An overview of DWI charges in TexasApril 24th, 2012The State of Texas treats driving-while-intoxicated (DWI) cases seriously. This includes Houston, Texas, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Some commonly refer to DWI as “drunk driving.” People, and embarrassingly some lawyers, who do not know any better refer to DWI as DUI. DWI Charge and Penalties A DWI occurs if a motorist has a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08% or higher. You can be still be charged with DWI with a lower BAC if you operate a motor vehicle and lack your normal mental and physical faculties. That’s why it’s often a lose-lose to do a breath test. Because even if you pass and blow below a .08, you can still be charged with DWI! Even a first offense for drunk driving in Texas can lead to fines, jail, loss of license, community service. Enhanced penalties, such as alcohol rehabilitation, mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device, and lengthy jail sentences can occur if you have prior DWI’s or caused bodily injury. A conviction for Texas DWI is no slap on the wrist—it can lead to loss of auto insurance or very high premiums, and thousands of dollars in fees to the Department of Public Safety each year for three years just to renew your driver’s license. These charges are called DWI “surcharges.” And just try to find a job, with a DWI conviction, that involves driving. The good news is that, even if you’ve been charged with DWI, all is not lost. In fact, your job is just beginning. You must find the best DWI attorney in Houston, Texas, that you can afford to fight the case. This is no time to mess around with your freedom or future. ALR Hearing Under Texas law, two cases will be filed against you after an arrest for DWI in Harris County, Texas. One is a criminal case, resolved in the criminal courtroom. The second is a civil case that will seek to suspend your driver’s license. They are two very separate cases with different timelines. You must petition for this civil hearing within 15 days of the date of your arrest or you will automatically lose your license. In case if you or someone you know has been arrested for DUI or DWI in Texas, you need an experienced attorney to represent your case. Do not wait to hire a DWI / DUI lawyer with topnotch experience and proven results. Contact Harris County DWI / DUI attorney Neal Davis now for a free initial consultation or email him or call him at 713-227-4444 any time. Free consultation; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!!! Being accused of a crimeApril 20th, 2012Being accused of a crime can simply destroy everything you have worked so hard to earn in your life. You will end up losing your name, reputation, career, time, family and many more. Even if you are found not guilty, the stigma of a criminal accusation follows you around until it is erased from your record. The method of erasing your record is via an expunction. Such an expunction allows you, if it is granted, to legally deny even ever being arrested. If you are charged with a crime, you must find Houston criminal attorneys who are Board Certified in Criminal Law and who know how to handle your type of case. After all, you would never hire a doctor to perform surgery if he had never done it before. That is, unless you want to be guinea pig so the doctor (or Houston criminal lawyer) can gain experience at your expense. Hiring a criminal attorney is not like buying a television. You don’t shop around for the cheapest price. Rather, you need to hire the best qualified lawyer that you can afford. This is not the time to pinch pennies and hope for the best. In short, you get what you pay for, particularly when it comes to criminal lawyers. The best Houston criminal lawyers are not cheap; and the cheap Houston criminal attorneys are not the best. A professional and experienced Houston criminal defense lawyer will educate his defendant on all the aspects pertaining to the case. A good attorney-client relationship is imperative. Knowledge is power, and you and your attorney both are on the same team and need to know what you are confronting. Other characteristics of a good criminal lawyer: his reputation (including actually trying cases), whether he is Board Certified in criminal law, whether he is a good negotiator, and whether he has a history of getting results. This is the case whether the criminal lawyer deals with State law or is a federal criminal attorney that handles federal criminal charges. |
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