A DUI attorney can be among the most useful resources available if you have been accused of driving while under the influence. A DUI attorney will be able to help you due to his or her familiarity with court officials and his or her ability to negotiate a lesser penalty for the DUI.

Familiarity With Court Officials

One of the reasons that a DUI attorney will be quite helpful when it comes to your case is because he or she will have had a lot of experience dealing with cases in your area, which leads to him or her being familiar with the court officials. This means that your attorney will be able to use this inside knowledge to help you throughout the entire case.

For example, your attorney will know whether the judge that has been assigned to your case has a history of being extremely harsh on DUI cases, or if the judge is open to plea bargains and negotiation. In addition, the attorney will also be familiar with the prosecutor in many DUI cases, which is helpful when it comes to plea bargains as well. For example, if you receive a plea bargain from the prosecutor, your attorney will be able to better determine if that particular prosecutor is likely to negotiate more in order to get the case over and done with, or if pushing for a better deal will result in the deal being pulled.

Negotiating A Lesser Penalty

While it is unreasonable to expect that you can be found guilty of a DUI and allowed to go free without any penalty whatsoever, you can expect a DUI attorney to be able to negotiate more favorable penalties. For example, most areas will require that you lose your license entirely when you are found guilty of a DUI. However, your attorney may be able to negotiate a shorter suspension before your license is reinstated.

In addition, an attorney can often negotiate an alternative to prison time. For example, instead of going to prison on a first offence, your attorney can attempt to convince the judge and prosecutor to accept a license suspension and rehabilitation programs in lieu of prison or other more severe penalties.

Speak to a DUI attorney as soon as possible if you are involved in a DUI case. An attorney can help you by negotiating a lesser penalty and utilizing his or her knowledge of the court officials to provide you with a better defense.

For more information, check out a firm like Tekulve Law.