approximately one minute while checking Defendant's license plate? Answer: Yes,...

Do you have a mentor to help you grow as a lawyer in the courtroom? Why not take that same mindset to your law firm, and grow your practice to where you want it to be? Allison Williams, the Law Firm Mentor, is the Founder of Williams Law Group, a family law firm she took from a start up to a multi-million dollar business in just over three years. Allison provides business coaching services for Sol...

What do used cars have to do with practicing law? In this week's episode, Jake talks about trends coming down the pike in the legal industry after seeing a massive shift in the automobile industry during his recent used car purchasing experience. Technology is bringing colossal changes to almost every industry, and the legal field will not escape unchanged. If you want to prepare your firm for the...

If you have an amazing paralegal on your team, then you understand who is really running your office. Minick Law is blessed with an incredible team of legal assistants, and on today's episode Jake sits down with his supporting paralegal, Stephanie Heller, to discuss how to build and grow the attorney / legal assistant relationship. This episode is a must listen for every member of your firm from t...

At a CLE several years back, one of the presenters told the room, "you're not a great DWI lawyer until you have lost 10 in a row." If you fight for your clients, whether in a trial or during a sentencing hearing, you are going to get some proverbial blood on your shirt. Losses are going to happen. In this week's episode, Jake discusses how to learn from your mistakes and use your losses to improve...

On today's episode, Jake examines how to minimize the impact of evidence of refusing chemical testing in the courtroom. If a potential DWI client tells you that the officer said that they had refused chemical testing, you need to know what implications stem from the refusal designation. Given how many defendants are indicated as refusing chemical analysis by an officer, this episode is a must list...

On today's episode, Jake discusses some ways for freedom fighters to support each other. Aristotle once said that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." This saying squarely applies to each local community of criminal defense lawyers. The way that we support and help our sisters and brothers that practice in our local criminal defense bar paves the way for better representation for clie...

On today's episode Jake discusses a subject that is often taboo in the criminal defense community: legal fees. Setting a reasonable fee in any representation begins with a conversation about the value the client is receiving from hiring you to handle his or her case. If you want some helpful guideposts for setting legal fees in a DWI case, this episode is for you.   Highlights: Learn why you shoul...

On today's podcast, Jake sits down with guest Zac Cohen to discuss how to grow your practice at the local level. Zac grew up in Salisbury before attending Wingate University on a football scholarship. Zac went to law school in Texas but always had plans to come back home to NC and start a traffic ticket law firm. Zac moved home after law school and started his firm in Monroe, NC, which concentrate...

As hustling and bustling lawyers in state district court, we generally don't have a ton of legal writing on our plate. However, one place where careful and clean legal writing can have a huge impact is in drafting the preliminary indication following a district court judge granting your motion to suppress. On today's episode Jake shares tips on how to effectively draft a preliminary indication in...

Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. On today's episode, Jake examines two critical moments in DWI representation where empathy is critical to WOW representation: (1) the arrest; and (2) the final court date. To understand what your client is feeling in these critical moments, Jake leads a reflection on how to put yourself in the "darkest hour" moments...

Do you need help interpreting the SBI report you received from the State on your DWI case? On today's episode, Jake visits with Dr. Korin Leffler , an assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University. Dr. Leffler holds a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology and helps bridge the gap between science and the law by providing the right steps to...

Back on Episode 7, Jake gave you 10 Keys to District Court Success. On today's episode, Jake provides 10 more ways to easily and immediately improve your practice in the district courts of North Carolina.  If you handle criminal and traffic matters day in and day out in, then minor adjustments to how you prepare for and handle your cases in district court can have an exponential positive impact on...

Today's episode is a reflection on the incredible retreat our team just returned from in Gastonia NC. We stayed at the beautiful Esquire Hotel in Gastonia, and our retreat included a mock trial exercise at Gaston College , an excursion to Top Golf in Charlotte, an adventure at the Whitewater Center , and an amazing firm dinner at Barrister's restaurant. On today's episode Jake gives some practical...