Alcohol Evaluation: Contact a DUI Lawyer Seattle WA First

When convicted of a DUI, you may be required to undergo an alcohol evaluation. If this requirement is imposed on you, it is absolutely essential that you speak with a DUI lawyer Seattle WA before you submit to this evaluation. There are a number of important reasons why you should speak with a DUI lawyer. Seattle WA residents facing an alcohol evaluation need to understand these reasons and need to call a lawyer first before going to the evaluation.

Why You Need a DUI Lawyer Seattle WA First

If you have been convicted of a DUI and are required to submit to an alcohol evaluation, a DUI lawyer Seattle WA will help you to understand exactly what is involved in this so you can be prepared. When the court orders an evaluation, you have no choice but to do it – but this doesn’t mean that you cannot be helped by a DUI lawyer. Seattle WA evaluation centers are not all the same, and your lawyer will help you to find a reputable evaluation center that will provide an honest evaluation rather than simply indicating that you need treatment (treatment centers can sometimes have a financial advantage by recommending treatment since you may then pay for services at their center).

When you do submit to the evaluation at a reputable location that your DUI lawyer Seattle WA helps you to find, your attorney can also help you to understand your rights regarding what is done with the information obtained in your evaluation. For example, you may have the right to limit who has access to the evaluation provided by the treatment center. You should always limit this access to your DUI lawyer. Seattle WA centers could potentially release this information to others if you sign a release, which could be detrimental to you.

These are just a few of the reasons why you need a Seattle DUI lawyer even after a DUI conviction if you have been asked to submit to a drug or alcohol evaluation. The best option you have is to get a DUI lawyer in Seattle before conviction, though, so you can hopefully avoid having to submit to treatment or having to face other penalties associated with a DUI.

Why You Need a DUI Lawyer Seattle To Avoid an Ignition Interlock Device

When you are convicted of certain DUI offenses in Seattle, you may be required to install an ignition interlock device as part of your DUI penalty. If you are facing charges where an ignition interlock device may need to be installed, it is very important that you get help from a DUI lawyer Seattle right away.

An ignition interlock device is a special device that is installed in your vehicle or in whatever vehicle(s) you drive. An ignition interlock device is designed to force you to have your blood alcohol content checked before you begin to drive your vehicle. As your DUI lawyer Seattle will explain to you, an ignition interlock device may also require rolling retests wherein you blow into the device while driving.

If you fail your ignition interlock device BAC test, your vehicle will not start. If you fail the rolling retest, then your vehicle’s horn will start to go off and lights will start to flash until you pull over.  This can be extremely embarrassing for you.  In fact, simply having the ignition interlock device on your vehicle can be embarrassing not just for you but also for any family members that might want to use your vehicle and who will have to use the device to have their breath checked.

As your DUI lawyer Seattle can explain, an ignition interlock device can also be very expensive. You will need to pay for the installation and for the monitoring.

Avoiding an ignition interlock device when convicted and during sentencing can be difficult, so it is best to contact a DUI lawyer Seattle as soon as you are arrested for DUI. Your DUI lawyer Seattle can help you to raise defenses to the charges you face and hopefully avoid not just the required installation of an ignition interlock device, but also conviction and associated penalties for a DUI.  If your DUI lawyer Seattle cannot help you to come up with any viable defenses that may allow you to avoid conviction entirely, your DUI lawyer Seattle may also be able to assist in negotiating a plea deal wherein the DUI ignition interlock device is not a condition or requirement.

Why You Need an Expert Seattle DUI Attorney

There are many criminal defense attorneys in Seattle, but if you are arrested for a DUI, you need an expert Seattle DUI attorney that specializes in DUI cases.  A general practice public defender or criminal defense attorney who just happens to be assigned to your case might be able to provide you with limited legal assistance and advice, but only a Seattle DUI attorney can give you the help you truly need.

There are many reasons why you need to hire a Seattle DUI attorney who has a long history of handling DUI cases successfully.

