Getting a Lawyer for DUI Defense

Facing drunk driving charges is a serious issue. If you do not think so, you need to get a clear idea about the penalties that await you post conviction. The driving under influence (DUI) laws of the state of Washington dictates penalties like jail term, hefty fines, installation of ignition interlock device, and so on for offenders.

If you have understood the significance of the charges, and are panicking, there is no reason to do so. What you need to do is find a DUI lawyer in your city to work on your case, and put up the right defense. What are the possible strategies that come to use in such a situation? Your lawyer is the right one to answer this question.

Your lawyer would know how to challenge the prosecution’s case at the different stages. The first is questioning the legality of the DUI stop and arrest. The absence of a probable cause or witnesses testifying the soberness of the driver may deem certain evidence pertaining to an arrest ineligible for presentation at court.

Many a times, the observations of the officer is the only cause of arrest. In such a circumstance, a good DUI defense lawyer can question the accuracy of the officer’s observations as well as whether they were enough to warrant arrest. However, if you ran a red signal or jumped lanes, this may not be a possible defense.

Failure to read the Miranda rights at the right time or conduct the field sobriety tests properly can also give your Seattle DUI Lawyerenough grounds to suppress certain evidence. Analysis of breath, blood or urine samples is also not an exact science and susceptible to questioning in a court.

Some other defenses that may come in useful in these cases are –

Duress – applies if the driver was trying to avoid serious injury or death
Necessity – applies if the driver was trying to avoid some greater problem
Mistake of fact – applies if the driver has an honest belief that his/her blood alcohol concentration is below the state permissible limit (.08 percent in Washington)
Entrapment – applies if the driver was induced by the officer to commit the crime
Involuntary intoxication – applies if the driver was not aware of his/her alcohol ingestion

However, establishing these defenses is not an easy task. You need a qualified, certified and experienced DUI lawyer if you want this to work. There is no guarantee that the court would dismiss the charges; however, getting a lawyer would enhance your chances of avoiding a conviction, or at least lessen your charges and penalties.





Amalisha Brooklin, a legal columnist working with a magazine, offers practical suggestions for handling drunk driving law issues. If you are looking for a Seattle DUI Lawyer, she recommends you to visit http://dcgroupnw.com/