By Gregory Burton
Driving while intoxicated or DWI is a pretty serious offense. Depending on the state you are in, you would be familiar with this term as DUI, DWAI or DWI. The act is not only irresponsible and tremendously dangerous, but also entirely illegal. If caught, you would run into fines, jail time, court costs, and the loss of driving privileges and work as well.
The ideal situation would be to avoid such an offense at all costs, but if you do find yourself in a fix, you must hire an able and experienced attorney to help you stand a chance of getting minimized penalties. A good attorney is familiar with the legal system and is both willing and able to fight for you. This would be the deciding factor in most cases, and give you a serious edge in the proceedings, especially if it is your first offense. Even if it is a repeat offense, a good lawyer would be able to get you a reduced jail sentence.
What DWI Is
To put it simply, DWI is drunk driving. All states and also the District of Columbia use the standardized BAC (blood alcohol content) test for drivers to check if they are intoxicated. This is administered by any police officer who pulls you over and believes that you could be driving under influence. The most common test is the Breathalyzer, but urine and blood tests are used in some states too.
The Penalties for DWI Offences
The specific penalties obviously depend on state law, but they are usually a cocktail of the following:
- Hefty fines worth thousands of dollars in DWI fines, attorney fees, and court costs. Can be worsened if you have to pay for rehabilitation programs.
- The suspension or revocation of your license, which depends on what state you are in and whether you have committed a DWI before.
- Community service and/or jail time.
- Evaluation and treatment for substance abuse or alcohol abuse.
- Training programs like DUI or traffic school.
- License reinstatement fees which could be one-time or periodic.
- Limitations on your driving privileges and the possible installation of an ignition interlock device.
- Higher rates of car insurance. You could also have to file SR 22 for a stipulated period.
It goes without saying that you could be serving a much, much more severe sentence if you end up injuring, harming or killing another person while driving under influence.
Thankfully, all it not lost. You can still hire an expert attorney from the Houston DWI lawyer firm to represent and defend you, and have the issue waived if you are not guilty, or have the penalties reduced if you are.
How DWI Attorneys Can Help
Any DWI attorney worth his salt will be an expert in drunk driving laws. They should be well-versed with all charges, penalties and legal systems that are in place. If you pick smartly, you could end up with a lawyer who is on good terms with the judge who has been assigned your case, and also the officer who apprehended you.
How You Can Find a DWI Attorney
Finding quality legal representation isn’t quite as easy as sifting through the yellow pages and contacting the first name you find. Here are some tips for you to be able to hire the best possible DWI attorney for your case.
- Get references. If someone you know has worked with or been represented by a lawyer for a DWI incident in the past, find out what you can about their attorney.
- Pick only the lawyers who specialize in DWI and are not jacks of all trades, or masters of an entirely different aspect of the law.
- It is vital that you find an attorney who is approachable and operates near you, at least in the same city or state. Besides the accessibility, there is a good chance that they are familiar with the laws and also the officials in law and legal enforcement.
- Talk about fees up front, and figure out what sort of payment structure the attorney is expecting. Get all of it on paper before signing any contracts.
Conclusion
Hiring a defense lawyer is not a laughing matter, so it is important that you do it once and for all. Most lawyers offer free first consultations. Hence, schedule as many as possible in order to have a pool of choices to select your attorney from. Your communication and working relationship with the lawyer will be vital towards the outcome of your case.
Author Bio: Gregory Burton is a paralegal at the Houston DWI lawyer firm, and a blogger. Over the last two years, he has regularly updated his legal blog with a number of interesting articles about cases, tips and tricks to streamline your legal process and also to find the right representation.
