How Does DDS Administrative License Suspension Work?

 

By: William C. Head, Atlanta DUI Attorney and Board-Certified DUI Defense Lawyer in Georgia

How Implied Consent & Georgia DDS Administrative Suspensions Work

For most citizens arrested for driving under the influence in Georgia, the taking of their plastic license by the arresting officer is traumatic. License suspension has a great impact on your everyday life. Virtually no client arrested for DUI in Georgia has ever considered what “implied consent” means, in relation to a driver license suspension.

Simply stated, these implied consent laws are administrative (not criminal) statutes in GA that call for the arresting officer to confiscate the plastic driver license and file an administrative suspension form (DDS 1205) against that driver for either (a) refusing to take the state-administered breath alcohol test (after being informed by the police officer of your State law requirement to do so) OR (b) submitting to the state alcohol breath test, but blowing over the legal alcohol limit.

How Can I Fight the GA DDS Administrative License Suspension in GA?

For either scenario, Georgia DUI laws call for the initiation of an administrative action to suspend that driver by the law enforcement officer filing a DDS 1205 with the GA Dept of Driver Services. A short 30-day DEADLINE exists wherein the DUI driver must either FILE an appeal of the Georgia DDS license suspension or (if eligible, based on driving record and being a full-fledged Georgia licensee age 21 and over) opt for an ignition interlock device limited permit (IIDLP).

This permit mandates the arrested GA DUI driver pay for and install a 12-month alcohol interlock device to just one vehicle that the driver is limited to drive, for restricted purposes during the one-year period.

Hire the Best DUI Lawyers in GA to Fight to Keep Your Driving Privileges

You need a skilled and fully knowledgeable drunk driving lawyer in Georgia to assist you in making this decision. Avoiding a license suspension is extremely important for many arrested for DUI in Georgia. The wrong move may lead to you being revoked in another state or administratively suspended by the Georgia Department of Driver Services (the Georgia DMV) for quite a while.

Drunk driving book authors and Georgia Super Lawyers Larry Kohn, Bubba Head, and Cory Yager are READY to ASSIST you.

To get more information on this complex decision, call our Atlanta law firm NOW for a FREE initial attorney consultation. 404-567-5515. If you miss the 30-day DEADLINE, you will be severely impacted by that failure to act to protect your driving privileges.

Georgia DDS Can Suspend Your Driver’s License After a DUI Arrest

A DUI law firm in Georgia can help protect your ability to drive and navigate the steps to reinstate your driver’s license if you are suspended. A repeat offender DUI may require additional steps if you are suspended.  These “other steps” may include paying a fee, attending a Georgia DUI Risk Reduction Course (DUI Class), or perhaps installing an ignition interlock device on your car.

Why Atlanta Lawyers Dominate as the Top DUI Lawyers

About 4 out of 10 DUI arrests occur in metro Atlanta. Our Atlanta DUI attorneys handle cases across the entire state of Georgia, but about 85% of our DUI caseload is docketed in Fulton County, Cobb County, Gwinnett County, DeKalb County, Forsyth County, Cherokee County, Clayton County, Fayette County, and Hall County courts.

These 10 counties account for over 55% of all drunk driving cases in Georgia. The DUI lawyer fees quoted by our DUI attorneys in Atlanta cover both the criminal charge of DUI and the ALS appeal and hearing.

William C. Head is one of only 4 Georgia attorneys — in the whole state — who is Board-Certified in DUI Defense. The other three have their offices in metro Atlanta, within a 10-mile radius of his law office. Plus, the overwhelming majority of Best Lawyers in America and Georgia Super Lawyers are located within a 25-mile radius of downtown Atlanta GA. Similarly, most of Martindale-Hubbell’s top-ranked “av” and preeminent lawyers in Georgia are Atlanta attorneys for various practice areas.

“DUI Attorney Atlanta” is a common phrase typed into a Google search because such a high percentage of drunk driving arrests are made within a 50-mile radius of the capital city of Atlanta, Georgia. This same phenomenon likely occurs in all major cities across America due to the hub created by major urban centers with government functions and economic opportunities associated with such areas.

Cost of a DUI Lawyer – Drunk Driving Attorneys Fees

Legal fees for a DUI lawyer vary widely based upon these two separate “court cases” [the DDS Georgia administrative action and the DUI criminal case, in another court] as well as these other commonsense business factors:

• The reputation of the criminal lawyer in Atlanta. The usual market forces of supply and demand. Cheap DUI lawyers are low-cost and low-work, as a general rule. Good DUI attorneys are priced a bit higher, but their trial experience is often nearly zero for jury trials or bench trials. The best DUI attorneys will charge the highest attorneys fees, due to their reputation for winning and the high number of hours of additional work usually necessary to find how to beat a DUI for each client. Most of the top trial lawyers must limit the number of cases that can accept, which also boosts the cost of DUI cases with these DUI defense lawyers.
• Years of experience fighting for DUI cases. Senior partners with decades of legal experience naturally command more legal fees than an associate.
• The physical proximity of the court venue to the DUI law firm’s office. Driving under the influence attorneys can only work so many cases and so many hours, including driving between locations. It is also an absolute necessity for our Atlanta lawyers to associate another local criminal defense attorney in remote Georgia courts, but this is OUR cost, not yours.
• The complexity of the case (e.g., accident, repeat DUI, a DUI with a child in the car, bad behavior toward police officers that is caught on camera, high breath alcohol test, or DUI blood test drug levels that show contraband drugs or prescription drugs at non-therapeutic readings).

Our Atlanta DUI Lawyers Protect You From Harsh DDS GA Sanctions

How do I find a DUI lawyer who knows how to get a DUI dismissed and avoid license suspension? Many people arrested in Georgia for DUI don’t act promptly to retain legal counsel. This mistake can cost you the right to drive.

Top-rated DUI lawyers will know the critical time deadlines for protecting your driver’s license and your ability to keep driving legally. Call us NOW at 404-567-5515, for your FREE lawyer consultation and a FREE PDF copy of the drunk driving book written for CLIENTS by veteran Georgia DUI attorney William C. Head.

How to Beat a DUI in Court, or BEFORE Trial

The job of a criminal defense attorney handling a drunk driving case is to SAVE your license, if possible, and to win your criminal case. If a DUI lawyer in Atlanta or another Georgia city does not address your immediate administrative license suspension issues, you have called the wrong criminal defense attorney.

If your driving privileges and your criminal record justify hiring a top drunk driving lawyer in Georgia, call our law office. We will either personally represent you–anywhere in the state—or assist you in identifying a top DUI lawyer in Georgia regardless of your court location.

Our criminal defense business is focused on obtaining a remarkable, outstanding outcome for you if you retain one of our dedicated criminal defense lawyers. COMPARE any other firm, and you will find that the attorney reviews and lawyer ratings of our three DUI law firm partners cannot be exceeded by any law firm of other Georgia DUI attorneys.

We will file an appeal and pursue your administrative license suspension hearing (based upon an implied consent law issue). Then we will file an appeal and pursue your separate criminal case, starting at arraignment, pretrial motions hearings, and if necessary, a trial of your DUI court case.

Call 42-year veteran Atlanta DUI attorney Bubba Head today and get honest answers to all your questions. Tell us everything that happened and everything you remember about your DUI arrest. The sooner you call us, the better chance we have to win your DUI case and get your charges reduced or dismissed.

Remember, you only have 30 DAYS to file a license suspension appeal or apply for an ignition interlock device, or your driver’s license will be suspended for up to one year! Talk to Bubba Head, Larry Kohn, or Cory Yager now. We are available 24 hours a day, weekends, and all major holidays. (404) 567-5515