First Offense Drunk Driving Charges – What to expect?

The most common question asked by new OWI clients is, “will I go to jail on a first offense?” Although jail time is a primary concern, there is more to consider. A top OWI defense lawyer can protect and defend you.

The Penalties of a First Offense Drunk Driving Conviction and How to Prevent Them

The most common question we are asked by a person charged with first offense drunk driving is, “Will I get jail time?” The answer is probably not in most courts. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, jail should not be given for a first offense so long as an experienced, fearless, and passionate DUI defense attorney represent them. The best defense to a DUI charge and the greatest likelihood of avoiding jail is working with an experienced and successful defense law firm.

Do you need a lawyer for a first offense drunk driving charge?

Zealous and effective representation is more critical than you may think. Although many judges rarely give jail to a first offender, they frequently order years of probation with excessive, burdensome, and expensive conditions. The financial cost and time commitment for therapy, impact panels, testing, alcohol tether, community service, probation appointments, court reviews, and other terms and conditions of probation can be oppressive. One of the most significant problems probationers face is judges that nitpick over even the most technical, and sometimes accidental, variations from probation conditions. Judges who do not order jail time at the original sentences are far more likely to consider incarceration for a violation of probation, even based on a technicality.

The best DWI lawyers spend time not just making sure their clients stay out of jail but also putting forth maximum effort to minimize probation terms and conditions. Terms of probation with complicated and tedious terms and conditions can set the defendant up for failure.

How much jail can be ordered for a first offender charged with drunk driving?

The maximum sentence for a DUI or Impaired Driving in Michigan is 93 days. If a judge is considering a jail sentence, there are alternatives that the judge may find acceptable if offered credibly and persuasively. For example, a judge may be persuaded to suspend a jail sentence, allow work release, consider home confinement, or time in a treatment facility in exceptional circumstances. As previously stated, most judges in Michigan rarely sentence first-time defendants to jail time.

Defense Attorney for DUI First Offense

Whether the charge is your first or not, the Defense Team with LEWIS & DICKSTEIN, P.L.L.C. is ready, willing, and able to protect and defend you. We have decades of experience successfully defending first offenders charged with OWI, DUI, Impaired Driving, and OWPD. In many cases, we have successfully gotten first offenses dismissed or reduced to nonalcohol-related offenses.

Call us if you need assistance with a Michigan DUI charge, and you would like a free consultation with a top criminal defense attorney will contact you. We will take the time to talk with you, answer your questions, and address each of your concerns. Together, we can develop a winning strategy for your case.

Call us today at (248) 263-6800 for a free consultation or complete an online Request for Assistance Form. We will contact you promptly and find a way to help you.