Let DUI lawyer protects your rights

The consequences of Driving Under The Influence, or DUI, charges are far reaching. The criminal justice system can be a complicated process and the penalties of a DUI are quite severe. You should be aware that in some cases, those convicted of a DUI are subject to significant fines, legal costs, court costs, and even jail time.

Every person facing this charge is in need of a good defense and protection of their rights. The reason you need to obtain an experienced DUI lawyer is that research shows that many individuals arrested and charged with DUI are not guilty because they haven't had too much to drink. While the State has a duty to enforce the law, persons accused of crimes such as driving under the influence are still innocent until proven guilty.

There are a number of opportunities to build a solid defense for these cases, as it was found that breathalyzer machines can often give false readings. Successful defense of a drunk driving charge requires specialized defenses. Attorneys that specialize in this particular type of case are best qualified to formulate your defense and protect your rights in court.

Who Gets Arrested for DUI

Statistics show that males between the ages of 16 and 24 are most likely to be arrested on DUI charges. Most individuals arrested are middle class working citizens. Sadly, DUI statistics also indicate that approximately one-third of those arrested are repeat offenders.

DUI Fines and Penalties

The penalties for DUI are different than those for DWI (Driving While Intoxicated), but are still severe and can result in long term negative consequences for you and your future.

The penalty for a first DUI offense can be limited to just a fine. However, the fines can vary and sometimes are very large. Also, in some states, fines may be doubled if a passenger under 16 years old is riding in your car.

But, depending on the jurisdiction, the penalty can also result in the revocation of your license, a criminal record, a short jail sentence, and/or public service. Prosecutors in many states have pressed for tougher penalties because many DUI suspects, especially repeat offenders, refuse to take the breathalyzer test. Unfortunately, these more severe penalties affect those who have been cooperative or have been wrongly accused.

For those who are repeat DUI offenders, you will generally face mandatory loss of license, jail time, and significant fines and court costs. So, just accepting the charges without a strong legal defense is a formula for personal disaster.

DUI Legal Defense

A DUI lawyer can help mitigate or reduce the charges and ensure that your rights are protected to the extent of the law. The plain facts are that many people arrested and charged with DUI are not guilty. Even if you have made statements at the time of arrest, they can be thrown out as part of the proceedings. A qualified DUI attorney will know all the details and the legal procedures involved.

The penalties for DUI are severe, and should be taken very seriously. Being found guilty of a DUI charge can have life-altering consequences for you and your family. So, think about it - can you afford to be without legal counsel? Not a chance!

Some important info on DUI

Benefits of Working with a Bellevue DUI Attorney

Washington is very different from many states in terms of the laws surrounding pre-trial proceedings and penalties for driving under the influence. Having a Bellevue DUI attorney on your defense team is one of the best ways to minimize the effects of the harsh Washington DUI laws on your employment and ability to live a normal life while waiting for your case to come to an end. A qualified attorney can counsel you on what is happening with your case, access expert witnesses, and speak on your behalf prior to sentencing if you are convicted. While no attorney can guarantee that they will win your case, not having a Bellevue DUI attorney represent you can be a costly mistake. Understanding Washington DUI law will help you to better understand why having a Bellevue DUI attorney defend you is your best available option.

Pre-Trial Penalties & Proceedings

Many states in the U.S. are experiencing backups in scheduling hearings and trials for driving under the influence and other criminal offenses. You may have to wait for one month or more to see the inside of a courtroom after being charged with a DUI offense in one of these states. The opposite holds true in Washington. You are required by law to appear in court within 48 hours of your offense and, if the offense occurs on a weekend, you must appear early in the next week. Washington also has higher bail amounts for drivers charged with driving under the influence. If you make the mistake of not having a Bellevue DUI attorney present on your behalf, you could spend the time leading to your trial in a jail cell instead of at home with friends and family who can support you as you prepare for your case. This is why having a Bellevue DUI attorney on your side right from the beginning is so important.

