First Steps to Take in Maryland DUI Cases
Below, a DUI lawyer in Maryland discusses the steps an attorney takes in handling DUI cases and building strong defenses for clients.
Immediate Steps to Take
- First, demand all of the available evidence. If there’s a video, demand that.
- Second, go through the back story on the Breathalyzer machine and the officer’s certifications with a fine-toothed comb to see if there is a way to beat the case.
- Third, help get the individual in front of the right judge.
That’s what any experienced lawyer would do. They have to know what the evidence is in order to know what stance to take in court. How prepared someone is for court matters, as well as who the judge is and who the prosecutor is.
Importance of Hiring An Attorney Immediately
It is definitely important to get an attorney involved as soon as possible. There are certain deadlines for requesting hearings for a driver’s license that happen very quickly in Maryland. An individual needs to request a hearing within ten days of getting the DUI if they want to be able to get a temporary license extended until the date of their hearing.
Talking to a lawyer right away is a very smart idea. It allows the person to have more control over how the driver’s license is handled, and getting a lawyer to look at the evidence early is very helpful as well. If someone does not request the hearing within ten days, then the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) does not have to extend their temporary license until the day of the hearing.
The person can still request a hearing within thirty days, but after the tenth day, the MVA is not obligated to let them continue driving until the hearing. For example, if someone requests a hearing on day 30 following the DUI arrest and never mentioned that they want the temporary license, on day 45 after the incident, their license is then suspended and the hearing may come 30 days after that, so they have gone 30 days without driving before the case could even be heard.
If they bring in an attorney, the attorney can let them know when to request a hearing and also whether or not it makes sense to request one because sometimes it doesn’t. Having a lawyer look at the paperwork and examine what happened can help someone to get on the right track more quickly.
Sometimes a person walks into an attorney’s office and the attorney tells them that it is a good idea to request the hearing and that they should do it as soon as possible. Other times, the attorney might let them know that there is no need to request a hearing and explain the other options. In either case, it is important to have an attorney involved because it can save the client money and possibly get them through the process more quickly.