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Should I use a Public Defender or hire a private Attorney for DUI?

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If it does make it all the way to court, don't forget to give the judge the finger. It's like a secret handshake in the judicial system, and he will know that you are not a man to be trifled with.

Instant respect.
 
I simply don't get why people choose to drive if they are intoxicated. 1 or 2 drinks ok wait a few hours. Get a ride or have a friend drive.

If you get a very good lawyer you will get license suspended for some time and need to go to aa meetings. This is if its a good lawyer. Oh and there's the fines of course and ruined employment history that if you don't get fixed good luck with a decent job.

I have a stupid friend who after breaking up with his gf, got 2 DUI's within months. A true retard. He knows people and got a very good lawyer which I dunno how he payed. But he got house arrest coming up after his court appearance and license suspended for a while I believe will be next. Who knows what else as he hasn't spilled all the beans since he doesn't want anyone in his family to know.

Good luck, but you made a bad decision that could have killed someone or yourself. A few people I know we're hit by cars where the drivers were slightly intoxicated. Pretty much ruined both people's lives but what's worse loosing your license for good or living with the fact that you disabled someone and ruined their life ?
 
Go with a cheap private attorney. If this is your first (and hopefully last) DWI, just tell him you are guilty and want to strike a deal. What you ask for the normal plea penalties that are imposed on everyone else with the proviso that the conviction be removed after a certain number of years of good behavior.

People do this all the time. You will still have the arrest record however, but you can have the case sealed after the conviction is gone.

If you feel you are innocent and can sway a jury with your testimony, go for it. Be warned however, people have strong DWI opinions and will see you in a very negative light without good testimony.

If you are not going to take the stand....dont waste your money unless the evidence is very flimsy (ahave a good tape and didnt take breath or blood samples)
 
sze5003 said:
I simply don't get why people choose to drive if they are intoxicated. 1 or 2 drinks ok wait a few hours. Get a ride or have a friend drive.

If you get a very good lawyer you will get license suspended for some time and need to go to aa meetings. This is if its a good lawyer. Oh and there's the fines of course and ruined employment history that if you don't get fixed good luck with a decent job.

I have a stupid friend who after breaking up with his gf, got 2 DUI's within months. A true retard. He knows people and got a very good lawyer which I dunno how he payed. But he got house arrest coming up after his court appearance and license suspended for a while I believe will be next. Who knows what else as he hasn't spilled all the beans since he doesn't want anyone in his family to know.

Good luck, but you made a bad decision that could have killed someone or yourself. A few people I know we're hit by cars where the drivers were slightly intoxicated. Pretty much ruined both people's lives but what's worse loosing your license for good or living with the fact that you disabled someone and ruined their life ?
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How much you can drink and not be impaired/above .08 varies depending on how much you weigh.

The average person doesnt need to wait hours after only drinking 1-2 drinks(std. size drinks, ie: 12oz beer, serving of wine, or a single shot of liqour). Unless they are small, they wouldn't need to wait at all.

The problem is most people underestimate how much they had to drink. If you actually only had 1-2 drinks you should be okay to drive.
 
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Wreckem said:
How much you can drink and not be impaired/above .08 varies depending on how much you weigh.

The average person doesnt need to wait hours after only drinking 1-2 drinks(std. size drinks, ie: 12oz beer, serving of wine, or a single shot of liqour). Unless they are small, they wouldn't need to wait at all.

The problem is most people underestimate how much they had to drink. If you actually only had 1-2 drinks you should be okay to drive.
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Yup it's all about your weight. Obviously I'm skinny so I wasn't thinking lol.

I remember helping my mom out with a defensive driver course and they had a video on there saying wait 1hr for every drink but of course that's a generalization. They didn't consider everyone's tolerance and body stature.
 
Why are you all feeding the troll? I thought most posters that have posted so far were smarter than that, apparantley i was wrong.
 
My father-in-law is a defense attorney who handles DWI cases all the time. He wins a lot of them, too, because in the end the cops are dumb. In all seriousness, I'd get an experienced DWI attorney.
 
MeowKat said:
Go with a cheap private attorney. If this is your first (and hopefully last) DWI, just tell him you are guilty and want to strike a deal. What you ask for the normal plea penalties that are imposed on everyone else with the proviso that the conviction be removed after a certain number of years of good behavior.

People do this all the time. You will still have the arrest record however, but you can have the case sealed after the conviction is gone.

If you feel you are innocent and can sway a jury with your testimony, go for it. Be warned however, people have strong DWI opinions and will see you in a very negative light without good testimony.

If you are not going to take the stand....dont waste your money unless the evidence is very flimsy (ahave a good tape and didnt take breath or blood samples)
Click to expand...

You're making Jesus cry. Do you really want to get kicked out of your chance to get to heaven?
 
