First Offense DUI – DUI Lawyer
A first-offense DUI is usually charged as a misdemeanor DUI, but if extenuating circumstances like hit and run or property damage were a result of you driving intoxicated, your first DUI may be prosecuted as a felony DUI. If you have been driving for a long time, or if you are driver under 21, your first offense DUI can be a devastating life event. Your friends may tell you, “This is only your first DUI. You have nothing to worry about.” Not true! Even a misdemeanor DUI can have lifelong consequences that don’t become apparent until months or years down the road. Everyone knows that DUI penalties can include some jail time, court fines, mandatory DUI classes at a DUI school, community service, and loss of driver’s license. But to learn how many DUI consequences follow a DUI arrest, read Atlanta DUI lawyer William C. “Bubba” Head’s “97 Consequences of a Georgia DUI Conviction.”
DWI First Offense – First Offence DUI
A first-offense DUI can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony, and thus can determine in which court of law your impaired driving case will be heard. Most cities have municipal courts, and these courts have jurisdiction over misdemeanor DUI cases only. Felony DUI cases are bound over to a State Court in your area, and a jury trial can only be conducted in a State Court or Superior Court. Our top DUI lawyers usually find it advantageous to try and keep your case in a municipal court, where a plea bargain may be reached with the local prosecutor. All of our legal efforts are put into winning your DUI case, either through a reduction in charges to reckless driving, or an acquittal. This is done through filing pre-trial motions that are designed to exclude potentially damaging police evidence, and by finding procedural errors in the arresting officer’s investigation and detainment.
Your DUI attorney will cross-examine the arresting officer on the witness stand, and ask the officer to recount key details of your arrest. Even though the arresting officer may have arrested many drunk drivers between the time of your arrest and your court date, he or she usually can refer to the notes taken in preparation for testimony. That is why it is very important that you remember as many details about your arrest as you can, and tell your lawyer every last detail. These details include where you were before you got in your car, how much you had to drink if you took any illicit or prescription drugs, and where you were headed when you were detained. A first DUI offense case will have many moving parts and will involve several fallible people who may forget exactly what happened on the night of your arrest.
First DUI Penalties – First DUI Consequences
First DUI offense penalties usually require a minimal jail sentence of 24 – 48 hours. A judge should give you credit for time served from the time you were booked into jail until the time you were released. You were required to post a bail bond to obtain a release and may have used the services of a bail bondsman. If you had a bondsman post your bail, you must keep in touch with the bonding company and let them know that either your DUI lawyer or you will attend every court date, from the first court appearance (DUI arraignment) to the entry of a final plea. Failure to appear in court at the date and time written on your traffic citation will get the bail bondsman out looking for you, to handcuff you, and bring you back to jail. More sophisticated bail bond companies know when your court dates are coming up and will call you a few days in advance as a reminder. Call one of the best DUI lawyers in your area at 1-888-839-4384 day or night 7 days a week.