What Information To Prepare Before Meeting With An Arizona DUI Lawyer
A DUI can end up costing you your freedom, your license, quite a bit of money and even your job. If you have been issued a citation for a DUI in Arizona, you need to find a good Arizona DUI lawyer whose practice mostly consists of defending DUI cases, who keeps you informed of your case and who has vast experience in this field. When you meet with your DUI lawyer, you are going to want to have as much information about your case as possible to help with the defense. The information to prepare includes the following:
The Citation
Your lawyer is going to want to look at the citation to see what you were charged with and why. They will want to see the reason that you were stopped. Were you stopped for driving erratically? If you were stopped for no reason, the DUI lawyer may argue that stopping you and forcing you to take a breathalyzer test is a violation of your civil rights. It will be very important for the lawyer to have a copy of your citation so that he or she knows what they are up against and how you are being charged.
Accident Reports
If you were involved in an accident that resulted in a DUI charge against you, the lawyer will want to know the extent of the damage to the other vehicle and to your own. They will also want to know if anyone else involved in the accident was issued a citation. This can be important to your case. However, your DUI lawyer will most likely not defend you when it comes to a civil suit that can evolve from such an accident. This is often up to your insurance company. Depending on their area of practice, they may file a personal injury lawsuit against the other party in the accident if it appears that it was not your fault. The civil lawsuit has nothing to do with the criminal lawsuit and will be tried in a separate court. A DUI is a criminal offense and will be tried in either traffic court or criminal court.
Employment Information
Your Arizona DUI lawyer is going to want to get your license back for you so that you can continue to drive, at least back and forth to work. They will need to know where you work and how far you have to commute in order to get the judge to issue a hardship license. This is often one of the first things that the Arizona DUI lawyer does after entering your plea. The hardship license is available if this is your first offense and can only be used for you to drive back and forth to work. Depending on the severity of your charge, however, you may or may not be eligible for the hardship license.
Medical Conditions
If you have medical conditions that may have been contributory to you getting arrested for a DUI, you need to give this information to your attorney. There are many medications that can mimic the effects of alcohol. If you are on such medication, your lawyer may argue that the medication was the reason why you did not pass the breathalyzer test. For most DUIs, a breathalyzer test is given right on the road that requires you to breathe into a device that will measure how much alcohol you have consumed. This is not exact, however, and only a blood test will state for sure if you were drinking alcohol or under the influence of drugs or medication. Any medical conditions that you have should be documented and brought to your Arizona DUI lawyer as it is quite possible certain conditions can be used in your defense.
An Account of What Happened
You will want to write down an account of what happened and all that you can remember from the night in question. Your lawyer will want to know exactly where you started out and where you were going when you got pulled over for a DUI. Try to think of everything that you can remember about that night including the officer or officers who pulled you over, what they said to you and what tests you submitted to. If you were taken to a hospital because of an accident, you need to tell your lawyer that you were in the hospital as most likely a blood test was taken to determine the amount of alcohol in your blood. Anything that was unusual or seemed to be inappropriate on that night should be written down in this account and presented to your DUI lawyer.
Any Past Arrests
If you have had prior trouble with the law, let you lawyer know about it. Even if it does not relate to a DUI, if you have a past criminal history, you need to tell your lawyer as this information is something that the prosecutor in your case will have. You want to arm your lawyer with as much knowledge as you can so that he or she can work your defense. If you have never before been arrested for any criminal conduct, this will most likely work in your favor.
A DUI can be a frightening experience and can also be very costly if you do not have the right attorney. By giving your Arizona DUI lawyer as much information as possible when you meet with them, you are giving them the tools that they need to defend your case. They may suggest that you plead guilty to a lesser charge, such as reckless driving. Or they may decide to fight your case on the grounds that there is no proof that you were drunk, that inappropriate action was taken by the police officers in your arrest or that there was a violation of your civil rights.
A good Arizona DUI lawyer will know the best defense to use on your case, but will have to review as much information as possible in order to come up with a defense for you. This is why it is so important that you give your lawyer information that may be pertinent to your case. The relationship between a client and lawyer is privileged so you do not have to worry about anything that you say to your lawyer being repeated elsewhere. Do not hold anything back for this may impede your defense. Be open and honest with your lawyer and provide them with the information that they need so that they can defend you against your DUI charge.
