If you've been viewing Law and Order, Boston Legal, Murphy Brown, or several of the other legal programs on TV, or if you've spoken to anyone that has had legal trouble earlier, then you understand a little bit about how the course of action works. At the outset, your Seattle DUI defense attorney is going to (or should) undertake an in-depth look at your occurrence, including the police reports, any videotape that exists, and examining any witnesses that may exist. Second, they are going to have you obtain an alcohol valuation, which, depending on what it states, will have an consequence on the course of the plea talks. After that, they'll phone up the prosecutor and see what they can work out.
But what are the options? What is possible? From the very start it is vital to grasp that Washington driving under the influence laws (and DUI laws throughout the nation) are several of the most tough when it comes to plea bargaining. No congressperson desires to be accountable for releasing a drunk driver who goes out and drives under the influence once more and causes damage (even though people can drive without a driver's license). This makes it fairly complicated to plea bargain with the prosecutor, particularly to get a drunk driving charge reduced to something lesser. But there are several choices. earlier I get started, it is important to bear in mind that the judge doesn't have to accept a plea bargain. The court can always impose their own penalty.
To begin with, it may be achievable to convince the prosecutor to prosecute your driving under the influence as a at the outset DUI even though you have a past infraction in the preceding 7 years. This allows your Seattle DUI lawyer to get a reduced sentence, reduced fines, and lower driver's license suspension (although this will often not have an effect on the administrative driver's license suspension as they work independently of the prosecutor's office).
Second, it may be doable to get some of the accompanying accusations dismissed. If you were pulled over for a cracked tail light, this may not seem like much. But if your driving under the influence accusation is accompanied with leaving the scene of an crash, fleeing and alluding, or something related, getting those dropped can be a all right conclusion.
Third, in several cases, when the prosecutor's state of affairs is relatively weak, you may be able to plead down the driving under the influence to reckless driving. This is helpful for the reason that it reduces the driving suspension, there is no compulsory jail time, and there is no ignition interlock requirement. It will require the high risk insurance, but if your driver's license has already been revoked administratively, you need to have that anyhow. If you can get negligent driving 1st degree, you don't even have to have the high risk insurance, and many insurers treat it as a couple of speeding tickets, if they notice it at all.
In some occasion, if you desire to get the greatest deal, you've got to find a Seattle DUI attorney that is dependable, straightforward, and has a good quality reputation at the prosecutor's office (for being a straight shooter, not necessarily someone the prosecutor likes). If your DUI lawyer brags with reference to pulling one over on the prosecutor's office, you can expect that either the prosecutor is going to see through it, or the criminal lawyer in Seattle has done it beforehand, and you are not going to be helped because of it. Lawyering is an art and a science, but if you don't hold trustworthiness, you won't get that much needed benefit of the doubt. It could result in a much harsher sentence than was originally probable.
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