If you are facing a DUI charge, there are two general strategies you can use to better your chances of a favorable ruling before trial. The first alternative is to accepting responsibility in order to get a reduced sentence. The second alternative is to fight the charge by fronting a strong argument based on your innocence.

Accepting the responsibility

If you committed the offense and there is ample evidence, you don’t have to fight it. You should consult your criminal defense lawyer and you do the following:

Plead guilty: Owning up to your mistakes is the best approach if you are indeed guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. When you voluntarily agree to attend counseling or alcohol programs, this demonstrates your sincerity and dedication towards addressing your addiction. Depending on your commitment to these programs, the prosecution may be moved to leniency.

Deal with a license suspension: If you got a license suspension because of a DUI charge, or because you declined to have a breath test, don’t drive without an occupational or hardship license. Driving while under license suspension may disqualify you for probation.

Drinking with a pending DUI Case: Part of accepting responsibility for a DUI charge is refraining from drinking while your case is still under review. A new public intoxication or DUI charge is likely to ruin your chances of a plea bargain. It’s advisable to avoid night clubs, or hanging around friends who drink often. If you are able to demonstrate to the court or prosecution that you have abandoned your reckless drinking habits, your license suspension may be appealed, reduced, or modified to permit you to drive during special circumstances.

Fighting the DUI case

If you feel that the case before you is unfair, you should go ahead and fight it with your DUI attorney. Here you should work hard to prove your innocence. You should start building your defense. You should secure videos of field sobriety tests, record eye-witness testimony, measure skid marks, and take photos or diagrams of the scene of the accident. Gathering as much evidence as possible is essential to building a strong defense against a DUI charge.

Whether you intend to accept responsibility or prove your innocence, you should start building your case sooner than later to improve your chances of a favorable outcome. In any case, it is wise to consult a DUI lawyer for a review of your options, and for legal representation.

When you are facing criminal charges you have two options. You can hire a private criminal defense lawyer or public defender. While you save money when you hire a public defender, it’s always recommended that you hire a defense lawyer as doing so comes with plenty of benefits. Some of these benefits include:

Defense lawyer has time to focus on your case

Public defenders are employed by the state and just like any other state officers, they are overloaded with cases. Due to this, they don’t have enough time to concentrate on your case. This increases your chances of losing your case. In addition to this, they don’t have time to dedicate to private consultation out of court. This not only leaves you feeling confused, it also keeps you on the dark as you don’t know what you should do.

A private defense attorney on the other hand has only a few cases to work on thus he/she has enough time to dedicate to your case. The lawyer also has enough time to sit down with you out of court and analyze the case and advice you on the next step that you should take in order to increase your chances of winning.

The defense lawyer is looking to build a reputation

One of the prime reasons why it’s unwise to work with public defenders is that they don’t feel the need to win the case as they don’t have a reputation to build. As mentioned above, the public defender is employed by the government; therefore, he/she is paid regardless of whether you win or lose your case. This isn’t the case with private defense lawyers. The lawyers know that their future business depends on how well they represent you and win the case. To build their reputation, they put in all the effort they need to win the case. As a result you have high chances of winning the case.

The defense attorney can represent you in a civil case

In case you didn’t know, public defenders aren’t allowed to defend you when you are facing a civil case—you are only allowed to use one when you are facing a criminal case. With a defense lawyer, you can use him/her regardless of the type of case you are facing.

Conclusion

These are some of the reasons why you should hire a defense lawyer instead of settling for a public defender. To increase your chances of winning your case, you should work with a specialist. For example, when you are facing a DUI case, work with an experienced DUI lawyer.