Are Most People Surprised At The Collateral Consequences A DUI Conviction Can Have On Their Life?
Yes. That is a common reaction that people have because initially they are focused on the obvious consequences, namely having to serve a jail sentence. Most people have never done so before, and they are not fully aware of what that means. They are also concerned about the license consequences and counseling. They are not necessarily focused on whatever else is going to happen as result of a DUI conviction in the future.
How Can An Attorney Help In This Case?
Attorney Gordon Thompson has been practicing for over 44 years now. Whenever he receives a plea offer from a prosecutor, he puts it in writing and sends it to the client. The letter is not simply a letter about what the plea offer is; it is a letter describing all of the collateral consequences that he has encountered over the years as well.
The purpose of the letter is so the client is fully aware of all consequences before making a decision whether or not to accept the plea offer. This is very important because most people do not anticipate many of the long-term consequences. An attorney can’t tell at the beginning of a case how everything will go, and when they get into the case, what may or may not apply to them. That’s why it’s good to put it in writing so that it will alert them about some things they may not have been aware of.
Why Is It Important To Work With An Experienced Attorney To Fight The DUI Charges Versus Pleading Guilty?
In a DUI case, it’s important to minimize the impact on a person’s life as well as the life of their family. That is imperative to consider. It’s important to work with someone experienced in this arena. There are many little things that can go wrong that you cannot anticipate that can and will have an adverse effect on everyone involved.
There are many consequences that a person does not anticipate and just going in, pleading guilty and finding out about those later is not a wise strategy, both for the defendant as well as their family.
It’s important to work with an attorney who can identify all of the problems as well as the potential problems for the future. You want an attorney who has had experience in working around these problems as opposed to just going in and pleading guilty.
