With the theme of Law and Order running through your head, imagine yourself charged with DUI and going to the prosecutor hat in hand to ask for a plea deal. Not in New Jersey! In New Jersey, DUI’s are prosecuted at the municipal level, and municipal prosecutors simply cannot dismiss or plea down a DUI charge. So why even bother with a lawyer?
1. You need a lawyer to understand your rights and responsibilities related to a DUI charge.
2. Most importantly, you need a lawyer to obtain and review the discovery in the case. Discovery is what the state will use to prove that you were driving while intoxicated. It is your breathalyzer, police reports and any other evidence they obtained. Your ONLY way out of a DUI is if there was something wrong in the way the police managed the DUI (procedure or probable cause) or if you fit into some very limited exceptions carved out in case law. You need a lawyer to determine if these things apply.
3. You need a lawyer to tell you the truth. If there is nothing to hang a challenge on, you want a lawyer to tell you so and then go in and argue for the minimum sentence rather than waste your money trying the case at greater expense when there’s nothing to unravel in the state’s case.
4. A lawyer can help argue for a minimum sentence or a lesser sentence. There are minimum sentences imposed by New Jersey law, but the difference between the minimum and maximum are big enough to fight for.
If you made a mistake. If you had a bad night. If you are full of regret, embarrassed and don’t know what to do. No judgment, just help. Call for a free consultation 856-227-7888 or email [email protected]. We have locations in Camden, Burlington, and Gloucester counties, and are happy to discuss your legal options.