If you’ve been arrested on a DUI or DWI charge, get a defense lawyer within ten days. If you wait longer than that to get legal advice, you will lose the chance to appeal the suspension of your driver’s license. You can still fight the criminal DUI charge, but you will no longer be able to appeal your suspended driver’s license.
It is surprisingly common for a person facing a DUI charge to decide not to hire a DUI defense lawyer to fight the charge. Maybe the driver knows he or she was intoxicated and wants to pay a penalty and move on. Or, the driver may believe that it’s too expensive to hire a DUI defense lawyer who can help get the drunk driving charges dropped or minimized.
In almost every instance, it is a serious mistake to decide not to mount a defense against a DUI charge. With the help of an experienced DUI defense lawyer, the negative impact of a DUI charge can often be lessened – and in some cases, we may be able to negotiate dismissal of the charges.
What If It’s Just a First-Time DUI Offense?
Even a first-time DUI offense can have serious negative consequences, and the likelihood of serious consequences is usually higher if the defendant chooses not to hire a DUI defense attorney to help fight the charge.
Upon conviction for a first DUI offense, your driver’s license can be suspended for as long as a year and you could face a jail sentence of up to six months. If you then continue driving with a suspended driver’s license, you could face additional criminal charges.What’s more, the stigma of a DUI conviction will stay with you forever. A DUI conviction will stay on your driver’s record forever. It cannot be expunged or sealed. If a DUI defense lawyer helps you get the DUI charge dismissed, then the criminal charge can be expunged from your record – if it’s your first offense. And if there is no conviction, then the DUI arrest will not appear on your driver’s record.
VERY IMPORTANT
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, e-mails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information on this website is not intended to create nor does it constitute an attorney-client relationship.