Do I need a lawyer for a DUI/DWI?

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Do I need a lawyer for a DUI/DWI?

I’m in the military this is my first DUI/DWI.

Asked on October 2, 2011 under Criminal Law, North Carolina

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 12 years ago | Contributor

The answer is, "it depends." The main factor is, what is the consequence to your military career of a DUI/DWI conviction? If this is something that  could result in discharge, in not being eligible for a promotion or career path you wanted, etc., then you need to fight it tooth and nail. If you're going to fight, you need a lawyer--an attorney can both seek to exclude evidence (e.g. breathelyzer results), if there was something wrong with the stop, or otherwise attack the strength of the case; and also try to negotiate down to a charge that you can plea to without affecting your career. If you would suffer significant impact from a conviction, then it behooves you to get an attorney to help you. If there would be relatively little impact--and also if, realistically, they have to "dead to rights" with little grounds for you to fight the matter--you may choose to just see how lenient the court will be to a first time offender.


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