Here are just some of the reasons why you need a Seattle DUI attorney after a DUI:

• A Seattle DUI attorney has knowledge of the administrative process of license suspension by the DMV. This is not a criminal sanction but is instead of administrative act taken by the DMV to take your driver’s license. Only a Seattle DUI attorney has the experience to help you to fight this suspension and to hopefully get to keep your license.
• A Seattle DUI attorney has experience with defenses specific to DUI cases. There is often a great deal of science involved in fighting DUI charges. For instance, your Seattle DUI attorney might help you to challenge the results of a breathalyzer or other sobriety test. Only a Seattle DUI attorney has the knowledge to help you to mount these specialized defenses.
• A Seattle DUI attorney can review your case to determine what the best course of action is. In some cases, you can successfully defend yourself against DUI charges while in other situations, plea bargaining is a better bet. A Seattle DUI attorney can review the specifics of your case to help you decide which option is best.

Whenever you are involved in a criminal case or facing criminal charges, getting help from a specialist is best. A Seattle DUI attorney who has experience with DUI cases is the right person to turn to as your Seattle DUI attorney can bring expert knowledge to the table. With the help of your Seattle DUI attorney, you can minimize or avoid the penalties associated with DUI so that the charges don’t ruin your life.

Probable Cause Issues: How Your DUI Attorney Seattle WA Will Help

When you are arrested for a DUI, your DUI attorney Seattle WA will review the information about your arrest in order to determine if you have any possible ways to defend yourself. One issue your DUI attorney Seattle WA will consider is whether there was sufficient probable cause.

Understanding Probable Cause

When you speak with a DUI attorney Seattle WA, your lawyer is going to ask you about why you were pulled over, and about when and why the law enforcement officer decided to conduct a sobriety test. When your DUI attorney Seattle WA asks these questions, the purpose is to determine whether the police had probable cause for their actions.

Under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, you have the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizures. As your DUI attorney Seattle WA will explain to you, a search is unreasonable if it is conducted by law enforcement without probable cause. In other words, unless the law enforcement officer had a reasonable suspicion that you were breaking the law, he or she cannot search you.

Being pulled over is a form of “seizure,” so a law enforcement agent must have probable cause to pull you over in the first place. If you weren’t breaking a traffic law, driving erratically or otherwise doing something that suggested wrongdoing, then your DUI attorney Seattle WA may be able to argue that the police officer pulled you over without probable cause. In this instance, your DUI lawyer Seattle WA could potentially have any evidence collected against you after you were improperly pulled over thrown out as “fruit of the poison tree” (i.e. evidence collected from a bad search).

If you were pulled over for a legitimate reason, the law enforcement officer would still have needed to have probable cause before requiring a sobriety test. If you didn’t give indications you were intoxicated, your DUI attorney Seattle WA can also argue that there was no probable cause for testing your sobriety. This, again, can help you get evidence thrown out in your DUI case.

Can DUI Lawyers Seattle Really Help In a DUI Case?

When you have been charged with a DUI, you may wonder whether DUI lawyers Seattle will really be able to help you at all. After all, you may have been arrested, handcuffed, fingerprinted and spent the night in jail. The police may have a breathalyzer result showing that you were intoxicated, you may have received notice that the DMV is taking administrative action to suspend your license, and you may simply feel that it is hopeless and that you’ll just have to cope with whatever the consequences are.

The reality, however, is that DUI lawyers Seattle really can help in almost all DUI cases. The type of assistance that your lawyer will be able to provide will depend on the circumstances of your case, but it is at least worth a try to speak with a lawyer to find out what your options are for minimizing potential penalties.

Options from Your DUI Lawyers Seattle

The possible options that your DUI lawyers Seattle will explain to you will likely include defending the case, trying to get evidence suppressed, or plea bargaining down to a lesser offense.

Trying to get evidence suppressed involves asserting that the police violated your rights in searching you or administering a BAC. Evidence that the police collected illegally in violation of your rights isn’t admissible to prove your guilt.

Defenses may include, among others, a rising BAC or a faulty BAC test. The rising BAC defense is a defense that assets that your blood alcohol level kept rising after you stopped drinking so, although it may have been high at the time it was tested, it was below the legal limit at the time when you were driving. A faulty BAC argument may involve showing that the officer who administered your test did not have proper training.

Finally, a plea bargain will involve asking the prosecutor to show mercy if you admit guilt and to potentially allow you to plead to lesser charges or incur a less severe penalty.

DUI lawyers Seattle will explain each of these options to you in greater detail and help you to decide what course of action is best.