A DUI defense lawyer is a person who legally represents a person who has been charged with “driving under the influence,” or also known as DWI, “driving while intoxicated.” A good DWI attorney should know every nuance and detail of the law regarding DUI offenses. If you have been charged with a DUI offense, you should consider contacting a few drunk driving lawyers immediately to find out if there is any way that they may be able to help protect your rights.

A DUI charge is a very serious matter. Many states are drastically cutting down on drunk driving tolerance and are handing out more severe punishments to even first-time offenders. The following is a list detailing possible outcomes for DUI offenders:

  • Time in jail
  • Loss of job
  • Loss of driver’s license
  • Impoundment of vehicle
  • Probation
  • Community Service
  • Mandatory alcohol education classes
  • Restrictions on interstate or international travel

You may not realize how impactful these results could be on your day to day life. If you have a recent DUI offense, an attorney can listen to your side of the story and determine if it might be possible to lessen your punishment or possibly have it dismissed altogether.

The likelihood of having your punishment lessened is much less if you have had more than one drunk driving offense. However, you should not let that stop you from consulting with an attorney as soon as you are able to. In the past there have been cases in which an attorney has been able to help clients with more than one offense based on technicalities, such as a police officer unlawfully stopping the vehicle, prior offenses that occurred in a different state, having an incorrect hearing date on the ticket, inappropriate search/seizure, as well as faults in the officer’s investigation.

So you see there are many benefits to hiring an attorney who is well-trained to catch errors like the ones mentioned above. Even if you don’t feel you have a very good chance at changing the ruling, it’s always worth seeing if an attorney can find something in the case that you cannot.