The most horrible thing to ever happen to you has happened. You were pulled over and now you’re facing DUI charges. You’re worried about potential jail time, fines, and other possible penalties like mandatory treatment or the mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device. You’re probably wondering what to do now. Hopefully you found this Blog because you are researching a good DUI defense attorney. Because hiring a good DUI Defense attorney is absolutely your first step. Unless your car has been impounded. Then getting your car back should be your first priority. The storage fees are accumulating everyday.
Or if you are sitting in jail on bail. Bailing out and getting back to your regular life should take priority over getting a lawyer. Plus, your DUI will be much easier to defend from outside of jail. There are, as you will see below, a number of things you can do to make your case go smoother. None of those things can be done while in jail. Plus, just as the bond company, jail sucks.
You may now be wondering, “Is that all I should do? Hire a DUI defense attorney and then sit back and let them take over?” No, there are actually a few steps you can take to make this ultimately easier on yourself as well as on your DUI defense attorney. First, as you probably know, the police wrote a report of the whole incident when you were arrested. It’s a good idea to write out your own and include as many details as possible such as the amount that you really drank, what time it was, what you were originally pulled over for, how many other people were in the vehicle, and anything else you can think of. This will get it down while it’s still fresh in your memory so you won’t have to rely so much on memory later on down the line plus it provides your story for your DUI defense attorney to work with.
The next step you may want to take only applies if you are hoping for a plea bargain, reduced charge or reduced sentence. If you wish to pursue the strategy of attempting to reduce your charge then you should get a chemical dependency evaluation.The prosecution is more amenable to this idea if they have a belief that there will probably not be a repeat occurrence. So, go get a drug/alcohol evaluation at a treatment agency. When you get the report that says you do not have an ongoing alcohol or drug problem, this can be provided to the prosecution as evidence that you will not be a repeat offender. In fact, in any DUI case or DUI reduction this gets court ordered anyway. So, it is best to have gone to the treatment agency of your choice. The DUI attorneys at Smith & White, PLLC can guide you as to a good choice of treatment agency.
In addition to that there are other requirements that the court will likely require. They will require you to follow treatment recommendations (at a minimum the alcohol and drug information school) that were given by the evaluation and they will most likely require you to participate in a DUI Victim’s Panel. It makes you look good in the eyes of the court and helps your DUI defense attorney handle your case if you get started on these requirements right away. Also ask your DUI defense attorney if the jurisdiction in which you are being charged has any other likely requirements that you can get started on. Doing what you can in advance strengthens your position in the eyes of the court.
Plus, it may not be a bad idea to go over and above the likely requirements. The court does look favorably on community service and volunteer work. Also, many courts will convert fines to community service so you can work off your fines. It does not hurt to work this off in advance. It may be a good idea to find an organization whose goals you support and start doing work with them on a volunteer basis. How much time is of course up to you, after all this is completely optional. However, it does bolster your image in the eyes of the court and that is something to consider in this trying time.
Lastly, care about your case and its defense. Now you’re thinking, “Well of course I care about that, that’s why I’m hiring a DUI defense attorney.” That was a good start and they will counsel and defend you and work to get you your best result possible. So do not stay silently in the shadows – ask questions, make sure you understand what the next step is, ask more questions and see if there is anything you can be doing to help your case.
This is of course a hard time. These are the steps you can take to make it go easier. Remember the first step was get a Seattle Tacoma DUI defense attorney. Please call Smith & White, PLLC – the first consultation is free.