A DWI is a serious criminal charge. If convicted, you could face jail time, fines, and other consequences. Therefore, it’s important you have a strong defense from the start. However, even the most prepared attorneys and defendants make mistakes during the course of a DWI defense. If yours is read by the court, it could have serious consequences on your case. The following list covers some common mistakes people make when facing a DWI charge in Houston:
Not Having a Well-Planned and -Timed Arraignment Strategy
Many DWI defenses revolve around “not losing your right to a speedy trial.” In other words, you have the right to ask the court for a speedy trial, and the court must honor that request. If you are not ready for your arraignment, or if you don’t have a good argument as to why you can’t be arraigned on time, you may lose that right.If you’re facing a DWI charge, you should have a lawyer who understands the importance of a speedy arraignment. If you don’t have a lawyer and you ask for a speedy arraignment, you could lose your right to a speedy arraignment. If you don’t have a lawyer and you can’t be arraigned soon enough, the only thing you can do is ask the court to dismiss the case.
Not Hiring a Certified Legal Specialist to Handle Your Case
This mistake is closely related to the previous one. If you don’t have a certified and experienced lawyer to handle your DWI case, you may be unprepared for your arraignment. This could, in effect, be the same mistake as not having a speedy arraignment strategy.Many DWI defenses revolve around “not losing your right to a speedy trial.” In other words, you have the right to ask the court for a speedy trial, and the court must honor that request. If you don’t have a lawyer who understands the importance of a speedy arraignment, you may lose that right.
Failing to Hire a Criminal Defense Attorney in the First Place
This mistake is among the most common. Unfortunately, there are many people in the legal profession who don’t specialize in the area of criminal defense. If you have a DWI defense, you need a lawyer who knows the laws, the courts, and the judges in the Houston area. If you have a lawyer who doesn’t specialize in DWI defense, you could be at a serious disadvantage.For example, if you need to subpoena records from your doctor, a non-DWI specialist may not know where to look or what to subpoena. Instead of helping you, they may push you towards a plea deal, or make you feel as though you’re doing something wrong because it doesn’t seem like they know what they’re doing.
Having the Wrong Criminal Defense Attorney Representing You
This mistake is closely related to the previous one. If you don’t have the right DWI defense attorney representing you, you may not get the best result. It’s important to hire a lawyer who specializes in DWI defense. If you don’t have that, you could end up with a lawyer who doesn’t understand the law or the types of defenses available to you.For example, if you need to subpoena records from your doctor, a non-DWI specialist may not know where to look or what to subpoena. Instead of helping you, they may push you towards a plea deal, or make you feel as though you’re doing something wrong because it doesn’t seem like they know what they’re doing.
Having the Wrong Criminal Defense Strategy From the Start
Many DWI defenses revolve around “not losing your right to a speedy trial.” In other words, you have the right to ask the court for a speedy trial, and the court must honor that request. If you don’t have a strategy from the start, you could be missing out on a lot of opportunities.If you don’t have a strategy from the start, you could be missing out on a lot of opportunities. For example, if the officer who arrested you failed to perform a field sobriety test, you could use that to your advantage. If you don’t have a strategy in place, you could miss out on that opportunity.
Not Understanding the Legal System and the Judges in Your Area
If you don’t understand the legal system and the judges in your area, you could make some very costly mistakes. You may not understand, for example, when your case is set for a hearing. If you don’t understand when a hearing is, you’ll likely miss it, which could lead to you losing your right to a speedy trial.If you don’t understand the legal system and the judges in your area, you may not know how long your trial is supposed to last. You may also not know how often you’re allowed to make oral arguments, or how often you’re allowed to make written arguments. If you don’t understand these things, you may not be able to make an effective argument for your defense.
Conclusion
A DWI defense is serious, and there are many potential mistakes you could make. It’s important to have a strategy and to have the right people on your side with experience in this type of case. If you don’t have a lawyer and you don’t hire the right lawyer, you could miss out on a lot of opportunities.If you’re facing a DWI charge, it’s important to have a strong defense from the start. Make sure that you have a lawyer who understands the importance of a speedy trial, a speedy arraignment, and a speedy resolution. Make sure that you have a DWI defense strategy ready, and make sure you understand the legal system and the judges in your area. A good defense is crucial in these types of cases, and it could mean the difference between a win and a loss. These mistakes are easy to avoid with the right DWI defense strategy in place.