Should You Hire an Attorney for a DUI?
An arrest for driving under the influence (DUI) can be an overwhelming and confusing experience, even more so when you’re facing the aftermath all alone. Unfortunately, a drunk driving conviction has the potential to wreak havoc on your future. If you’re serious about retaining your driver’s license after a DUI, keeping a conviction off your permanent record, and staying out of jail, then you absolutely should hire a DUI attorney to represent you. Continue reading to find out why.
Attorney Sean B. Druyon at Utah Freedom Fighters offers professional legal representation for individuals arrested for drunk driving throughout the state of Utah. If you’ve been charged with a DUI in Utah, learn more about what our attorney can do for your case.
Can You Represent Yourself for a DUI?
If you’re charged with driving while under the influence, you legally have the right to defend yourself. However, it’s always in your best interest to hire a criminal defense attorney to represent you. Representing yourself after a DUI arrest is truly a terrible mistake. Most people lack the important knowledge and information they need about DUI laws to effectively defend their rights and interests. DUI arrestees miss out on all the benefits that an experienced DUI lawyer can bring. Experienced DUI attorneys like ours use their expert negotiation skills to defend you against an impending DUI charge. They argue with the prosecutor to get you off with a lesser sentence. For example, you may be able to plead down the charges that you’re facing to a lesser charge, such as a reckless driving charge. It’s the difference between jail time and freedom.
When you are arrested for a DUI, there are both criminal and administrative consequences. Not only do you have to deal with the courts, but you also have to deal with the Department of Motor Vehicles. This means that your driver’s license can be suspended for a period of time. Hiring a defense attorney can help you keep your driver’s license through the very stressful period of dealing with your case. Make the smart choice and let Utah Freedom Fighters fight for you.
What a DUI Lawyer Can Do For You
The legal system can be quite complex and confusing to anyone who isn’t familiar with DUI laws and statutes. Laws are also constantly changing, meaning what was set in law a year ago could be changed today. Attorneys are constantly staying up to date with new legislatures that are passed, as this is the best way to build a winning defense strategy. Having an experienced attorney on your side is an invaluable resource when fighting a DUI charge. The right lawyer ensures your rights are always protected, challenges inadequate evidence, negotiates better deals, and fights to have your charges reduced.
Here are some of the main reasons to hire an experienced DUI attorney:
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help With Driver’s License Hearings
1) A DUI attorney will file a hearing request for you.
In order to avoid losing your driver’s license after a DUI arrest, you’ll need to request an administrative driver’s license hearing. This initial hearing is a separate process from the criminal case that is against you, and it is possible to lose your driver’s license even if you are not convicted of a DUI. If you’ve been arrested for a DUI in Utah, our experienced attorney will file a driver’s license hearing request for you well before the deadline to start preparing possible defenses right away.
2) A DUI attorney will thoroughly investigate your case.
The best way to defend your DUI case is through strong investigation skills. Our DUI attorney will perform their own private investigation to ensure your rights haven’t been violated in any way. The attorney will thoroughly investigate every possible detail of your drunk driving case, including police reports, circumstances of your arrest, toxicology results, and any witness statements. We will look for any weaknesses in the prosecution’s case to use to our advantage, and challenge any inadequate evidence.
3) A DUI attorney will provide effective cross examination to police.
Effective cross examination of the police officer ensures you maintain your driver’s license and improves the attorneys chances of successfully beating your DUI case. With carefully crafted questions, a good attorney will set the cop up for impeachment in the criminal court. This makes it even easier to have your drunk driving case dismissed. Most people do not know how to effectively cross examine a police officer on their own at the hearing, making the expertise of a lawyer even more important.
4) A DUI attorney will effectively introduce medical documents and records.
A good DUI attorney like ours will effectively introduce medical documents at the driver’s license hearing, such as chiropractic treatments or other relevant records. This can help prove legitimate prescriptions or other contributing factors to chronic pain that would explain the reasoning for failed field sobriety tests and debunk the assumption that the failure was due to alcohol. Attorney Sean Druyon has a list of hundreds of causes of nystagmus other than alcohol, and is able to recognize when one of these health reasons apply to a client. We can effectively persuade the hearing officer why any test results weren’t up to par.
