When Do I Need a Lawyer?
IF YOU OR YOUR ATTORNEY DO NOT ACT WITHIN TEN (10) DAYS OF THE DUI ARREST, YOU MAY FOREVER WAIVE YOUR RIGHT TO CHALLENGE YOUR LICENSE SUSPENSION.
Your DUI ticket may serve as your license for the ten days following your arrest assuming your license was valid before you were stopped. As long as you otherwise had a valid license, we can promptly get you a temporary license (in most cases) which will typically allow you to drive until we attend your administrative hearing. Delays can be costly! All too often clients wait for weeks, if not months, to hire us by which time certain information and evidence that could have been obtained had they hired us sooner is no longer available diminishing defenses that may have otherwise been viable. Many people wait until their first court date or when they get notice of their first court date; in our opinion, based upon our training, education and experience, waiting can prove to be a huge mistake.
When you are accused of driving (or boating) while impaired, you are facing proceedings in criminal court that can result in severe sanctions including jail time and the loss of your driver license. In addition to your criminal case, you will also have to immediately confront an administrative suspension of your driving privileges by the Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles. If you do not request a formal review hearing within ten days of your arrest you may forever lose your ability to contest the administrative suspension. Even if you win your criminal case, you will still lose your license if you do not act quickly in response to the administrative suspension! If you gave a breath sample that registered as a .08 or higher, your license may be suspended for a minimum period of 6 months. If you refused to provide a breath, blood or urine test, your license may be suspended for at least one year. If you ever refused a breath, blood or urine test in the past your license can be suspended for 18 months.
Your only opportunity to win your driver license back as if the suspension never happened is winning the formal review hearing. This is not an easy thing to do under Florida’s current law. It would be wise to have skilled, trained and knowledgeable lawyers fighting for you.
Since you only have TEN (10) days from the date of your arrest to request your Formal Review Hearing you must ACT FAST! Should you timely hire us to represent you in criminal charges, we can file for and represent you at your Formal Review Hearing as well.
