Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence (DUI) is common in any state. A motorist should know that drunk driving is a crime, whether the intoxication is from alcohol, drugs, or a doctor’s prescription medicine. Depending on where the crime occurs, punishment might vary. The police must carry out a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) test to determine the amount of alcohol or drug in the offender’s system.
When arrested for DUI or DWI and there’s evidence of intoxication, the offender needs can get a skilled attorney from dwilayerstexas.com. A skilled attorney can help reduce the charges or seek to have them dismissed without going to trial. However, if a DWI offender is convicted, they receive a criminal sentence that varies depending on the crime severity. The conviction can be a fine, community service, license suspension, or a jail term.
What to Expect from a DWI Attorney?
Hiring a lawyer to help you navigate legal issues is crucial if you’re arrested for DUI. This is because you may not effectively employ the required legal nuances to get your freedom back or a lesser charge for the crime. A DWI attorney will help you understand the charges against you, provide a legal strategy, and navigate any administrative responsibilities of the case.
In some cases, especially first-time offenders, they may decide to plead guilty to the charges. However, a skilled DWI attorney comes in handy to help the client understand the charges while working on getting their freedom back or a lower charge. Handling matters that affect your freedom can be intimidating. Therefore, you need a knowledgeable DWI attorney to help you deal with legal matters and restore your freedom. Once you hire a DUI legal representation, here’s what to expect.
Negotiating with prosecutors
Attorneys work alongside prosecutors. This means that a skilled attorney has years of experience around prosecutors and can handle them in any situation. As a client, you leave your DUI attorney to pursue the prosecutor and find a favorable solution to the charges. They can negotiate for a lesser punishment, something you’ll not get when representing yourself.
Timely Legal Filing
Filing legal requests promptly is a requirement for getting back your freedom. However, failure or late filing can cost a client their freedom. Therefore, hiring a DWI lawyer will relieve you of duties you don’t understand because they understand how to file the paperwork in time and ensure your legal options aren’t limited.
Familiarity with local courts
An Experienced DUI attorney has had many encounters with offenders, meaning they know how to maneuver the local courts. Getting a lawyer with little or no experience in the local courts can be a disadvantage, as they’ll prove invaluable for the case. In worse situations, you can get jailed for a charge that can be acquitted under different circumstances.
Advising You on Court Ethics
Knowing when to remain silent before the police or in a court. A DUI lawyer knows when it’s best to talk and, most notably, when to mute. They can advise a client if to take the stand in their defense or not to avoid a disastrous outcome.
Influence a conviction to expunge
DWI charges can affect your future employment opportunities. You need a skilled DUI to get the conviction expunged so that it doesn’t affect your credit or records. Although the process of getting a conviction expunged can be challenging, a knowledgeable attorney will get it done.
Possible Legal Outcomes of DWI
DWI is a criminal offense whose punishment depends on the severity or nature. Penalties can vary from state to state, but possible outcomes are fines, imprisonment, driver’s license suspension, or community service. However, before getting to the penalties, some factors can influence the outcome.
- Background of the DWI case – First-time offenders can receive less penalty, unlike multiple DWI offenders who might attract more strict or harsh penalties.
- Endangering life – Having a passenger at the moment of the crime is another factor that the case will be based on. This is because the offender endangered a life.
- Type of the vehicle – Personal, commercial, or operating heavy equipment.
- BAC – If the alcohol level exceeds limits, you’re in trouble.
- Ripple effect – If your DWI caused a car accident, someone was injured or killed.
- Legal age – When the accident occurred, were you of legal age or not?
Penalty Outcomes of DWI
Here are the possible penalties a DWI can attract.
- Fine – The fine you pay for DWI depends on the factors above, whether you’re a first-time offender or not. If the former is your situation, the fine will be lenient, unlike for a second or third-time offender.
- Loss of freedom – If you’re fined for DWI, congrats because you got the best outcome. However, some DWI may warrant severe punishment like your freedom. The crime severity can send you to jail or face probation of up to a year for first convictions. However, for three consecutive cases, the sentence will vary between 30 days to five years of imprisonment.
- Ban of License – Your driving privileges are under threat, and the ban period may vary from one year based on the number of convictions. In extreme scenarios, you can lose your driver’s license for good. Other DWI cases warrant installing an Ignition Interlock Device to monitor your driving while you keep the license.
- Community service – If you’re lucky enough, your penalty might be community service for a period the court decides. The service is mandatory and can go up to 50 hours or more.
Conclusion
No doubt, DWI is a crime punishable by law. However, a DWI case can also be dismissed for lack of sufficient evidence. This may depend on how the prosecutor handles the case before a jury or judge. Therefore, hiring an experienced DWI attorney is necessary, as they’ll gather enough evidence to prove you aren’t at fault. Further, as discussed above, the outcomes of DWI can vary in different circumstances. However, a knowledgeable lawyer will know best how to navigate the issue, avoid conviction, or alter any adverse effect from the charges.
