Posts tagged Alpharetta Lawyers

Alpharetta lawyers span a variety of litigation fields, but one that is often overlooked are Alpharetta DUI lawyers. Alpharetta residents may not consider them “heavyhitters” when compared to divorce or bankruptcy lawyers, but they sure become important when you’re fighting for your right to stay on the road. While we hope you never have to use one, it’s helpful to understand how the legal process works.

Picture this scenario – one minute you’re zooming across downtown on the way home from a fantastic time with friends, and the next minute, you’re doing field sobriety tests and trying to remember the number of your family Alpharetta lawyer. Sound familiar? Hopefully not, but the sad fact of the matter is, each year thousands of people are subjected to DUI arrests. If you’ve been in that unfortunate situation, it’s important to understand what rights you have before and during the arrest, as well as how to select and work with Alpharetta DUI lawyers.

From speaking to several Alpharetta attorneys, there are three key things you should know about the DUI legal process:

Before Your DUI Arrest

Let’s start with the obvious: DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE! Ok, now that the PSA is out of the way, let’s move on to what happens if and when you do get pulled over and you’re slightly/moderately/extremely intoxicated. We’ll present the most important thing you need to know first:

If you have any amount of alcohol in your system at all, do NOT submit yourself to any of the field sobriety tests or the dreaded breathalyzer.

The logic behind this is simple – let your Alpharetta lawyer take care of it. The less evidence the police officer has against you, the better chance you have of creating a strong case that may reduce your penalty. With no incriminating breathalyzer or field sobriety results, it’s basically your word vs. the police officers, and with the right Alpharetta attorney, you’ll stand a chance of retaining your license. Don’t be intimidated by the police officer or the situation you’re in – it’s tough, but try to keep a clear mind and think ahead to when you’ll face the judge and prosecutor.

During Your DUI Arrest

OK so now you’re formally charged with a DUI by the police officer and you’re hauled off to the police station. At this point, you’ll most likely end up spending the night in the Alpharetta jail. The one thing you need to know during this phase:

You may be asked by the police officer if you’d like to take a breathalyzer exam at the police station. He may even ask you in a leading manner, such as “You’re going to take a breathalyzer test at the station, right?”. DON’T DO IT.

The logic is the same as before – the less evidence the police officer has against you, the better your chances of reducing your penalty. This is the most difficult phase of the DUI process – you’re probably going to be stressed out and worried since you’re in jail, bored out of your mind, and won’t be bailed out until the next morning. It’s important to keep your wits about you and plan for your upcoming conversation with your Alpharetta DUI lawyer; if you don’t have one, pick up the Yellow Pages and flip through Alpharetta lawyer profiles until you find one. It may even help to strike up conversations with people who are in jail with you – many of them are repeat offenders and may refer you to some great Alpharetta attorneys. At the very least, it’ll help you pass the time in what could be an extremely long, restless night.

Working With Your Alpharetta Lawyer

If you’ve followed the previous advice from Alpharetta DUI attorneys, you should be in good shape. Find a Alpharetta DUI lawyer that has a great track record – it’s important to ask them directly “what is your track record in DUI-related cases?” A lot of them may boast about their experience, but all that should matter to you is results.

The following piece of information is something that wasn’t told to us by Alpharetta lawyers, but rather, through our own experiences:

Do NOT blindly agree to hiring the lawyer until you have seen the police report.

This is important because the police report is what will be presented as evidence to the prosecutor. The less detailed it is, the better chances you have. In fact, in some cases, the police officer may not even create a police report and you can get off scotch-free. Although that doesn’t happen often, we’ve personally met people who have had their DUI cases reduced to mere traffic violations because the police officer didn’t file a report.

Summary – Three Things You Must Know When Facing a DUI Charge

- Don’t submit yourself to any field sobriety tests or the breathalyzer
- If asked, refuse to take the breathalyzer at the police station
- Ask to see the police report and review it with any potential lawyers you may hire

Well, there you have it. We hope you found the above information to be helpful – although you should hopefully never have to actually use it. It’s important to note that although the advice provided above is provided by Alpharetta law attorneys, it is based off of their experience and should not be taken as legal counsel. Fore more information on this topic, we recommend contacting an Alpharetta lawyer.