It really depends on the situation and where you are, I don't recall seeing the details on what happened. If you're guilty and in state like AZ, then you should probably just go with the Public Defender as a different lawyer isn't going to be able to help you much.
I had a DUI but in my case I wasn't driving, nor did have any intent on driving. I was stopped while opening my car to get my jacket out. I was told that I had "intent to drive" which in AZ turns out to be a DUI regardless of what you were doing. I got a better lawyer and was able to fight the stupid thing off, which in AZ now a days I'm not sure I could even do as the start keeps getting stricter and stricter.

First offense in AZ minimum punishment.
JAIL: Up to six months in jail and a $2500 fine but with a mandatory minimum of 10 consecutive days in jail. The penalty is 10 consecutive days in jail however the court may suspend 9 of the 10 days if you complete the required alcohol and/or drug evaluation, and submit to treatment.
FINE & COSTS: $250.00 fine, plus a surcharge.& Plus an additional $500.00 assessment for DPS, and another $500.00 for the Arizona Prison Construction Fund.
LICENSE: The MVD will suspend your driver's license for a minimum of 90 days. You may be eligible for a restricted driver's license after the initial 30 days of the suspension, upon completion of an alcohol screening. This permit will allow to you travel to and from work, school, and/or treatment.
COUNSELING: The number of hours required as a part of your sentence will be determined by the alcohol screening agency. The minimum number of hours is 16 hours of counseling. If the treatment program is completed, as ordered, if the court deferred some of the jail time then the jail time that was not served will be deleted and not have to be served
PROBATION: You may be placed on probation for up to five years.
IGNITION INTERLOCK DEVICE: You will be required to have the ignition interlock device installed on your vehicle for a minimum of 6 months. If certain conditions are met, namely you successfully have had the interlock installed for 6 months, you have completed the court ordered evaluation and treatment and the interlock provider sends notice that you have successfully completed 6 months of the interlock, then the remaining 6 months of the interlock requirement can be removed. This deletion of the last 6 months of the interlock requirement is not easily accomplished in that affirmative steps have to be taken and mvd has to remove the requirement and if this not done then the remaining 6 months is automatically required. The Bergman Law Office will assist the client through this process and Brianne, the office assistant is adept at accomplishing issues with respect to licensing and dealing with mvd on the client's behalf.
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Drinking is bad; you shouldn't drink.

Other people driving is bad; people who aren't me shouldn't drive.

Problem solved.
 
Skel said:
It really depends on the situation and where you are, I don't recall seeing the details on what happened. If you're guilty and in state like AZ, then you should probably just go with the Public Defender as a different lawyer isn't going to be able to help you much.
I had a DUI but in my case I wasn't driving, nor did have any intent on driving. I was stopped while opening my car to get my jacket out. I was told that I had "intent to drive" which in AZ turns out to be a DUI regardless of what you were doing. I got a better lawyer and was able to fight the stupid thing off, which in AZ now a days I'm not sure I could even do as the start keeps getting stricter and stricter.
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Sounds worse than it may be..Most people probably get the suspended sentence with 1 day served. Many others probably plea to a reduced charge and serve no time.

Oregon is tricky they prevent DAs from offering plea deals for DUI, worse for offenders IMO
 
Farang said:
Sounds worse than it may be..Most people probably get the suspended sentence with 1 day served. Many others probably plea to a reduced charge and serve no time.

Oregon is tricky they prevent DAs from offering plea deals for DUI, worse for offenders IMO
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Depends where you are in AZ. In Maricopa County (Phoenix) a drunk driver can pretty much plan on taking a ten day vacation.
 
Farang said:
Sounds worse than it may be..Most people probably get the suspended sentence with 1 day served. Many others probably plea to a reduced charge and serve no time.

Oregon is tricky they prevent DAs from offering plea deals for DUI, worse for offenders IMO
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Nope.. You do get the chance of only serving one day in jail, but they reserve the right to have you do the other 9 days if they choose. You do however get the rest of the fun, such as the fines, counseling and probation. You also get the interlock device for a year (the lock that won't allow you to start the car and will shut off the car if you don't blow clean) which you have to pay to have installed and it's monthly fee. While I had read online it's 6 months a bunch of people I work with have corrected me and it's for the entire year. It's also flaky where it'll pop positive for Burger King (that one I saw with my own eyes) no clue why it does that.

They also don't normally allow pleas as AZ's government campaigns on tough DUI laws..
 
IronWing said:
Depends where you are in AZ. In Maricopa County (Phoenix) a drunk driver can pretty much plan on taking a ten day vacation.
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Damn, that is rough. I heard in Switzerland they take away your license for life.. or in some place in Europe at least. My buddy hitchiked and the guy was paranoid about drinking
 
My arraignment hearing is 1 month away. Is it possible to meet with the prosecutor and please bargain before the arraignment?
 
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