How to fight DUI charges with a DUI Defense lawyer in Chicago

In 2010, of the fatalities among teens, seventeen percent occurred due to drunk and negligent driving. These are some of the alarming facts that make headlines almost every single day. While you put those keys in ignition and drive under influence, you might reach home safely but you are putting the pedestrians at risk.

Driving Under Influence (DUI) or Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) is a crime involving driving a motorized vehicle under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs at a level which is more than the permissible limit that renders the driver incapable of driving safely. Drunk drivers intoxication is measured by determining Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). BAC measurement in excess of the minimum permissible level defines the offense.

In most DUI cases, license suspension, or revocation, fine and prison sentence are used as a deterrent. Many stages of the trial are similar to criminal cases but there are certain differences. Laws often change and so is their implementation and application. Hence, it is best to seek legal advice from a DUI attorney. Most of the DUI Defense lawyers in Chicago are associated with some legal firm. You can get all information regarding the lawyer as well as the firm from their websites.

Do you need a DUI defense lawyer?

For your first DUI and with no additional aggravating circumstances such as reckless driving, driving with a BAC level over 0.08% is over the legal limit and will result in a statutory summary suspension of your license, unless an attorney intervenes on your behalf to rescind the suspension. Of course, you can proceed without a DUI Defense lawyer in Chicago but doing so would expose you to many risks to your legal rights. Indeed, you should know all of the DUI laws and penalties in your state, in order to make an informed decision of how to proceed, and that’s where having an attorney is important. For repeat offenders, they will most certainly need the assistance of an attorney.

DUI laws in Illinois:

• For first time offenders, penalties include up to 1year jail term, fine of up to $2500 and a minimum 1year license suspension.
  
• For second time offenders, penalties include up to 1 year jail term, fine up to $2500 and license suspension of a minimum of 5 years.
  
• For third time offenders, penalties include 3 to 7 years jail term, fine up to $2500 and license suspension of a minimum of 10 years.
  
• Illinois has an implied consent law which means that, if you do not undergo the chemical tests then your license will be suspended immediately from 1 year up to 3 year.
  
• In Illinois, the BAC tolerance level for under 21 is .00% (zero tolerance) and for above 21 it is 0.08%.
  
• Illinois amended the Unified Code of Corrections law on January 1, 2011. Pursuant to that amendment, DUI convicts causing severe bodily harm won't receive more than 4.5 days of good conduct credit per month during their imprisonment.

Apart from DUI accidents, medical negligence is also the cause of death of around 75,000 patients which causes around 19,000 medical malpractice lawsuits being brought against the doctors each year. In 1984, from a research survey in some of the several states of US, states that 44,000- 98,000 people die annually due to medical negligence. Medical malpractice is an act of professional negligence by health care provider which includes omission (failure to act) as well as sub standard care below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community that leads to injury or death of patient. You may think you have a medical malpractice lawsuit after reading this but that might not be true.

The key factor here involves proving that a doctor made a mistake and you were harmed due to it. Medical malpractice cases are usually long and complicated legal matter because it is not easy to prove the conviction. You might need the help of a Medical malpractice attorney in Chicago for this. The defense usually doesn't pay without a legal fight. The doctor's insurance company who defends the case will do everything possible to prove that there was no mistake on part of the medical practitioner. The cost of a Medical malpractice attorney in Chicago is also not cheap. It can be above $1000 per hour.

However don't let the potential cost scare you away if you have been injured due to medical negligence. Most of the Medical malpractice attorney in Chicago takes up these cases on contingency fee basis which means you don't have to pay the fees of the attorney. However if you win the case he will take a share of the money won. If you lose the case, you still have to pay the court fine but not the lawyer's fees.