Should you hire a DWI defense attorney to represent you on your San Antonio, TX ? What difference does hiring a DWI defense attorney make? These are common questions after someone is arrested for a DWI in San Antonio, Texas. This blog post will answer these questions and explain why hiring an attorney is an important first step in your DWI defense.
Why Hire a DWI Defense Attorney when a Lawyer was Appointed to Me?
Many times when you are arrested for a DWI the magistrate judge appoints an attorney for you. People spend hours attempting to contact their court-appointed DWI lawyer. The problem is that these lawyers are only appointed to resolve your criminal case. They are paid a very low fee and they cannot reach out to their court-appointed clients. This creates a significant problem because when you are arrested for a DWI important deadlines are triggered. It is NOT the responsibility of a court-appointed lawyer to take care of these important deadlines. Many people miss these deadlines and suffer the consequences of waiting for their court-appointed lawyer to call them back.
Why did I get Appointed an Attorney When I didn’t ask for one?
So why do DWI’s have these weird deadlines that are not the responsibility of the court-appointed lawyer? The State of Texas wants to suspend your license when you are arrested for a DWI. Suspending your license lets them charge more taxes and requires you to take out more insurance. So, dealing with a DWI defense attorney makes this less likely to happen. So, they appoint you a lawyer automatically in the hopes that you won’t hire a DWI defense attorney until it is too late.
What’s the Difference Between a Court Appointed and Hired DWI Attorney?
DWI’s are different than any other criminal case. They are not just criminal cases. Getting arrested for a DWI has CIVIL and CRIMINAL consequences. Waiting to hire a DWI defense attorney can cause permanent damage to your driving record. The State makes this as confusing as possible. When you get arrested for a DWI you are given a document that tells you that your license will be suspended in 40 days. Unless. Unless you request a hearing fourteen (14) days after your arrest. IF you request the hearing and make the request in the manner approved by DPS your license is not suspended until the hearing is lost. This driver’s license suspension hearing is called an ALR (Administrative License Revocation) hearing. If your attorney can win this hearing it is possible that your driver’s license suspension can be avoided.
However, the ALR hearing is valuable by itself. The ALR hearing requires the officer to appear and swear to his police reports. When the officer makes mistakes or testifies untruthfully at the ALR hearing the transcripts can be used to get your DWI (the criminal part of your case) dismissed or as a negotiating tool.
Conclusion
So, hiring a DWI defense attorney puts you in the best position to address both of your problems. It increases your chances of saving your license and increases the chances that you will win your criminal case. We have helped hundreds of people who have been arrested for DWI’s. We have helped save their licenses, we have gotten their cases dismissed and most importantly we have won their DWI trials and gotten them acquitted in front of a jury. Give us a call so we can become your DWI defense attorney today.