DUI Lawyers Don’t Like to Rush
After an arrest, waiting to hire an attorney is one of the biggest and most regrettable mistakes you can make. DUI lawyers need time to better serve you and research the case properly.
DUI lawyers are often fighting a losing battle. Following an arrest,
defendants are often reluctant to contact legal counsel due to the costs and subsequent shame they feel. The longer the accused waits, the less likely their chances of building a plausible argument in their defense. DUI lawyers end up reducing sentences but have little recourse or chances to do much else with the case. Waiting to hire an attorney following an arrest is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.
In many cases, the two stories, accused and the arresting officer’s, are the only evidence that there is to build an argument. If you wait too long to consult with an attorney, you may forget several important details. In the very least, following the incident you should write down everything you can remember clearly so you will have something for when you do seek out DUI lawyers for assistance. A small detail, such as the direction you were headed or the exact time of the incident, can greatly change how a judge interprets the situation. While someone who constantly waffles on the events of the day will not be nearly as credible.
It isn’t just your memory that plays a crucial role in your hearing, but any witnesses will need to be interviewed by DUI lawyers to aid your case. Again, the more time that has passed, the less likely they will be willing to speak and the less information they will be willing to provide. Gathering statements from witnesses, especially when the police officer’s actions are called to question, are vital to building a strong case.
DUI lawyers may want to investigate the scene and information from the accident to help determine if there was any error in judgment or procedure on the part of the police officer as well as other factors that may have had an effect on the accused, such as road conditions. In a few days, let alone weeks or months, precious evidence could be lost, and they just might be small details that are critical to your attorney’s argument.
DUI lawyers also require time not only to research your side of the story, but to dissect the prosecution. As soon as they are hired, DUI lawyers get to work by acquiring valuable information and documents that will allow them to build a case for you. By waiting until the last minute, they will not have adequate time available to do you as much justice as you deserve. With the proper time, they may also be able to find angles that you didn’t think were possible. It isn’t too uncommon for police officers to be in the wrong by administering blood-alcohol-level tests improperly, not reading the arrested their rights, or allowing too much time to pass between initial custody and any tests given.
Just planning on pleading guilty because you know there is no hope? While choosing to not fight is perfectly acceptable, choosing not to have legal representation is still a mistake. Even the guilty have the opportunity to greatly decrease their sentencing and help keep their record clean (if they are a first-time offender).