My first DUI – do I really need a lawyer?

I SHOULD HAVE HIRED A LAWYER

The other day I was talking to a friend of mine, and he mentioned that he had been arrested for DUI a few years ago. He was young, decided to handle it on his own, and took a plea deal at his first court date. The more we talked about it, the more I realized he had made the mistake of not hiring a lawyer.

In his case, the officer said he pulled him over because he did not use his blinker when changing lanes. Next, I asked, “what else did he say you did?” The reason was this – under Florida law, you do not have to use your blinker to change lanes if you are not affecting any other traffic. Either the officer didn’t know this or didn’t care. For law enforcement to stop you, they must have probable cause for you committing a traffic offense or probable cause to believe you are impaired. If the officer pulls you over without a legal reason, then everything that happens afterward gets thrown out of court. This includes any observations made by the officer (smell of alcohol, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, etc.), field sobriety exercises, and your breath test results. Long story short, no reason to stop you equals no case for the government.

DUI is a serious crime in Florida. The punishments are severe, you’ll lose your driver’s license, you cannot get the charge taken off your record, and you better believe your insurance rates will skyrocket. Any job that may involve a company car or driving a company truck will be next to impossible to get. Hiring an experienced DUI lawyer could save you not only the embarrassment of having a DUI record but it could save you thousands in long-term costs. If you are considering hiring a DUI lawyer, make sure they know the law on traffic stops, how field sobriety exercises are designed to hurt you, and how the breathalyzer machine works (you can’t beat it unless you truly understand it). Call us today for a free consultation.