Criminal Penalties for Washington DUI Convictions

The penalties for a driving under the influence conviction in the state of Washington depend on several factors including prior convictions and aggravating circumstances. The penalties increase for each subsequent offense after a first conviction. For a first offense, offenders can be sentenced to jail time, fines, license suspensions, additional insurance requirements, ignition interlock device installation, probation, and alcohol treatment as follows:

· One day to up to one year in jail
· $823 to $5,000 in fines
· 90-day license suspension
· Additional insurance requirements
·Probationary license for five years
· Alcohol treatment/evaluation

· Probation
· Ignition interlock device for up to five

The increased penalties for a second offense include:

· 2 days to one year in jail
· 1,078 to $5,000 in fines
· One-year license suspension
· Additional insurance requirements
· Probationary license for five years
· One-year license revocation
· Ignition interlock device usage
· Monitored probation
· Alcohol treatment/evaluation

If you are convicted of a third offense within a seven-year period, the penalties increase substantially. Penalties for a third DUI conviction in Washington can include:

· 30 days to one year in jail
· 60 days of house arrest
· $1,078 to $5,000 in fines
· Two-year license revocation period
· Additional insurance requirements
· Probationary license for five years
· Driving exams
· Ignition interlock device usage
· Monitored probation
· Alcohol evaluation/treatment

If you are convicted of a third offense and have a blood alcohol content of 0.15% or higher, the penalties are increased. These stiffer penalties include:

· 45 day minimum jail term
· 90 days of house arrest

· $1,503 to $5,000 in fines
· Additional insurance requirements
· 900-day license revocation period
· Driving exams
· Probationary license for five years
· Monitored probation for five years
· Ignition interlock device usage for a minimum of one year
· Alcohol evaluation and treatment

Having a Bellevue DUI attorney on your side can help to lessen these penalties when it comes time for sentencing. A qualified attorney can speak on your behalf and request that the court consider any mitigating circumstances that may exist.

DMV Penalties

Your Bellevue DUI attorney can also help you defend yourself against the loss of your driving privileges. License suspension can be levied immediately upon your arrest even if you end up being found not guilty of all DUI charges. Your Bellevue DUI attorney can represent you at any DMV hearings and work to get your license back so you can meet your obligations and continue to work while you wait for your trial.

LA DUI lawyers

Los Angeles is a popular city situated in the southern part of California. Every state in U.S. has different laws. Los Angeles, being a part of California, follows the state's rules. Los Angeles is known to have a good nightlife, and hence there are a number of drunk driving cases. A person caught in a drunk driving case is charged with a driving under influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI) offense. DUI is a serious violation, which gives rise to extremely complicating consequences, involving a lot of people such as the drivers, any potential accident victims and the general population. A DUI charge can be very frustrating and embarrassing and hence, most offenders opt to hire a good DUI lawyer. With the increasing number of drunk driving cases in Los Angeles, there is a great demand for DUI lawyers. Most DUI lawyers in Los Angeles work on a contingency fee basis and so they can be called as Los Angeles DUI contingency lawyers.

A contingency fee is charged according to the "no win, no fee" system. This means that, the fees charged by lawyers depend upon the favorable result of the case. Hence, the DUI lawyers in Los Angeles take fees from their clients only if they succeed, in their legal representation on behalf of their clients. Almost all Los Angeles DUI contingency lawyers offer free consultation initially, and do not charge a penny, unless they win the case for their clients. The contingency fee charged by DUI lawyers depends entirely upon the severity of the case, and the kind of work required by the lawyers. Certain DUI contingency lawyers take a high percentage of contingency fees from the clients for whom they have negotiated favorable outcomes.

The state of California provides free legal service to a lot of DUI offenders in Los Angeles, who cannot afford to pay the heavy fees charged by lawyers. Los Angeles DUI contingency lawyers are preferred by people who are not able to arrange money at the outset of a case.

Drunk Driving Accidents

First, let us acquaint ourselves with some alarming statistics: 250,000 people have died in alcohol-related accidents in the past 10 years; 25,000 people die each year in alcohol related accidents; 500 people are killed weekly and 71 people daily in alcohol-related accidents; one American life is lost every 20 minutes in an alcohol-related car crash; and one out of every two Americans is likely to be involved in an alcohol-related accident in his lifetime. Every year, 708,000 persons are injured, 74,000 of them seriously, in alcohol-related crashes. About 2,000 people receive injuries each day in alcohol-related accidents.

