The Law Offices of Maverick Ray LLC
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Why You Should Hire an Attorney for a DWI
Should you hire an attorney for a DWI charge? In Texas, the minimum penalty for a charge of driving while intoxicated (DWI) is 72 hours in prison and $500 in fines. If you are found with an open container, the minimum is 6 days in prison and up to $2,000 in fines for a first offense. You might be feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start. How do you start? How do you protect yourself? In one answer, your best option will be to hire a criminal defense attorney in Houston, TX.
You may think that you don’t need a lawyer, but court proceedings can be lengthy and difficult to understand. An attorney can not only help you navigate the complicated proceedings, but may even be able to lessen the charges to prove whether or not true intoxication occurred. What you may not know is that it is not illegal to drink alcohol and then drive. It is only illegal to drive while intoxicated (when your ability as a driver is impaired).
Here are just some of the benefits that a qualified criminal defense lawyer can help you achieve:
• Prevent your driver’s license from being revoked so you can keep driving.
• Keep your insurance rates from escalating—insurance rates can increase by 63.47% after a DWI.
• Possibly reduce the implication of being intoxicated (blood-alcohol level versus ability to drive).
• Lessen the charges—some field sobriety tests have only a 65% accuracy rate and leave room for argument.
• Arrange for a jury determination. This gives the court a chance to examine whether true intoxication occurred.
• Help with appeals and motions for new trials.
• Representation at driver’s revocation proceedings.
• Arrange for an occupational driver’s license (a temporary driver’s license so you can drive to work).
• Help you understand your legal rights and avoid being taken advantage of.
• Help determine whether or not the case needs to go to trial or can be settled out of court.
DWIs can be very complex cases involving technical and observational discrepancies, science, and physiology. If you find yourself facing a DWI charge, the first and best thing you should do is to hire a criminal defense attorney in Houston, TX. Not only will you have an advocate to help you through the process, but an expert to ensure that getting everything back on track goes as smoothly as possible.