Whitehall Crime Watch meeting hosted special guest speaker Attorney David. D. Ritter, to continue another segment on their "Taking Citizens through a DUI Arrest," Monday, Aug. 25.

Ritter opened up his presentation with a famous Abraham Lincoln quote: "A person who represents [him or herself] is a fool for a client."

"If you represent yourself, the Superior Court, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, says you are going to be held to the same standards as the best lawyer in the state. You must know every objection, every appeal issue, how to make a record, how to file documents [and] how to produce evidence," Ritter said.

Ritter, a native of Lehigh Valley and a 1989 graduate of Parkland High School, received his bachelor's degree in international politics from Pennsylvania State University. In 1996, he attained his juris doctor from Widener University School of Law. From 1997 to 2002 Ritter served as an assistant public defender in Lehigh County and on Feb. 4, 2002, he began working as the deputy district attorney. Today, Ritter serves as a part-time public defender and has his own private practice.

One question Ritter always receives is: How can you be a defense lawyer if you know he's guilty? The answer is rather quite simple. It comes down to the treatment of and fairness for his clients.

"A lawyer's job is to be an officer of the court, and a lawyer's job for his client is to make sure that they are being treated fairly, treated within the bounds of the law and constitution, to make sure that their rights aren't violated, make sure that they are getting fair treatment in front of the judge, make sure the district attorney is being fair to them, make sure that the judge is being fair and make sure there's a fair sentence. That's the job of a lawyer," Ritter said.

In a DUI case, if the client has no prior record, what usually happens is an accelerated rehabilitative disposition (ARD) is granted. This is a "program offered for usually one time in life for first-time offenders," Ritter said.

For a person to have no criminal conviction on his or her record, the client must agree to and complete all of the requirements of the ARD program, such as staying out of trouble, paying any costs or fines and partaking in drug and alcohol evaluations.

Ritter tells his clients to take three precautions while the case goes to court: Do not leave the area without letting Ritter know, do not do drugs and do not get arrested. Sometimes, his clients do not listen. Ritter related a few DUI cases involving young male clients who all received their second DUI within one year.

"When kids think that this is all fun and games, they just don't get it sometimes," he said.

Crime watch meetings are held in the public meeting room of the municipal building the fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m. and are open to the public.