It is well known that consuming alcohol and operating a motor vehicle are a dangerous combination, and illegal for that very reason. All the same, a great many people choose to drink and drive every year anyway, and this often results in car crashes that may damage property and injure other people, who may seek to launch a litigation case. And even if no one else was hurt, a drunk driver may be caught and arrested for their behavior, especially if property was damaged, and they may face criminal charges. For this reason, someone who faces a criminal charge may want to hire a DUII lawyer (driving under the influence of intoxicants) or a general criminal defense attorney for their case and see if they can get a lighter sentence for what they did, or even have the case dismissed entirely. What can a DUII lawyer do for his or her client? How often is a DUII lawyer needed with modern rates of drinking, driving, and arrests? What damage results from this behavior?
Drinks and the Rods
Alcohol and the road to not mix to make a good cocktail. Even driving “buzzed”, or lightly intoxicated, can be very dangerous, and some drivers incorrectly believe that it is harmless or legal. Many car crashes happen every year in the United States due to drunk or distracted drivers, and sometimes, people are killed, if not merely injured. It is believed that every day, people drive drunk around 300,000 times, but under 4,000 actually get arrested for this. And if they are free to keep driving, they are likely to hit other cars or not notice if someone is oncoming, and this will often lead to collisions, whether in city roads or rural ones, day or night. Even pedestrians or motorcyclists may end up as casualties of drunk or distracted driving, and the victims may hire legal representation to pursue litigation against the at-fault party and reach a settlement. And even if that does not happen, the drunk driver may be arrested before or after they hit something, and that person is bound to face serious criminal charges. For this reason, that person will want to contact criminal defense law firms and find a DUII lawyer.
Legal help
Someone who drove drunk and got arrested for their crime is facing criminal charges which, depending on the county or state and the specifics of the case, could involve anything from probation to community service to hefty fines to jail time. Before the court case takes place, the defending party will probably want legal representation, since attempting such a case alone can be very difficult without a working knowledge of relevant laws and how such cases play out. For this reason, hiring a DUII lawyer will go a long way to see that both the accused and the court have experienced, qualified legal representatives on their side.
Someone who is facing DUII criminal charges (and maybe related charges like hitting property with their car) may perform an Internet search for local law firms that specialize in criminal defense, and in particular cases involving drunk driving and/or property damage. Some lawyers are general-purpose, but more specialized ones may have focused knowledge of the law that makes them more effective in their area of expertise. Entire law firms may be made up of attorneys who are like this. So, someone facing criminal charges may look up local law firms and even get consultations with the attorneys there (which may or may not involve a fee) to see what the lawyers there are like and find someone who seems suitable. The accused may weigh his or her options, perhaps across multiple law firms, and choose a lawyer whose experience, educational background, rate of success, and personality are appealing to, and comforting to, the client. These two people will have to cooperate and trust each other, after all, so that they can build an effective case together before the court date and try to get desirable results. The attorney might be able to negotiate milder terms of punishment, especially for a first time offender or if there were no injured people (this may vary) and overall find a relatively satisfying conclusion to the case for his or her client.
