You’re coming home from your friend’s party or a happy hour after work. You see those blue lights behind you and your heart drops. It’s too late, you’ve had too much to drink and you are charged with a DUI. What now? Or maybe some weird circumstance played into your evening and you are arrested for DUI, but you know you’re not drunk, even buzzed. What now? A first-offense DUI, could change your life – prison, job loss, big fines, lost driver’s license. So what do you do?
You need a lawyer.
You could go with a court appointed attorney, but your best bet, if you can afford one, is a dwi attorney. You’ve got a lot that could be in jeopardy right now with a DUI charge, your job, prison time, loss of your driver’s license, and a criminal law attorney who is well versed in DUI will be the best one for you. Find one local to you, for instance, if you live in San Francisco, look for San Francisco DUI lawyers specifically. And if you get caught with illegal drugs, you should consider consulting Drug Crimes Attorneys.
Talk to your lawyer, but no one else.
This is not the time to be a chatty Cathy. Don’t talk about how much you drank that night or if the cop that pulled you over was a jerk. Don’t talk about how angry you were at work that day or how you got drunk the weekend before. Keep the situation, and anything related to it, to yourself. However, the one person to talk to is your lawyer. A DUI is a serious charge; you’re going to have it handle it seriously.
As mentioned, you do need to be open and honest with your lawyer. Remember, you will have attorney client privilege where the client is encouraged to ” disclose to their attorneys all pertinent information in legal matters by protecting such disclosures from discovery at trial. The privileged information, held strictly between the attorney and the client, may remain private as long as a court does not force disclosure.” This way you and your attorney can decide on the best way to handle your defense.
An experienced lawyer knows what to look for.
The reason you want an experienced DUI lawyer is that he or she is trained in this field to present a strong defense. Yes, another lawyer may be able to handle a defense, but not know exactly what steps to take. Some things a DUI lawyer may know to look for are things like:
- Could your breath test be skewed by other factors, like dental work or diabetes
- Was the breath test device improperly calibrated
- Was there sufficient evidence to pull you over
- Was the officer adequately trained and did he handle protocol correctly
- Was there an accident where you appeared intoxicated but were really only dazed
Experienced DUI lawyers know to look for and investigate police reports, chemical testing results and anything pertaining to your specific case.
Is it worth it?
You may consider using the attorney that the court appoints for you. It’s free, after all. So why not? As mentioned, a lawyer specializing in DUI knows what to look for, what to fight and how to proceed with the case. He will know what questions to ask you and how to fight your case. Even if you are charged guilty with it in court, he may be able to help on the sentencing side. So yes, it’s very well worth it to invest in a specialized DUI attorney if you are arrested for DUI. It may cost more money upfront, but in the long run, this can save you a lot. Remember, when hiring a lawyer, look for someone how specialized specifically in DUI -not just traffic or another field.
What if it’s only my first DUI?
It doesn’t matter. If you can, seek private, experienced traffic lawyers Melbourne. They will provide you the best defense whether it’s your first DUI or you’ve had one before. They’ll review your case and help you out step by step.
DUI laws are getting tougher. It’s nothing to take lightly, from the court’s perspective and yours. Therefore you want your lawyer to take your case seriously. You want them to spend sufficient time on your case, figuring out the best defense. A private lawyer trained in this area may be more prone to do so.
