Getting caught driving under the influence can be extremely nerve-wracking, particularly if you’ve never been in a similar situation before. To make sure you have the biggest chance possible of a good outcome, you should get in touch with experienced DUI attorneys local to Colonial Park, PA. They will help you fight for your rights and lay out your case in a way that is likely to get it dismissed.

But what do you need to tell your attorney before they can get started? Which factors could influence your case significantly? There are many different aspects that can make a difference, so you should try to answer all your lawyer’s questions honestly. Today, we’ll look at some of the most common issues that might come up and how you can best respond.

What Do My Harrisburg, PA DUI Attorneys Need to Know?

Before taking you on as a client, your attorney will invite you to an initial consultation, during which they can evaluate your situation and find out more about what happened. This meeting can serve to figure out whether you and the lawyer will make a good team and whether you will be comfortable working with them on your case for many months.

Try to be as honest and upfront as you can when speaking about what happened. It’s important to remember that small details that might seem irrelevant to you could give your attorney an idea about how to lay out your case. They won’t ask you any questions that aren’t relevant, so try your best to give them clear answers. You should also bring any evidence you already have, such as photos or video footage and medical records.

Prior Convictions

One of the most important factors the judge will consider is whether you have been in a similar situation before. They know that everyone can make a mistake once, but if they see a pattern of DUI convictions, they might consider you a much bigger risk and make the punishment accordingly harsh. For this reason, you’ll always need to tell your lawyer if you have been convicted in the past.

It doesn’t matter if it was a DUI issue or something else. A good attorney will know how your prior issues with the law will affect this case, and they can adjust their strategy and your expectations accordingly. If you can, you should bring as much documentation about your previous convictions as possible, as this can help the lawyer get a better picture of what happened and what the verdict was.

Who Saw You Drinking?

When trying to prove that you were intoxicated while driving, the prosecutor might try to find as many witnesses as possible. This could include friends, family members, or other people who saw you drinking or doing drugs on the day of the incident. If there were people around who witnessed you getting drunk, you will need to tell your attorney because this could affect the outcome of your case.

Similarly, you should tell your lawyer who you were with if you believe that you are innocent. There might be people who were around you and who can help prove that you did not behave irresponsibly. Talk your lawyer through where you were and what you were doing in the hours before you got stopped, so they can figure out whom to get in touch with.

What Did You Say During the Stop?

When you’re stopped by the police, anything you say can be used against you. For this reason, it’s often best to remain silent and wait for your attorney to speak for you. However, this isn’t always possible, especially if you believe that you shouldn’t have been stopped and that the situation was unfair. You might have become angry or defensive.

No matter what happened, let your lawyer know. Remember that they aren’t here to judge, and they can’t help you competently unless you are honest about what happened during the incident. What’s more, you should speak about how the officers behaved. One of the easiest ways to get your case thrown out is if the police acted outside of the law during your conviction. For this reason, you will need to go into detail when speaking about the stop.

Did You Do a Test?

Most often, people convicted for DUI will be advised to take a test that measures your blood alcohol levels. Let your DUI attorneys in Colonial Park, PA know whether you took one and if so, what the outcome was. This is likely to have a great impact on how your case progresses, so it’s vital that you mention it.

There are certain protocols that need to be followed when administering this kind of test. If the authorities didn’t follow them, the result might not be valid. Give your lawyer a detailed account of everything that happened to find out if this was the case in your situation.

Medical Conditions

Another way your case could get dismissed is by arguing that a medical condition affected the results of your test and it was therefore inaccurate. For this reason, you should always bring all your medical records with you when you come to speak to a lawyer about a DUI case. Your professional can then evaluate whether there is a chance the test was skewed due to your medical history, which can make your situation much simpler and more clear-cut.

What Will Your Attorney Do with the Information?

At the end of the initial consultation, your lawyer might tell you what they think about your case and how likely it is to be dismissed. There might already be an obvious issue with the way you were treated or the test that was administered, in which case it could be straightforward. However, even if it’s not, hiring a great lawyer can be worth it because they can help to significantly reduce the penalty you might face.

Getting Your Case Dismissed

DUI is treated very seriously in Pennsylvania, and you might face not only a hefty fine, but also probation or even prison time. For this reason, proving your innocence or getting your case dismissed is key. A competent lawyer will have many different ways of achieving this. They might argue that the test you took was inaccurate, that your medical condition skewed the result, or that the officers conducting the test were not qualified to do so.

Another great strategy is to prove that the police didn’t adhere to the law when detaining you. They might have kept you too long or not read out all your rights, which can often be enough to get the case thrown out. The best way to find out more is to get in touch with your lawyer and give them all the relevant information pertaining to your case.