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Kent DUI Lawyers

• James Newton: If you are convicted of drunk driving in Washington State, even as a 1st offense, you will go to jail. In addition to mandatory jail time, your driver's license will be suspended for one year. When you get your license back, you will have to post a $60,000 cash bond or carry expensive high risk insurance. You will have to have an ignition interlock device installed in any car you drive. You will be on probation for five years‹60 months‹always at risk of going back to jail for a violation. Prior drunk-driving offenses and mandatory minimum sentences A prior conviction, deferred prosecution, or charges reduced to negligent driving, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, DUI, physical control, vehicular assault, or vehicular homicide may result in enhanced penalties for later convictions. Our lawyers work with prosecutors and judges to protect our clients from future risk. DUI and a Washington State commercial driver's license (CDL) If you have a Washington State CDL and are charged with drunk driving, even if you are driving a family car at the time, you may lose your CDL. It is extremely important to have an experienced attorney handle all aspects of the case to see that you get the best outcome possible. Talk to a lawyer at the first opportunity after a drunk-driving arrest Do not make any statement to a police or highway patrol officer until you have talked to a lawyer. Let your attorney speak on your behalf and preserve your chance for the best possible outcome. Depending on the circumstances, charges may be dropped or reduced, you may get a not-guilty verdict at trial, or you may get a favorable sentencing option.
• Mark Prothero: You have the right to be arraigned without unnecessary delay after being arrested. You will appear before a judge who will tell you officially of the charges against you at your arraignment. At the arraignment, an attorney may be appointed for you if you cannot afford one, and bail can be raised or lowered. You also can ask to be released on personal recognizance, even if bail was previously set. If you are charged with a misdemeanor, you can plead guilty or not guilty at the arraignment. Or, if the court approves, you can make an "Alford plea", meaning that you will not contest the charges. Legally, this has the same consequences as a guilty plea. I would not advise people to plead guilty without speaking with an attorney. Before pleading guilty to some first time offenses, such as misdemeanor domestic violence or drug possession in small amounts for personal use, you may want to find out if your county has any diversion programs. Under these programs, instead of fining you or sending you to jail, the court may order you to get counseling which can result in dismissal of the charges if you complete the counseling. If misdemeanor charges are not dropped, a trial will be held later in a county district court or city municipal court. If you are charged with a felony, you will plead not guilty at the arraignment and proceed to a pre-trial, or case-scheduling, hearing.
• >Dore & Dore: If you were stopped for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) anywhere in the Seattle area including King County or Pierce County, you need to contact an attorney immediately. In most cases you only have 30 days to request a hearing with the Department of Licensing (DOL) to contest your driver¹s license forfeiture. Drunk driving convictions can have a devastating impact on you life. Do not let a mistake alter your life.
• Erik Kaeding: Defendant's Rights During Sentencing The defendant has the right to be present and the right to a speedy sentencing. The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution has been found to afford such a right. However, the amount of time in which a defendant is required to wait prior to sentencing is not defined. The defendant may have the opportunity to speak at his sentencing. Others may also be permitted to speak on behalf of the defendant. Witnesses may also speak on behalf of a victim, if one exists. However, even if the defendant is permitted to speak at his sentencing, he is not required to speak. The defendant's failure to speak at his sentencing does not give the court free rein to enhance the defendant's sentence on that basis. The defendant also has a right to be represented by counsel during sentencing. Sentencing constitutes a critical juncture in which representation by counsel is available.
• Terry Law Firm: Ordinary crime has long been considered to be the concern of state government. States are authorized to protect their citizens from criminal activity by prosecution of common law and legislatively created crimes. The federal government, on the other hand, has a limited jurisdiction and must link any crimes it prosecutes to its powers under the Constitution. The most commonly used powers to support federal criminal legislation are the commerce power, the taxing power, and the postal power. While Congress has used these powers all along to define crimes, there has been an explosion of federally created crimes in the last half of the 20th century. Most of the laws controlling white-collar crime, like the RICO Act and the Victims and Witnesses Protection Act have been passed since 1950. In addition, Congress has become increasingly involved in the "war on drugs" with the creation of various drug statutes. Due to the severity of the penalties, many local prosecutors prefer to have drug charges prosecuted in federal court rather than file state charges. Most federal laws have as their rationale that the particular crime addressed needs a uniform response from the whole country or that it would be impossible to prosecute on a state-by-state basis. Federal gun laws provide uniformity, and federal computer laws make it possible to punish Internet crime. The federal Constitution has always played a role in criminal law because it defines important individual rights that must be preserved even in a state prosecution of a state crime. The right to a trial by jury in open court, the right to cross-examine witnesses, the right to remain silent, the presumption of innocence, the right to be represented by a lawyer, and the right to be free of cruel or unusual punishment, are part of every state legal system in part because they are guaranteed by the Constitution. States are required to pay for attorneys for indigent offenders, and federal judges provide oversight to state prisons because of these constitutional requirements.
• Stewart, Beall & MacNichols: It is also unlawful to drive with your "normal faculties" impaired. "Normal faculties" are those faculties of a person, such as the ability to walk, talk, judge distances, drive an automobile, make judgements, act in emergencies, etc.
• Kirshenbaum & Goss: Imagine if your right to drive were taken away. How would you get to work? Could you hold a job? How would you take care of family needs? If you are facing a state Department of Licensing hearing following a criminal charge such as reckless driving, DUI/DWI, or driving while suspended, you should have legal representation to ensure that your right to drive is protected.
• McClure & Associates: DUI is a serious offense with very severe consequences. Jail time, stiff fines, license revocation, probation and increased insurance costs are some of the consequences of being found guilty of DUI. Society and the courts have declared war on the DUI driver.