Jeffery Higgins

Selecting a criminal defense lawyer for yourself or a loved one can be a stressful process. Many people have never hired a criminal defense lawyer before and don’t know what to look for or what is important. They aren’t sure what qualifications matter most or what a reasonable fee will cost. And when they call us, one question they are probably asking themselves is “Why should we pick DaytonaDefense.com?”

The answer to that is very simple: Service and Value.

Services I Provide

As a criminal defense attorney licensed since 1998, I can tell you the most common complaints people have about their attorneys revolve around accessibility and communication.  And having worked in industries outside the legal field, I understand the importance of consistent, reliable, customer service.  More importantly, I brought that commitment to customer service back to the legal field and now strive to make sure we are always providing the highest level of service to each of our clients.  The most obvious example of that is how we handle phone calls vs. how other firms handle phone calls.

Since launching this law firm my priority has always been to make sure that prospective clients speak to a lawyer as quickly as possible.  At other firms you have to go through a receptionist and deal with a legal assistant just to set a phone appointment to speak with a lawyer………and then still wait hours or days before you actually get to have the appointment.  At those firms you get passed around like a hot potato, with no one stepping up to answer your questions or address your needs.

But at DaytonaDefense.com, we make sure that an actual criminal defense attorney in Daytona Beach answers your call as often as possible. Many of you are surprised to find out that – even as the owner of a multi-lawyer firm – I’m still the one to personally answer your call.  We hold ourselves to that standard because once you have been arrested, you are in the middle of an emergency.  We want to respond to that emergency and get you the care and attention you deserve as quickly as possible.  

You want to speak to a criminal defense lawyer in Daytona Beach and get solid legal advice, and we want to give that to you.

While other firms or public defenders will pass you around between paralegals and secretaries, we make sure that – as long as your lawyer is not in court or visiting the jail – they are available to speak to you.  Not just on the first call, but all the way through the completion of your case.  

Think about it this way:  Other firms will treat you like a call to be avoided.  DaytonaDefense.com will treat you like a client to be cared for.

Which firm would YOU trust?

Value

A close relative of our commitment to service is our commitment to value.  The question of value goes to both how much something costs and what you get for the money.  At DaytonaDefense.com, three big parts of our value come from the fact that we:  A) work on fixed, flat fees, B) offer flexible payment plans, and C) don’t charge trial fees.   

First, our fixed, flat fee lets you know exactly what things will cost.  Whether your case lasts one month or one year, the fee never changes.  That gives you financial predictability, and protects you from getting stuck on a treadmill of never-ending fees like you might get with other lawyers.  

Once we agree to a fee, it is our responsibility to finish the case with a good result in a timely manner.  We will never ask you to pay additional fees because a case is taking longer than we expected.

Next, by offering payment plans you know we will try to work within your budget. Many other lawyers refuse to offer payment plans.  Or if they do, they want their fee paid in one or two months.  Half now and half next month.  Any inflexibility of that sort should give you pause for concern.  

Before you agree to a fee with one of those inflexible attorneys, ask yourself “Why don’t they offer payment plans?”  Are they about to go out of business?  Are they having financial problems?  

At DaytonaDefense.com, we offer flexibility because from experience we can often predict how long a particular case may take to get resolved.  If the case could take six months, then we can offer a six-month plan.  If it could take 10 months, we can offer a ten-month plan.  We offer that flexibility because we want to meet your needs.

Finally, with our fixed, flat fee you know we won’t surprise you with a trial fee at the end of your case.  Some lawyers will try to sneak a trial fee into their fee agreement with you.  That should be a huge red flag!  Including a trial fee in a fee agreement is a sure sign that the lawyer has no willingness to take your case to trial.  They may tell you that the trial fee is there to cover additional costs associated with the case going to trial, but what they should tell you is that the trial fee is put there to give them an escape clause.  

More specifically, what they will not tell you is that – if you cannot pay the trial fee when the time comes – they will either drop your case or bully you into taking a plea. Even worse, a lawyer could tell you to go to trial – not because a trial is in your best interest – but because they want to collect the extra cash.  When you get to that point, what is your lawyer looking out for?  YOUR best interests or THEIR bank account?   

Why Me?

DaytonaDefense.com never includes trial fees in their agreements because they create an unethical conflict of interest, and may wind up depriving you of your Constitutionally guaranteed right to a trial.  

No matter the case, our fixed, flat fee is the only fee we charge. Of course, when it comes to value, you almost always get what you pay for.  

While shopping for a criminal defense attorney in Daytona Beach, you may notice a number of firms with lawyers spread out across the state.  Or firms offering fees far below what you have been quoted by other, more local firms.  Those low-value, discount law firms operate with a flawed business model that almost always prevents them from providing quality legal representation.  In the end, their clients are the ones who suffer.  Sadly, several times a month I get calls from people who hired one of the low-value, discount firms, and now find themselves unsatisfied with the service provided and need us to take over their case. 

Unfortunately for the clients of the low-value, discount firms, their lawyers are over-burdened with large caseloads and unable to give the cases the attention they need.  Like anyone else, when these lawyers are spread too thin and unable to devote the proper amount of attention to their jobs, the quality of their work suffers.  Ultimately, that lack of attention winds up producing lapses in communication with clients and their families, and poor results in court.

At DaytonaDefense.com, we add to the value we provide by working to make sure every case and client get all the attention they need.  Apart from our reasonable fees and payment plans, our commitment to value ensures that you will get platinum-level representation throughout the duration of your case.  

I can be sure of that value because of my own commitment to DaytonaDefense.com.  I started this firm as a solo criminal defense lawyer in Daytona Beach in 2017.  Since then, I have personally logged thousands of miles driving between courthouses, hundreds of hours sitting in courtrooms protecting my clients’ rights, and countless nights and weekends texting or speaking with clients and their loved ones in the interest of providing impeccable legal representation.  Building this business has been like raising a child.  

By 2019 we added offices in Orlando and Ocala, and we were able to take on additional attorneys to work under our banner.  Knowing the effort and dedication it took to build DaytonaDefense.com’s stellar reputation, I could only bring on the best, most dedicated attorneys.  After all, I couldn’t trust our reputation with just any attorney on a street corner.  That is why I insisted on personally identifying and recruiting each attorney that works with DaytonaDefense.com, DefendOcala.com, and OrlandoDefense.com.  

Each attorney with our firm has been selected because I have seen their work, I trust their skills, and I know that I could trust them with my own court case and with the reputation of the business I have built.  

Because I know I can trust them with what is important to ME, I know I can trust them with what is important to YOU.

Unparalleled service.  Unparalleled value.  THAT is DaytonaDefense.com.

We’ve got your back.