Find an Expert Georgia DUI Attorney | Drunk Driving Lawyer

By Atlanta DUI Attorney Bubba Head

Drunk driving is a red flag in America. Sports figures and celebrities can lose jobs due to a DUI, have their paychecks docked (under their professional contracts) or find that their market value as an athlete drops precipitously, after an arrest for driving under the influence, much less a DUI conviction.

Similarly, ANY citizen convicted of DUI will find that DUI penalties are harsh and long-lasting, both in terms of jobs and opportunities, such as joining the military. Any DUI lawyer who is a DUI lawyer in the state where you were arrested for driving under the influence can review the consequences of a DWI conviction with you.

Is My Attorney “DUI Trained?”

A drunk driving lawyer in your local court who is Board-Certified or highly-ranked by the three legitimate attorney ratings services can outline the minimum mandatory fines, any required DUI suspension, jail time, probation, ignition interlock installation and costs, as well as restrictions on your right to travel or rent cars after a driving while intoxicated conviction.

The best DUI DWI specialists will have extensive additional training and certifications in field sobriety tests, breathalyzers, and motions to suppress evidence, far beyond that of a criminal defense attorney who is not among the elite drunk driving lawyers.

Can a Drunk Driving Attorney Explain DUI Penalties?

Penalties for DWI and DUI drastically change from how a first offense DUI is treated versus a person facing a second DUI. Each state ramps up punishment and total loss of driving privileges on DUI second offense or subsequent drunk driving convictions.

You may find that second DUI penalties are quadruple (or more) of what a 1^st offense DUI will require. By way of example, a DUI first offense in Georgia carries 40 hours of community service, but a 2^nd DUI (in 10 years) requires 240 hours — a six-fold increase — as the minimum number of hours.

Some states measure repeat DUI offenses by your lifetime driving record, but most measure it by a fixed term of years. So, search for terms like “second DUI in California,” or “2^nd DUI in GA.” Find DUI lawyers with impeccable credentials and reputations for winning. With such serious DUI consequences, all citizens arrested for a DUI need the best DUI attorneys by their side.

DUI lawyers at the best DUI law firms not only know their state’s DUI law, they also know how the court system functions, and can use their training and knowledge to either get a DUI reduced to reckless driving (if available) or take you criminal case to trial.

How DUI Attorneys Beat a DUI

A DUI defense attorney approaches drunk driving defense by analyzing the quality of the Prosecutor’s case. This starts with the police officer’s training records, and possibly his or her disciplinary record. A knowledgeable drunk driving lawyer will focus on every detail of your pullover and arrest, including probable cause, custody issues, whether Miranda rights were read, and if the implied consent law was strictly followed.

A DUI defense lawyer will also help you by looking for deviations in DUI arrest protocols, and any mistakes, omissions, or outright errors made by law enforcement officers when attempting to perform standardized field sobriety tests.

A criminal attorney can help verify whether the agility and divided attention testing was performed properly. If not, your chosen lawyer DUI lawyer will know a DUI expert witness or witnesses to call as defense witnesses, to attack the reliability of the police tests.

This can include retired police academy trainers, experts in testing and measurement, human factors experts or even medical doctors and Ph.D Pharmacologists.

DWI vs DUI – What’s the Difference Between DUI and DWI?

Lawyers for DUI cases don’t get to select which acronym for “drunken driving” their State uses. The Legislature of each state writes its laws and the wording of the laws usually determines how that State denominates drunk driving.

Some use the word “driving while drunk” (DWI), some use the word “driving under,” for driving under the influence (DUI). Other states may use “operating,” and others use phrases like “being in actual physical control of a moving vehicle.”

By far, most states use DUI as their state acronym. DWI is the next most commonly-used abbreviation. Other common acronyms are OWI, OUI, DUII, OMVI, OVI and several other variations. In practical terms, the acronyms are meaningless in most states, because the state DUI-DWI laws behind these criminal statutes and driver’s license suspension rules are what is important.

Below, by state, you can see each state’s most commonly used term for driving drunk.

AL DUI – Birmingham DUI attorney
AK DUI
AZ DUI – DUI attorney Phoenix   Mesa DUI Lawyer    Tempe DUI attorney
AR DWI
CA DUI – Los Angeles DUI attorney
CO DUI
CO DWAI (lesser offense)
CT DWI
DE DWI
DC DWI and DUI
FL DUI – Orlando DUI attorney
GA DUI – Atlanta DUI lawyer
HI DUI
ID DUI
IL DUI – Chicago DUI attorney
IN DUI and OWI
IA DWI
KA DUI
KY DUI
LA DWI
ME OUI
MD DUI and DWI
MA OUI
MI OWI – Detroit DUI lawyer
MN DWI
MS DUI
MO DWI
MT DUI
NE DUI
NV DUI
NH DWI
NJ DWI
NM DWI
NY DWI
NY DWAI (lesser offense)
NC DWI
ND DWI
OH OMVI or OVI vs DUI
OK DWI
OR DUII
PA DUI
RI OUI
SC DUI
SD OWI
TN DUI
TX DWI
UT DUI
VT DWI
VA DUI
WA DUI
WV DWI
WI OWI
WY DWUI

Call Our DUI Attorneys Today, For a FREE Case Assessment

Our Atlanta DUI lawyers can help you anywhere in Georgia, by personally handling your criminal case, or referring you to another DUI law firm that is in your DUI court location. We also know the best DUI attorneys in OTHER states. Call us today, for a FREE lawyer consultation and legal help. 404-567-5515

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE, since most DUI cases have a related administrative suspension (for DUI refusal or for taking a breath alcohol test and being over the legal alcohol limit) that must be APPEALED.