Have you been accused of a criminal offense? Whether guilty or not, you must have a criminal defense lawyer at your side. A criminal offense is a serious accusation that may cost you significant time behind bars if not well represented. A criminal attorney has the expertise to interpret your evidence and give you a winning chance. In a situation where your home was a crime scene, you would become the first suspect in the crime. It’s, therefore, crucial to opt for criminal defense for advice. Your criminal lawyers will give you directions on what to say and what to do after such incidents.
Although each citizen has the right to represent themselves in court, in criminal offenses, it is not a good idea to face the jury without an attorney. It’s always important to tell your lawyer the precise flow of events to avoid inconsistency with any statements recorded earlier. A lawyer will help you focus on your daily activities without worry. Also, your lawyer will collect significant evidence and analyze the other party’s evidence. A criminal defense attorney can also determine gaps in the case that may help you win the hearing on fair ground. In serious criminal offenses such as murder, the attorney can research your case to determine whether someone else was involved in the crime and set you up for the crime.
It is an unfortunate truth that the roads are not always safe. Every day, Americans are injured or killed due to drunk drivers, or DUII (driving under the influence of intoxicants), distracted drivers, or bad weather conditions such as snow, ice, or rain. And sometimes, even if there is not a collision resulting in injury or death, it is still a serious crime to operate a motor vehicle while influenced by drugs or alcohol, and criminal charges for this behavior can lead to a variety of punishments or other consequences, ranging from rehabilitation course (certain requirements must be met for this), a heavy fine, suspension of one’s license, community service, or even jail time for driving drunk or influenced by illegal drugs. With or without a crash, a drunk driver will want to hire a DUII attorney from nearby criminal defense law firms, such as a DUI law firm, and find a way to minimize the punishment handed out, or in some cases, get the charges dismissed entirely. How can one find a DUII attorney and handle criminal charges? How often are people injured or killed on the roads due to impaired driver?
Road Hazards
Too often, drives on the road are not fit to operate motor vehicles, and many people drive drunk or under the influence of illegal drugs, or are distracted and thus unable to react in time to developments on the road or see obstacles in time. In fact, statistics show that every two minutes, someone is injured in a crash involving drunk drivers, and if a person’s BAC (blood alcohol content) is at or above a certain level, that person’s driving is bound to be dangerously impaired, and this is grounds for a DUI charge, even if the drunk driver does not hit any person, car, or property while driving this way. And if a collision does occur, that driver may deal with charges for both driving drunk and for the crash, and the injured party may take the drunk driver to court and seek settlement money from the at-fault party’s insurance company. In addition to drunk drivers, another serious hazard is distracted drivers, those who are paying attention to handheld electronic devices such as smart phones instead of the road, or who are using their car’s dashboard features and looking away from the road. These drivers can often be just as dangerous as DUI or drug-addled drivers, and they may still face criminal charges for any collisions or injuries they cause. Finally, bad weather can make even sober and attentive drivers unable to fully control their vehicles or see pedestrians or other cars in time. Heavy snow or rain can reduce visibility, especially at night, and ice or water can cause a car to go out of control. This can happen in either urban or rural environments.
DUI and the Law
Someone who is facing criminal charges of drunk driving (with or without a collision involved) is urged to look for a DUII attorney who can represent his or her interests in the upcoming court case and seek a fair, sensible outcome that is most beneficial to all parties involved, and this can be very difficult for someone who does not have a DUII attorney representing them. After all, a lawyer from a criminal defense law firm will know the law and how it works in such cases, and can use it to negotiate a fair case on his/her client’s behalf. In this way, a person facing criminal charges may have the terms of the punishment reduced, such as community service instead of jail time, and in some cases, if the lawyer is very good or if the client has a clean record up until this point, might even get the charges dropped.
Finding a DUII attorney begins with a person looking up local law firms that specialize in criminal defense and DUII cases, and visiting these firms or calling them on the phone to get consultations with the lawyers working there (this may or may not incur a fee). The potential client can evaluate each attorney and choose one whose educational background, experience with the law, rate of success, and personality are all to the client’s liking, and they can become partners who will assemble their case.