A reputable and trusted Houston drunk driving lawyer is essential to have if you’ve had the unfortunate experience of getting a DWI for the very first time in your life. Chances are you’re probably asking yourself repeatedly how something like this could have happened to you, especially since you never even planned on having so much to drink in the first place. However, everyone kept egging you on to have those one or two extra drinks by telling you that it “wouldn’t hurt you too much” – except it ended up getting you pulled over by the police on your way home and arrested for a DWI, or driving while intoxicated. You now need a Houston drunk driving lawyer that you can count on.
Something like a DWI can carry many different consequences not just financially and emotionally, but health-wise as well. Ensuring that you hire a Houston drunk driving lawyer will help you get back on the right track to living your life the way that you want to and the way that you should be. No one ever expects to get a DWI, and the very first one can be an experience that is extremely trying and stressful to go through. With the right attorney, you will be defended as professionally, ethically, and vigorously as possible in accordance with the laws of both the city of Houston and the entire state of Texas.
Possible consequences that come with a DWI include the following:
*Jail time
*Driver’s license suspension
*Installation of a breathalyzer in your vehicle
The key word in the aforementioned sentence is “possible,” as any reputable Houston drunk driving lawyer will work tirelessly to lessen the severity of the charges against you, which increases the likelihood that some or even all of these consequences, as well as the whole case itself, could be eliminated entirely.
Even better is the fact that before you make the decision to hire any attorney to assist you with your case, you can request a free consultation with them to discuss all of the different matters pertaining to it. The attorney will go over exactly what they can do to help you, which will further help you narrow down all of your decision-making and figure out who you think is the Houston DWI attorney to go with.
In the event that you do get arrested for a DWI, what’s the worst that could happen? Well, for starters, you could potentially end up in jail for anywhere from 72 hours to even up to six days, even if you have an open container of alcohol in your vehicle. Even worse, if you’re convicted of a DWI, you will receive a Class B Misdemeanor on your permanent record and will have to pay a fine of no more than $2,000, as well as a DPS-mandated surcharge of no more than $1,000 per year for three years following your arrest. Failure to pay this fine will result in your driver’s license being suspended by DPS. On the other hand, if your BAC, or blood alcohol content, was twice the legal limit, which is 0.16 in the state of Texas, your driver’s license will be suspended for a period of one year; however, you can avoid the suspension if you complete 12 hours of mandatory DWI education classes, but only if you are placed on probation. Furthermore, other probationary terms include being sentenced to up to 100 hours of community service and more.
If you’re a first-time offender who’s been arrested for a DWI or have had a clean record prior to being arrested for one, the chances are very good that you won’t receive a great deal of punishment as opposed to repeat offenders. However, there are other important factors to keep in mind that could change that, such as the following:
*Having an open container of alcohol in your vehicle
*Having a child younger than 15 years of age in your vehicle
*Your blood alcohol content is twice the legal limit
All in all, a Houston drunk driving lawyer will help you to minimize some or all of the different penalties that come with an arrest of this magnitude, and will also help you get through the entire process with as much ease as possible. If you’re a first-time offender, they can also potentially help you to avoid going to trial completely by convincing the judge to put you into a pre-trial diversion program, which can result in the case getting dismissed if you successfully complete it. And if the case does go to trial, your attorney can do their best to convince the judge to go easy on you and try to minimize your overall punishment.