Hyattsville DUI Lawyer
Not every defense attorney knows how to fight a drunk driving charge. Our Hyattsville DUI lawyers never simply do the bare minimum to obtain a lesser penalty. Rather, we strive to avoid the conviction entirely and the consequences that follow.
Therefore if you have been charged with a DUI or DWI, contact a defense attorney in Hyattsville to schedule an immediate and free consultation. We have assisted clients with drunk driving charges throughout the State of Maryland avoid jail time and keep their driving privileges.
Building a DUI Defense
The Hyattsville DUI attorneys with our firm have represented numerous individuals facing drunk driving charges. We have represented clients from all walks of life, be it college students receiving their first DUI charge, to repeat defenders facing DUI charges for the second, third or even fourth time. We have also representated clients who have commercial licenses whose employment and ability to earn a living depends on successfully overcoming DUI charges.
Our legal team consists of seasoned courtroom attorneys who have obtained dismissals and jury acquittals by attacking various aspects of the stop and arrest. Did the officers have probable cause to conduct the traffic stop? Did the officer conduct field sobriety tests improperly? Was the Breathalyzer test properly administered and is it reliable? Was the blood, breath or urine sample compromised?
First Offense DUI Charges
For a first-offense DUI/DWI, incarceration is unlikely with the exception of a few circumstances:
- The driver has an extremely high BAC (blood alcohol content)
- A child was in the car at the time of the DUI/DWI
- Another party was injured following an accident
Regardless of the severity or underlying circumstances, a conviction may mean license suspension, a misdemeanor record, fines, assessment for alcohol addiction and sharply higher auto insurance rates. A Hyattsville DUI lawyer can help take steps to negotiate a probation before judgment, which keeps the conviction off your record if you stay clean for a specified period and avoids a point-accumulation suspension so no points will go on your driving record for a probation before judgment.
Repeat or Subsequent DUI Offenses
For someone facing their second, third or even fourth DUI/DWI, mandatory incarceration and lengthy license revocation may apply. Prosecutors can additionally seek enhanced fines and penalties for each subsequent DUI/DWI conviction. The Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) can also demand an ignition interlock for repeat offenders or offenders with a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 or above.
Breath Test Refusal
In Maryland, refusing to submit to a Breathalyzer following an arrest may result in the automatic suspension of your license, and there are only a few ways to challenge this automatic revocation. Our DUI attorneys in Hyattsville have repeatedly and successfully challenged suspensions of individuals’ driving privileges for failure to submit to a Breathalyzer and will fight to keep you on the road.
MVA License Hearings
Unlike a DUI/DWI charge, which is a criminal case and can carry fines and jail time, a suspension or revocation of your Maryland driver’s license is a separate proceeding civil proceeding. You can win your criminal court case and still lose ad your MVA (Motor Vehicle Administration) hearing, and vice versa.
Our Maryland DUI lawyers will fight to help you keep your license, shorten any suspension imposed, or even obtain a restricted use license that would allow you to drive to work or school. You have 30 days to file a request for a hearing, however, if you request an MVA hearing within 10 days of arrest, you will be able to keep driving until your administrative hearing is resolved, which often is months down the road.