DUI FAQ

There are usually two tracks to virtually every DUI

The first advice we can give you is don’t discuss your matter with anyone that doesn’t need to know. If you do, you may find that people make the mistaken assumption that you were convicted or that you are not a trustworthy driver, or that you have a serious problem with alcohol and need to be watched closely. Work with your attorney to get legal advice; persons who are not attorneys may give you erroneous information about what you can expect.

The next thing to understand is that there are usually two tracks to virtually every DUI: (1) the potential license suspension and (2) the criminal charge. You need a law firm that handles both aggressively and not just one aspect of the case.

License Suspension: IMMEDIATE REPRESENTATION NEEDED!

If the officer punched your license and gave you a slip of paper regarding a license suspension, it means s/he intends to initiate license suspension procedures against you through the State Department of Licensing VERY SOON. These suspensions can and should always be challenged! No matter what the circumstances, the State still has a burden to prove four issues:

Whether you were lawfully arrested / contacted
Whether there were reasonable grounds to believe you were DUI
Whether you were read your implied consent warnings properly
Whether you either refused the breath test or blew over the legal limit.
You might be surprised at how many times the Department of Licensing fails to meet the burden, by not producing the police report in its entirety or by failing to follow proper procedure. The Law Office of James C. Egan has handled over 100 of these hearings and has a good overall success rate at preventing suspension. Without trying, you will waive your rights and will never know whether you could have won the hearing and avoided unnecessary suspension, costly insurance increases, and an ignition interlock device on your car.

It is imperative you hire an attorney soon if you want to maximize your chance of saving your license. You have a very short time after a DUI arrest in order to properly set up a challenge. Please call us very soon at (206) 749-0333 to talk with an attorney for free.

Criminal Charge = POTENTIALLY SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES!

Although the criminal consequences may not be as swift as the civil ones to a DUI, the Criminal Track of a DUI experience can be more scary because it potentially involves a year in jail, other license suspension, an ignition interlock device, alcohol evaluations and follow up treatment lasting conceivably two years, and fines from around $1000 to $5000. Many consequences are negotiable and can only be fairly modified by an experienced attorney.

Every case is different, and there can be no set or promised outcome. There are always many factors. However, in over half of DUI charges we are able to obtain reductions of charges (plea bargains) to lesser offenses that don’t have quite the onerous consequences of a DUI. Also, we can and will obtain a dismissal if possible, such as if the facts show that a stop was unconstitutional, not supported by probable cause or that the officers have no basis (other than a confession) to believe you were driving.

Again, to get further information about your charge and the potential consequences, and to see what we can do for you, it is in your best interest to contact us at (206) 749-0333. Our law team looks forward to helping you.