DUI Lawyer -- A Look Inside the Profession

If you are arrested for drinking and driving, chances are you can benefit from hiring a DUI lawyer. These professionals are attorneys who have dedicated their practice to assisting clients who have been arrested for driving under the influence. This is a serious charge which carries harsh penalties in most states. These penalties can range from misdemeanor status to a felony charge that carries time in prison. Being convicted can mean penalties in the real world, as well, making it more difficult to keep a license, get a job, or even keep a family together. Here is a look inside the work a professional attorney does to help someone facing these charges.

Legal Understanding

Anytime an attorney decides to specialize in a particular field of the law, they must become an expert on the subject. This usually happens as a gradual process. For instance, someone in the prosecutor's office may spend years putting drunk drivers behind bars only to realize that their talents may be more useful on the other side of the courtroom. Whatever the path a DUI lawyer takes to get to the top of his profession, they must know a tremendous amount about the history, precedent, and laws regarding their chosen specialty.

Education

Someone wishing to become a DUI lawyer will need to obtain both a four year degree from a college and a law school degree following that. In most cases, law school can be completed in three years, bringing the total education to seven years after graduating high school. If you're interested in going to law school following your Bachelor's Degree, you'll need to take the LSAT, which law schools look at much like regular colleges view the SAT (or ACT). This is a notoriously difficult exam and it isn't uncommon for aspiring lawyers to need multiple attempts to get a good score.

Rights and Procedure

A good DUI lawyer will have particular expertise when it comes to the laws governing an individual's right to be free of illegal search and seizure, rights as it pertains to road stops and breathalyzer tests, and other matters of procedure common to an arrest on these grounds. It is somewhat common for certain pieces of evidence to be thrown out of court due to the police not following correct legal procedure when gathering it. They will also know the best course of action when defending a client and when the opportunity is right to negotiate a plea deal.