DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

There was a time when, if you were charged DUI, you could go to Court, announce nolo when your name was called, pay a fine of $150.00, and drive off like you drove in, without any problems. My friend, those days are gone with the wind.

Penalties for DUI cases in Georgia are varied and oppressive.

In many cases, the state will suspend your driver’s license even before you go to court. You only have 10 business days from the arrest date to request a hearing to extend your driving privileges if your case fall into this category.

Of course the Lawyers first question is, Can we win the D.U.I., or some of the other charges? If not, How can we minimize your sentence, and perhaps save you some money? You will discover that your Lawyer is the only person involved who is trying to keep you out of jail, get charges dismissed, and save you time and money.

The prosecutor is there to prosecute you; he is not on your side. Theoretically, the Judge is supposed to be fair and impartial, he is not on your side either. Make no mistake! Your Lawyer is the only one involved who is on your side. Representation is so important, that the court will tell you that if you can't afford a Lawyer, the court will appoint you one. They do forget to mention however, that if you don't go to jail, most courts will require that you reimburse the State as part of your probation, for the cost of attorney's fees. In other words, they pick your Lawyer...and you pay for him. If you have to pay for the lawyer…you ought to pick him.

D.U.I. cases have become very serious and very complicated. The only way to properly evaluate your case is to sit down with all the paper work and review the facts with a Lawyer who is thoroughly familiar with the current D.U.I. Law for the state of Georgia. What I've covered in this web site doesn't begin to cover all the possible outcomes of a set of traffic charges. And please don't rely on your neighbor's advice even if he swears his case was just like yours. Or, a television report that may be quoting the current D.U.I. law for New Guinea.

This brings me to another point! One of Georgia's new D.U.I. laws calls for your license to be suspended 30 days after the arrest even if you haven't been to court. In order for us to help you, you must come in immediately, and we must request a hearing within 10 business days of the arrest.

I will be happy to sit down with you and evaluate your case absolutely free...it won't cost you a thing, but I cannot do this over the telephone, nor by E-mail. All you have to do to get your free appointment is call …770-461-4882 for an office appointment.

Don't go to court hoping your next door neighbor knew what he was talking about when he gave you legal advice. And don't leave court saying I should have gotten a Lawyer. Call 770 461-4882 for that free appointment. Remember the sooner you come in, the more we can help.

* GEORGIA DUI PENALTIES *

Note: You could be sentenced to a year in jail and fined up to $1,000.00 for any dui that you are found guilty of or plea guilty to. What you really want to know is what you are likely to be sentenced to. Below is an estimated approximate sentence based upon a the current trend of metro Atlanta courts.

An in-depth interview with a DUI Lawyer may suggest a greatly different estimated sentence.

Penalties	1 st DUI in a 5 year period	2 nd DUI in a 5 year period	3 or more DUI’s in 5 year period
Jail Time	24 Hrs is typical in most courts	72 Hrs to 10 days is typical	15 days to 60 days on a 3 rd. Six months to a year for 4 or more
Community Service	40 hrs is the minimum and is also the typical	30 days is the minimum and is also the typical	30 days is the minimum and is the typical
Fines *	$750.00 to $1,000.00	$750.00 to $1,000.00	$1,000.00 to $5,000.00
DUI School **	Needed to get your Driver’s License Back	Needed to get your Driver’s License Back	Needed to get your HV Permit and Driver’s License Back
Alcohol Rehab ***	Usually Not.	Very Likely. But you will have to attend to get your license back	Very likely. But you will have to attend to get your license back
Inter-lock device ****	Probably Not	Yes	Yes
Probation	Yes	Yes	Yes
Driver’s License Suspension	One Year. Possible early reinstatement after 120 days.Possible work permit.	Three Years. Possible early reinstatement after 18 months.No permit for 12 Months,	Five Years. No permit for at least 24 Months.
Declared Habitual Violator	Possible with other convictions	Possible with other convictions	YES
Picture Published in Local Paper	No	Yes	Yes
* DUI fines have five or six add-ons for various organizations as provided by law. The above estimated fines do not have these various add-ons added in. Virtually all courts assess these add-ons. However, most courts have probation, which will accommodate monthly payments on your fines.
* * Whether the DUI school is made of part of the sentence of the court or not really doesn't really matter, the law requires you attend DUI school for any DUI conviction in order to get your driver's license re-instated.
* With a second or more DUI in a five year period, you must attend a Department of Human Resources approved Evaluator for Alcohol and Drug Addiction** and complete whatever treatment that is suggested in order to get your driver’s license re-instated. This is a requirement of the state law whether the court orders it or not.
* With a second or more DUI in a five year period, you must attend a Department of Human Resources approved Evaluator for Alcohol and Drug Addiction** and complete whatever treatment that is suggested in order to get your driver’s license re-instated. This is a requirement of the state law whether the court orders it or not.
*****Georgia law now requires 12 months minimum probation on any DUI. That means at least 12 months. The first 12 months cannot be terminated early.

[Home] [Biographical sketch] [Criminal] [DUI/DWI] [Georgia DUI Penalties] [10 Day Law] [Non Contested Divorce] [Name Change] [Will] [Office Location] [Links][7 Reasons to Hire a Lawyer]

ALCOHOL- DRUG RISK REDUCTION PROGRAM

Better Known as DUI School

Cost	Evaluation	$ 75.00
	20 Hour Program		$175.00
	Course Materials		$ 15.00
	Total Cost		$265.00

CLAYTON COUNTY

A-1 DUI & Defensive Driving School /7144 Tara Blvd. Jonesboro, Ga.	770.603.6427
Rightway Driver Clinic #2/ 7594 Ga. Hwy 85 Riverdale, Ga.	770.473.0000

COWETA COUNTY

Calico Driver Improvement Clinic /17 LaGrange Street, Grantville, Ga.	1.800.794.1229
Newnan Calico Risk Reduction / Taylor Court Suite 14, Newnan, Ga	770.304.0855

FAYETTE COUNTY

Rightway Driver Clinic, Inc/ 720 North Glynn Street, Suite H,

Fayetteville, Ga. 30214

770.460.6304

HENRY COUNTY

Henry County Alcohol & Drug Risk Reduction Program

112 West Burk Street, Stockbridge, Ga.

770.389.7819

Rightway Driver Clinic, Inc. 5039 North Henry Blvd., Stockbridge, Ga.

770.389.3847

SPALDING COUNTY

McIntosh Trail Safety Action Program/ 141 West Solomon Street, Griffin, Ga.

770.229.3078

OK Driver Improvement Clinic/ 604 West Popular Street, Griffin, Ga.

770.412.0727