Protect Your Driving Privileges And Avoid A Criminal Record After A DUI Arrest

You may clearly remember the moment you heard and saw a police car approaching your vehicle before you were pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving. It was frightening and stressful, wasn’t it? Did it feel like it was an emergency? Were you afraid of losing your driving privileges or going to jail? These are natural worries at the time of a DUI arrest. However, the greatest dangers lie ahead:

• A possible driver’s license suspension for months or longer – or revocation if you have previous DUI convictions on your record.
• A criminal record that may complicate your life for years to come, including the loss of a job, professional license, or deportation.

Depending on what your occupation is, losing your driver’s license can be almost as limiting as a jail sentence. Being unable to drive to sales appointments or inspection sites may put an end to your current job. If your license was confiscated at the time of your arrest, you need a defense lawyer to help you get it back while your criminal case is underway.

Turn to Harmony Legal Associates, LLC to learn how to pursue the recovery or preservation of your driver’s license in the short term – and a clean record, if possible, in the long term.

Keys To A Successful Defense

To confront a DUI arrest with the greatest promise of a positive outcome, get an experienced, confident defense attorney on your side. If Harmony Legal Associates, LLC is your defense firm, we may uncover critical details such as the following:

• A police officer may have stopped you in traffic without probable cause.
• They may not have disclosed your right to contact an attorney as the law requires.
• The breath, blood, or urine test that you took may have been illegally administered, invalid or unreliable for some reason.
• The field sobriety tests – such as “walk and turn” or “one-legged stand”” – may have yielded inconclusive results for some reason.

A detailed investigation may reveal a promising path ahead for a strong defense.

Protecting Your Privilege To Drive

Under Georgia law, if you are charged with a DUI the arresting office will often seize your license at the time of the arrest. The officer will fill out a document called a DDS Form 1205 which authorizes your to drive for 45 days following the date of arrest before your license will be automatically suspended for 12 months. You have 30 days from the date of arrest to challenge the suspension or install an Ignition Interlock Device on your vehicle. If you decide to challenge the suspension you will be given an ALS Hearing at which you will have to be prepared to present defenses to protect your privilege to drive.

If you have been charged with DUI and given a 1205 Form it is important you consult an attorney immediately before making the decision to appeal or install the interlock device. Though unassociated with the criminal charges, decisions and statements made during this process can have lasting consequences on your criminal charges. In addition, even if you are later acquitted of DUI, your license can remain suspended as a result of the Administrative License Suspension.  Consult with our experience defense attorneys at Harmony Legal Associates today to help determine how to best protect to privilege to drive during the criminal process.

Schedule A Free Consultation With A Lawyer

Call 770-709-5955 or send a message online for a prompt response after a DUI arrest or a traffic violation citation.