5) A good DUI attorney has the experience to get your case dismissed.
Experienced attorneys have handled hundreds of DUI cases just like yours, while this is likely only your first or second one. Some attorneys like Sean Druyon have handled thousands of cases. They know exactly what potential procedural errors to look for, if the cop messed up, if they took shortcuts, if they forgot to explain or demonstrate field sobriety tests, if they conveniently “forgot” to turn on the dash cam, etc. Our goal as attorneys is to expose them for rushing to judgment over fair due process.
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help With Criminal Proceedings
6) A DUI attorney will negotiate better deals and reduced charges.
A good DUI defense lawyer should work to get your fluff charges eliminated before the real negotiations even start. If you defend yourself against a DUI charge, the prosecutor will more than likely give you a terrible offer simply because they think you’re unaware of the law. They will add on these other fluff charges that are not meritorious in any way, knowing you will want to negotiate with them. This gives them the opportunity to appear to be working with you, when really they are not. Their deal will usually require you pleading guilty to the DUI and a recommendation of minimal jail time if they dismiss the other charges.
- Fun fact: Anything you say, even in good faith, can and likely will be used against you. What the attorney says during negotiations cannot be used against you since it is the attorney talking, not you!
7) A DUI attorney will stand up to prosecutors.
You do not know the rules of evidence and the prosecutor knows this. They will try to convince you that certain evidence will be excluded or that other evidence will come in, like your prior crimes or speeding tickets, in order for you to just plead guilty. An experienced DUI attorney will set the prosecutor straight and will educate them on what evidence they have that will not come in at trial, and what evidence you have that will. This makes their case that much harder to win, justifying a dismissal or a reduced charge.
8) A DUI attorney will develop a strong defense.
The drunk driving lawyer will create a strong defense strategy and start preparing your case for trial. This can include specific tasks such as reviewing evidence, developing legal arguments, finding weaknesses in the prosecution’s case, challenging any inadequate evidence found throughout our investigation, preparing witnesses to testify, etc.
9) A DUI attorney will prepare and file motions.
Motions are legal documents that request a specific action or ruling from the court before the case goes to trial, such as the motion to suppress evidence. A DUI defense lawyer can file motions to exclude evidence, reduce penalties, or dismiss the charges. This prevents the prosecution from using any evidence that was obtained in violation of a constitutional right. The lawyer will determine which motions can strengthen your defense, collect supporting evidence, prepare the motions following procedural requirements, and file the motions on your behalf before the designated deadline.
10) A DUI attorney will represent you in court proceedings.
While many cases can be settled or resolved outside of the courtroom, there’s still potential for your case to go to trial. If your case ends up going to trial, a defense attorney will represent you in the courtroom. This is why it’s important to hire an experienced DUI attorney like ours to defend you. They have in-depth knowledge of courtroom procedures, know what to look for to have evidence thrown out, present evidence in your favor, effectively cross-examine witnesses, and properly argue your case in front of a judge and jury.
11) A DUI attorney will appeal a conviction to a higher court.
If you’re found guilty in court for drunk driving, a DUI attorney can help you challenge the outcome and appeal your conviction to a higher level of court. Appealing a DUI conviction is a complex legal process that needs to be handled the right way to obtain a favorable result. The attorney will help you find legal errors or misconduct that may have led to your conviction and present your case to the appellate courts to fight for an acquittal.
Have you been arrested for a DUI?
Too many people just give up when facing a DUI charge without ever even speaking to a defense attorney for expert advice. Don’t give up! The truth is that most DUIs, especially first offenses, can be significantly reduced or eliminated entirely with the help of an experienced DUI lawyer. If you have been arrested for drunk driving in Utah, our expert DUI defense attorney can help fight for your rights and defend your freedom. Get in touch today for a free consultation or learn the top 15 ways to beat your DUI in Utah.