Drunk Driving & Negotiation

The greatest task being placed before drunk driving attorneys has less and less to do with evidence. As attorneys have succeeded in carving up successful prosecutions of drunk and impaired driving, public criticism has not been nascent. Instead, the limits of impairment have dropped lower and lower, enabling fine distinctions in challenging DUI test equipment to become less and less effective. In many ways, so-called ‘zero tolerance’ laws have been a response to the success of drunk driving attorneys, and habitual drunk drivers. In reality, few common criminal charges have the potential for being more costly to a defendant than a poorly prepared drunk driving attorney. Though few attorneys will make a promise as to results, it is fair to ask what range of results are likely.

As drunk driving has traditionally been a misdemeanor, courts have normally had more flexibility in working closely with attorneys to find negotiated plans to address the offense, and its underlying problems. More states, however, have begun treating DUI as a felony...especially for more than one offense. Drunk driving attorneys thus require high levels of sophistication in all facets of practice, including criminal defense. Negotiating skills are especially essential, while some of the most successful drunk driving lawyers have worked as police officers. Thus, one of the most critical areas of inquiry before hiring a lawyer is learning their knowledge of the prosecution. This knowledge is not open to negotiation.