Washington DUI Lawyer

Anyone facing a charge of DUI in Washington DC is advised to seek the services of an experienced DC DUI lawyer to represent them.  Charges of driving under the influence in DC are very serious and the penalties for being found guilty can range from large fines to mandatory jail terms.  Drivers who have been charged with DUI will also have their license revoked and must reapply for it even if they are later acquitted.

Being charged with DUI rests upon the results of a blood alcohol test which will be carried out at the time of arrest and which will show the levels of alcohol in your system.  In all states the minimum level is 0.08% although you may still be charged if the result is lower than this.  Those with levels significantly higher can face harsher than usual penalties and for underage drivers the minimum permitted level is lower.

A DC DUI lawyer will be able to advise on the law as it relates to your case along with the potential penalties you could face.  You do have the right to represent yourself, but unless you have extensive knowledge of the law and legal system as it relates to your case, you are unlikely to succeed in being acquitted.  You also have the right to request a court-appointed lawyer if hiring a private DUI lawyer is beyond your means.

DUI cases are complex and can involve much time consuming paperwork and meetings with officials.  Hiring a lawyer will mean they will manage the case for you and will ensure all the correct paperwork is filed and can meet with officials both in the courts and sate motor department on your behalf.  

Preparing your defense relies on being able to interpret and understand the evidence against you, how this was gathered and whether or not the correct procedures where followed.  There may also be witnesses to interview and extenuating circumstances to consider.  It is usual for your lawyer to question the validity of the evidence and to offer alternative explanations for the test results.  Whether you are acquitted or convicted can depend upon the strength of the evidence against you and the penalty you are given can rest with the discretion of the judge presiding over your case.  

Multiple convictions for DUI in any state will incur harsher penalties than first time convictions, so hiring a good DC DUI lawyer becomes even more important if you are to try and obtain a more lenient penalty.  In some circumstances your lawyer may advise the entering of a plea bargain, where by pleading guilty you could receive a lesser penalty.  Being convicted for DUI could result in you loosing your job, particularly if you drive school buses, taxis or some heavy goods vehicles and many often find their insurance premiums rise significantly or that they become uninsurable.

When looking for a lawyer it is a good idea to try to meet with several before deciding on whom to hire.  Your first consultation is often free and will give you the chance to find out more about them and whether or not you would be comfortable working with them.

Originally published here.

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To be charged with DUI or driving under the influence in Washington DC is a serious offence, despite most people thinking it is only a minor traffic offence.  The penalties for a DUI conviction can be severe and have long lasting consequences.  For these reasons you should look to hire a DC DUI lawyer to represent your case.

Convictions for DUI depend on much medical and scientific evidence being gathered at the time of arrest.  This evidence requires some technical knowledge in order to interpret it, which is another reason why hiring a DC DUI lawyer is important.  The evidence could be disputed or argued as being inadmissible but does require extensive knowledge of how this evidence was gathered to mount a successful case.

Typically the evidence will consist of the observations of the police officer who stopped you at the time, field sobriety tests which will test your motor functions at the time you were stopped and a blood alcohol test to determine the levels of alcohol in your system.  This last test is the most important and can be the crucial factor in any DUI case.  A blood alcohol level of over 0.08% will see you charged with DUI and levels significantly over this can have a heavy influence on the severity of the penalty handed down.

What your DC DUI lawyer will seek to do is to disprove the test results by arguing for alternative reasons for the results and to look at whether or not any of the tests where carried out according to the correct procedures and by qualified personnel.  They may also look to bring in witnesses who where present at the time to further your defense.

If this is your first offence under DUI law then you can probably expect to receive a less severe penalty than someone who has previous convictions.  Subsequent convictions for DUI, committed in any state, will receive harsher penalties such as hefty fines, community service orders and jail terms.  In both cases, should your actions by driving under the influence cause serious injury or even death then your case could be elevated to a felony and carry a lengthy jail term.

A DC DUI lawyer can also advise you on the implications of your case and help you to understand the law and legal processes behind it.  You should however, look to hire a lawyer who specializes only in DUI cases as they will have a better and up to date knowledge of the state law regarding DUI than a lawyer who is prepared to take on any type of case.  You also need to note that you should hire a lawyer who practices within the state in which you were arrested and charged as each state will set their own laws and legislation.

Originally published here.