Andrea Welch | Independence Criminal Defense Lawyer

• Member Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association Since
  1999
• Member, Board of Directors Eastern Jackson County Bar Association Since
  1999
• Prosecutor | City of Sugar Creek
• Prosecutor | City of Blue Springs

Last year I was hired by a woman in her late thirties in her last year of residency before becoming a Doctor. She met some of her girlfriends on St Pattys Day for dinner and then went to the grocery store. On the way home from the store she was stopped at a sobriety checkpoint and was given a DWI. She was DEVASTATED! This had the potential to end her medical career. She was about to take her State Boards. She had questions about ethical issues and reporting requirements. She was a single mother with lots of student loans facing possible jail time and the loss of her drivers license. At the free initial consultation I calmed her nerves and gathered all the information about what happened the night of the arrest. I explained what the City was required to prove to convict her of the charge and what the possible outcomes were. We went over some possible scenarios based on the information she provided and I quoted her a fee. I explained that to do my job properly I would need the video and the Alcohol Influence Report. Then I explained what those were and the information they would provide me. She left my office feeling much better than when she came in. Ultimately she was not convicted, got no points on her driving record and became a doctor. She was a responsible, caring person whose future could have been destroyed by being barely over the limit with no bad driving what so ever.

1.Return phone calls 2.Never lie or mislead your clients or the courts 3.Do what you say you are going to do 4.Treat everyone like you would want them to treat your mamma 5.Show up on time; clients are nervous enough as it is don't make it worse 6.Tell the client how much ""EVERYTHING"" will cost at the first meeting so they can prepare. If possible. Money is hard to come by, people need time to get fine and costs prior to court. Never get a probation for a client to pay the fines and costs as an attorney, you are setting them up to fail.

VERY! It's called gettin' "Home Towned or Good Ol'e Boyed". If you are not from around here or people don't know you they wont work with you. Might sound unfair but that's how it works. If I get someone who wants to hire me for case in a jurisdiction that I don't frequent, the first thing I do is check to see who the prosecutor and judge are. If I'm familiar with them, I'm ok to take the case. If not, I refer it to someone I know practices in that area, a local attorney, so the client does not suffer. They come to me with no knowledge and I'm supposed to make it better. If I know a local attorney is going to get a better deal than me and I take the case anyway if doing them a disservice before we even get started. That makes me the punch line for every lawyer joke and a jackass of the first class. It should never happen.

I don't do too many phone consultations unless it's a simple traffic ticket or they live out of town. I will seldom quote a fee of any significance. A person with a legal problem needs to meet the person they are going to hire face to face. See if they trust them, like their mannerism and the way they conduct themselves. See if they speak down to them or talk over the persons head in legal speak. Do they explain things plainly or promise things that seem outrageous. Just see if your bullshit detector goes off. Do they know the area of law you are hiring them to represent you in? What do they specialize in and for how long? All of that matters. Phone calls tend to get cut short and you can't see what that lawyers face says when you ask the tough questions like ""will I go to prison? Will I be a registered sex offender? Will I ever drive again?, What if the person I hit with my car dies?""

1.What they are charged with 2. The jurisdiction 3. The court date and time 4. The name, address, working phone numbers, social, security number and date of birth 5. Criminal history of defendant, if any 6. If they are on probation or parole? If so for what and where and the case number.

I still really like being a lawyer. My dad is 84 this year and still practicing law. He has been a prosecutor and defense attorney in different jurisdiction the entire time. I have wanted to be a lawyer since I was 8. I'm 48. I have been doing this for 20 years and I still love it. I have done both prosecution and defense work the entire time and it keeps you sharp. You see both side of the case instantly. It's still fun, intriguing. Some lawyers, like other people just hate their job their life going to work and msn does it show. Its kinda cheesy but I look forward to seeing what's up for today! What new goofy, twisted thing might be heading my way.

When some nice person made a mistake! One that took only a second but could have this huge devastating outcome. They have this nice normal life and make good choices and it could all be over for them because of one moment. Never been in trouble before. They hire me. I work really hard and get something done they didn't think could get done and it's all ok. They can finally sleep again. They didn't go to prison. It's a wonderful feeling.

I sing in a band with my husband and some guys he went to highschool with. We are the The Non-Tweeker Creekers. I live in Sugar Creek Missouri and I'm active in my little city. It's of Slavic heritage and we have a big Slavic Festival every year. We dance, eat and drink till we all roll home fat and happy. It's a blast. I love my little town. Its kinda like Mayberry on the Andy Griffith Show. Everybody still waves and knows everybody and is on EVERYONE else's business. You would think they stil had that party line switch board operator.I'm the City Prosecutor. I just got sworn in March 27th after being the assistant to my dad for 20 years. My husband and I travel a lot. We snow ski and scuba dive. I love to cook and entertain. We host all our families for Christmas and Thanksgiving about 50. Aunts, uncles cousins the whole mess. We do a huge 4th of July Party every year. Sugar Creek has the longest ongoing parade in the state of Missouri.