Woodbridge DUI Lawyer
DUIs can carry significant short-term and long-term consequences. DUI charges are criminal charges and if convicted, you could have a permanent criminal record. They carry significant penalties, which can include the possibility of active jail time. DUIs are highly-politicized and highly-scorned in the public eye, presenting other potential social consequences for those charged.
There are many possible defenses available in a DUI case which an experienced Woodbridge DUI lawyer may be able to provide. For this reason, it is beneficial to have an experienced Woodbridge attorney by your side who is familiar with DUI laws and possible defenses to give yourself the best chance of avoiding those consequences.
Working with a Woodbridge DUI Attorney
The first thing a DUI lawyer can do for their client is to make sure they are understanding of the process going into trying a DUI case. There will be discovery motions and a trial date at which time the resolution will occur. An experienced Woodbridge DUI lawyer will prepare the client for every possible outcome so that on the trial date, there will be no surprises and the client will be ready to make informed and correct decisions as to how best proceed.
A skilled defense lawyer will fully investigate the case so that when the case is ready for trial, the lawyer will be ready and able to completely defend the client’s rights on the court date. There is no such thing as a probation before judgment or deferred sentencing in Virginia. A DUI attorney will try to negotiate with the government to achieve a more favorable result than that which the client would get if found guilty of the charge as it is written.
DUI Charges in Woodbridge
A person can be charged with a DUI in several ways. A person can be charged with a DUI if they are under the influence of alcohol, if they are intoxicated, meaning they have a BAC of .08 or higher, or if they are under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a combination thereof.
Although there are several different ways a person can be charged with a DUI, the principal element of operating a motor vehicle is constant. In Virginia, that does not always mean driving the motor vehicle – “operating” can mean a number of different things other than actually moving the vehicle. Woodbridge lies within Prince William County, who conduct DUI checkpoints and DUI stops on a regular basis.
Penalties for a First-Time DUI
A first-time DUI carries a 12-month loss of license, which can be restricted in order for someone to be able to go to and from work or school. A person will be required to complete the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program, which is an education course designed to prevent future DUIs from being committed.
Additionally, they will face a fine of at least $250, and suspended jail time. An exception to the suspended jail time could occur if the recorded BAC was .15 or higher. In those cases, even if it is a person’s first DUI offense, with the elevated BAC they would be facing mandatory minimum jail time making it important a DUI attorney in Woodbridge is contacted.
In a first-offense DUI, if someone’s BAC is .15 to .20, they face a mandatory minimum five-day stay in jail; if their BAC is .21 or higher, the mandatory minimum sentence is 10 days.
Woodbridge prosecutors will not offer a diversion program for first-time offenders. In Virginia, it is not part of the law or local practice for a person charged with a first offense to complete some sort of probationary program to have that charge dismissed.
Contacting a DUI Attorney
A local DUI lawyer will best know what there is to know about the practices in the courthouse in which you are going to be tried. This is critical as every jurisdiction has its own unique way of proceeding. The law does not change throughout Virginia, but the way law is practiced varies greatly from county to county. A local attorney who is familiar with Woodbridge and its locality will know a lot of the officers, those officers’ tendencies, and their techniques. An experienced Woodbridge DUI attorney will know the prosecutors and judges and know how best to deal with them in their approach to your case.
