Salt Lake City Driver’s License Hearings Lawyer
If you have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Utah, your driver’s license can be suspended or revoked if you do not request a hearing with the Driver’s License Division (DLD) of the Department of Public Safety within 10 days of the arrest. This DLD 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.
At Utah Freedom Fighters, our firm represents clients facing first offense and subsequent offense DUIs in Salt Lake City and throughout Utah. We can represent you at your driver’s license hearing and work to prevent your driving privileges from being suspended or revoked. We will also work to reduce the penalties that you may face for a DUI conviction.
First things to consider when getting cited for a DUI:
1. Request the Hearing within 10 days: Let us do this for you for FREE! We know what evidence to ask for to get fully prepared for the hearing that will take place within a week or two of the day you are cited. There is not a lot of time to prepare for this hearing, so you must call us NOW!
2. Preparing for the Hearing: Hire us right away so we can get as prepared as possible. We will get a list of necessary medical documents that could support whether you have a physical condition that could have affected your ability to perform the field sobriety tests: i.e. your balance, your eyes, your equilibrium, your ability to do hand-eye coordination tests, etc. We also have a list of over 200 causes of nystagmus that are not alcohol related. Call us immediately so we can start preparing your defenses!
3. Winning at the Hearing: Hire us to avoid losing your license! We perform aggressive cross examination of the police officer to ensure he was properly trained, that he conducted the field sobriety tests according to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) manual, and that he demonstrated those tests correctly, as well as submitting adequate proof that you have physical conditions that compromise your ability to do hand-eye coordination or other balancing tests is crucial to succeeding at the Driver’s License hearing. In DUI cases, it is often your word versus the police officers. If this is the case, an effective criminal defense attorney will use the policeman’s prior testimony against himself by showing inconsistencies, exaggerations, sudden memory recall, all to show the officer is trying to bolster his story to get a conviction. Even if you lose your license at the Driver’s License hearing, it is crucial to have an experienced attorney represent you at the Driver’s License Hearing since it sets up the policeman/woman to be impeached in the subsequent criminal proceedings.
4. Appealing the Hearing to District Court: Even if you lose your license at the Driver’s License hearing, it is not the end of the world. No, we don’t plan on losing. However, if we do, we are prepared to fight back! We can appeal to the District Court, who will take a fresh look at whether the Driver’s License improperly suspended your license. District Court judges are trained in the law and have a law degree, whereas the Driver’s License hearing officers are not trained in the law and are simply employees of the Division of Motor vehicles. As such, we can often persuade a district court judge to overturn the Driver’s License hearing officer’s decision to suspend. Select an attorney that has a proven track record of winning these appeals…contact Attorney Sean Druyon immediately for a free consultation!
Experienced Utah DUI and DWI Defense
Not having a valid driver’s license is more than a minor annoyance. Driving to work, dropping children off at school and other activities makes the suspension much more complicated, as so many individuals are relying on your mobility. And in areas without dependable public transportation, the lack of a driver’s license can essentially mean a termination from employment, not to mention the inability to even perform basic and necessary functions and responsibilities.
Attorney Sean Druyon has extensive experience with both the administrative and criminal portions of the DUI process and can provide representation that is focused on keeping your driving privileges. If we cannot save your license, there is still much to be gained from a DLD hearing, since evidence presented at that hearing can be used to form an effective defense in the criminal court. For example, Attorney Druyon will effectively cross examine the police officer at the Driver’s License hearing and get him/her to commit to a specific story and then, if that officer changes his/her story at the subsequent hearing in the criminal court, the Attorney can “impeach” the officer, or discredit his/her testimony based on the inconsistencies.
