Not all criminal defense attorneys are the same. When you’ve been arrested, you want to be certain that you’re working with someone who has the skills and resources to help you. Hiring a Board Certified DUI defense lawyer to help you fight drunk driving charges may mean your exoneration.
Dean: Hello, my name is Dean Contover and this is the Current Buzz. Today we have Mike Bowser, attorney Mike Bowser. He’s one of three attorneys that are Board Certified DUI defense attorneys.
Mike: Correct.
Dean: Right?
Mike: Yes.
Board Certification Explained
Dean: And what does Board Certified mean when it comes to DUI?
Mike: Well, board certification . . ..
Dean: Is this just in Massachusetts that you –
Mike: No, I practice in New Hampshire. I’m one of two Board Certified DUI defense lawyers in New Hampshire, one of three practicing in Massachusetts. I just happen to be licensed in both. The board certification process is governed by the American Bar Association, and the American Bar Association is the largest association of attorneys in the country. They allow certain groups, professional groups of lawyers to certify practitioners in various areas – maritime law, divorce law, bankruptcy law – and they’ve recognized DUI defense as a specialty which can have board certification through the National DUI Defense College.
So I went through that process, through the National DUI Defense College. It’s like taking a bar exam and I had to have six judicial referrals from judges. I had to have six attorney references, I had to provide them with a list of cases over three years. They wanted to see that I was trying to verdict a certain amount of DUI defense cases and doing exclusively DUI defense work, and then they actually verified through the courts in the courts offices that it was actually me doing the work as opposed to an associate.
Then you’re accepted to sit for the exam and it’s an oral exam, it’s a written exam, there is an appellate brief, an argument that has to be submitted to the board of regions to the National DUI Defense College. So I went through that process several years ago and was successful.