Reasons to Hire a DUI Lawyer Immediately After Your Arrest
Right after you are accused of drinking and driving, you need to hire a DUI lawyer. Find out why.
If you have been accused of being intoxicated behind the wheel,
you need to hire a DUI lawyer quickly. There is no time to waste in making this decision. Find out why it is important that you find an attorney to represent you immediately.
The first thing you should know is that, in most states, you only have ten days to request a hearing to get your license back. The day you are arrested, the officer files to get your license suspended, and it can stay that way for up to a year. If you file before the ten-day period ends, though, you can get a hearing to keep the license. Of course, this is not a guarantee that you can keep it, and even if you are successful at the hearing, it will likely get taken away at the criminal hearing later on. However, if you never contact a DUI lawyer within the first ten days, you do not even have a chance of keeping the driver's license. Therefore, if you want even a chance of keeping your driving privileges, you need to hire someone immediately.
In addition, a good DUI lawyer will quickly begin collecting evidence that may vindicate you. He or she may check out the car you were arrested in to look for any clues, especially if you were in a car accident. Your attorney may also start looking for witnesses to find out what really happened, and whether statements can be used in court to improve the strength of your case. It is not advisable to wait weeks or months to gather all this evidence, especially since there is little to get. You need all the help you can possibly get if you want to get out of the charge or have it reduced, so you need the assistance of a good DUI lawyer. You can help him or her do the job by hiring someone immediately.
Finally, you need some time to plan, and hiring an attorney quickly can help. You need to know as soon as possible what you will be paying in court fees, fines, and license re-instatement in the future. This is because you will likely need to start saving up if you want to be able to pay it all. Plus, you need to know ahead of time whether you will likely be accepting the charges or fighting them in court. An attorney can usually tell you a lot of this upfront so you can start planning, though of course nothing is set in stone in many cases.
It should be clear by now that hiring a DUI lawyer the first business day after your arrest is a good thing. In fact, it should be the first thing on your mind after realizing what is going on. Acting fast will give you the best odds.