A recent study reveals that alcohol-impaired drivers cost American taxpayers $21 - $24 billion dollars per year. According to a recent National Geographic report, alcohol abuse costs American society $136 billion and 65,000 lives annually.

The rise in the number of accidents often goes hand-in-hand with binge drinking, meaning having at least five drinks at a time. Binge drinkers were 13 times more likely to report driving while they were alcohol-impaired, and most of them admitted they often had far more than five drinks per binge.

If you receive injuries in a drunk-driving accident, you may be entitled to compensation from the drunk driver or his insurer. Under certain circumstances, even injured pedestrians and their close family members are entitled to receive compensation. Such compensation usually includes payment for medical treatment, past and future lost income, and emotional distress damages.

In some limited instances, the injured person is entitled to get recovery from the provider of alcohol to the driver, usually a bar or restaurant. Such cases against third parties are, however, more complicated and difficult to prove. Punitive damages are meant to punish malicious or reckless drivers, and to deter such conduct in the future.

DUI attorney advice

It depends on the state, but nearly all states have strict laws against driving under the influence or operating under the influence. Driving while under the influence is an illegal action, which is often known as a misdemeanor in the court of law.

Some states, on the first offense, will pull your license, impound your vehicle, and throw you in jail. Once you are at jail you will await to visit the judge, which is the next day, unless you are arrested on the weekend, then you will visit the judge on Monday the following week. Your blood level must read 0.8 in most states before you are considered operating under the influence or else driving under the influence.

Driving under the influence (DUI), operating under the influence (OUI), and driving while under the influence (DWI) are three terms for similar acts; however, the differences in some states can mean a difference in the penalty you receive. DUI/OUI/DWI laws are tricky since in few states the law must have probable cause to pull you over.

If you are not weaving on the highway or committing any crime that lead the officer to believe that you are driving under the influence, then you may have a chance in the courtroom to fight and win the case. However, in some states, the law can pull you over regardless and often does not need any reason as to why you were pulled over.

Still, the law is obligated to read you your rights, and if the officer fails to do so, you may have a win case. The best advice you can get for DUIs is to avoid drinking drunk altogether. If you plan to go out on the town, ask someone who is not drinking to go with you. Otherwise, if you had a party at work and drank some alcohol, you should try to wait at least an hour before leaving the building, unless you had more than one drank.

Finally, if you are arrested for DUI/OUI, it is in your best interest to plea not guilty and to force the prosecution to prove that you were in fact under the influence. If you are innocent, it is unlikely that the prosecution will be able to prove that you weren’t.

Aggresive DUI lawyers

DUI or driving under the influence refers to driving a vehicle in a public place under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It is a legal issue and the consequences include jail, large fines, compulsory alcohol programs, canceled insurance and loss of driving license. The duration of a DUI case depends on its complexity. Sometimes, it can take 4 to 5 months to manage these criminal charges, depending on whether you go to trial or not. Here, hiring an aggressive DUI attorney is a good solution to reduce the impact of the incident on you.

Aggressive Riverside DUI attorneys serve clients in the courts of Riverside, California. If you are facing DUI charges and the possibility of jail time, DUI attorneys can help to navigate the legal proceedings and get a favorable result. They are prepared to manage difficult people and tough situations. Aggressive attorneys easily recognize all the problems involved and attempt to protect the rights of clients charged with DUI offenses.

While seeking DUI lawyers, there is nothing more important than experience and expertise. Aggressive attorneys fight each case with extensive pre-trial motions, vigorous cross-examination of the prosecution's witnesses, defense experts and demonstrative evidence. They engage in research, preparation and investigation of DUI cases. Aggressive lawyers are also experts in technicalities including blood analysis, breath tests and drug evaluations.

Many aggressive DUI attorneys in Riverside have a strong working knowledge of the DUI law. They are not only proficient in the legal codes, but also understand juries and their system of deliberation. The human factor is also critical in determining the outcome of a DUI case. An aggressive lawyer takes all steps in his power to portray a complete picture of the individual as a human being, not just a defendant.

Finding an aggressive Riverside attorney in a DUI case is not a difficult process. The city or state bar association will help to get a reference. References from friends or relatives are also useful. The Internet or the local yellow pages can provide a list.