Arizona DUI Lawyer

What is an Arizona DUI lawyer?

An Arizona DUI lawyer is, barred in the State of Arizona, who represents clients who have been charged with Driving Under the Influence of alcohol. DUI is serious offense and although it is not categorized as a criminal offense it can have long standing ramifications to your employment, driving, finances, and education far into the future.

A DUI in Arizona is categorized as impairment due to the consumption of alcohol of 0.08% blood alcohol content. Depending on your weight and gender it could take as little as 1 alcoholic beverage to put you over the 0.08 threshold. It is often the case that someone who just goes out to dinner and has a glass of wine, or two, will be pulled over and arrested for a DUI. Arizona also holds a different set of penalties for those who are found to have a blood alcohol content of 0.15% to 0.19% and a category of DUI known as “Super Extreme” DUI for those found with a BAC at .2% or more.

When this happens you will definitely need the help of an Arizona DUI Lawyer. Arizona DUI lawyers know the ins and outs of representing you in a DUI case, the strategies involved, what questions to ask, and how to investigate the matter thoroughly so that you will stay out of prison and maintain your driving privileges.

The penalties associated with a DUI in Arizona include:

1st offense: up to an $1800 fine; between 10 and 180 days imprisonment; suspension of driver’s license for 90 days; and a mandatory ignition lock, installed at the owners, for 1 year after the driver’s license is reinstated.

2nd offense: $3,500 fine; 90 to 180 days imprisonment; suspension of driver’s license for up to 1 year; and a mandatory ignition lock, installed at the owners , for 1 year after the driver’s license is reinstated.

3rd offense (or driving w/ a suspended license): a minimum of 4 months imprisonment; up to $150,000 in fines; suspension of driver’s license for 3 years; and a mandatory ignition lock, installed at the owners , for 1 year after the driver’s license is reinstated.

These fines and penalties are higher if the BAC is 0.15% or above. For the purposes of determining the offense number, a prior DUI conviction is one that occurred within 7 years. All of the fines associated with DUI do not include the cost of jail time; which is borne by the individual.

Why do I need an Arizona DUI lawyer?

If you, or somebody you know, are arrested for Driving Under the Influence then it is imperative that they contact an Arizona DUI lawyer immediately. Driving Under the Influence of alcohol has a stigma attached to it unlike most any other violation, even some felonies. Hiring an Arizona DUI lawyer will not only keep you out of jail and keep your driving privileges but an Arizona DUI lawyer can make it so you don’t have to be shamed by a DUI charge, pay higher insurance premiums or risk losing employment or education opportunities.

There are many different ways that an Arizona DUI lawyer can help you in attacking your DUI charge. The Arizona DUI lawyer will be able to get the records for calibration of the machine, argue the invalidity of testing, illegal searches and stops, studies proving the invalidity of breathalyzers, and arguing the disciplinary record of the police officer who conducted the arrest.

Some Arizona DUI lawyers will tell you that you should always refuse a breath test. Although this is something that you will want to discuss with an Arizona DUI lawyer; refusing to take a breathalyzer test is considered an assumption of DUI and you will be arrested. On the other hand, if refuse to take a breathalyzer test then there will be no evidence of your intoxication other than police reports, video from the police department, results of field sobriety and the testimony of the police officers. Refusal to take a breathalyzer or field sobriety test cannot be used against you in court by law; it is deemed to be a violation of your 5th amendment right against self-incrimination and the prosecution may not use your failure to perform the test as a showing of guilt in the same way that he, or she, may not deem your failure to testify in your own trial as an assumption of guilt. Your Arizona DUI lawyer will know have the best answers to determine what is the best route.

If you are, in fact, driving under the influence of alcohol an Arizona DUI lawyer will be in the best position to help you plead down your penalties. The penalties associated with fines, imprisonment, and revocation of licenses is a “not more than” standard. This means that you cannot be penalized for more than the designated period of time but the penalty can be anywhere below that. Your Arizona DUI lawyer will be able to argue on your behalf to get penalties reduced so that you can drive to work, stay out of prison, or even get license suspensions reduced.

Where do I find Arizona DUI lawyers?

If you live in Arizona, or your offense has taken place in Arizona, and you need an Arizona DUI lawyer there are many routes you can take. If you feel that the search for an Arizona DUI lawyer is overwhelming, or you don’t have the time to make a detailed search then you may want to take advantage of a referral service. The Arizona Bar Association can help you. There are two referral services that you can access. Those are in Maricopa and Pima counties. You can contact the Maricopa service by calling 602-257-4434; and the Pima service at 520-623-4625. The service is free to use and can be very helpful in retaining an Arizona DUI lawyer.

Laws-Info.com also has a valuable referral service. Going to the top of this page and clicking on the “find a lawyer” link you will access the laws.com referral service. By typing your name, location, contact information, and a brief description of your legal problem laws.com will be able to connect you with Arizona DUI lawyers in your area that will help you fight your DUI charge.

DUI lawyer Arizona

If you have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the State of Arizona it will be essential that you get a DUI lawyer. Arizona has a legal limit of 0.08 percent alcohol. If you are pulled over by the police and determined to be at, or above, this level you will be arrested for DUI and need DUI lawyers. Arizona does not have any requirements for jail time for first time offenders and penalties for Driving Under the Influence are largely at the discretion of the judge, the prosecutor, and your DUI lawyers. Arizona DUI lawyers will be able to negotiate with the judge and prosecutor to get charges dropped or reduced and prevent you from going to prison.

A DUI in Arizona can carry a mandatory penalty of 6 months in prison for a first offense. It is unlikely that you will receive jail time when you are defended by a DUI lawyer. Arizona also has harsher penalties for those caught with a blood alcohol level at 0.2 percent alcohol or above. In those situations jail time is often mandatory and a DUI lawyer will be necessary to minimize your jail time as much as possible.

Arizona Defense DUI lawyer

An DUI in the State of Arizona will be quite expensive for a good Arizona defense. DUI lawyers will charge a few different types of fees. Before deciding on representation you should interview a few DUI lawyers and find out which Arizona DUI lawyers will best represent you. The most common types of fees involved in an Arizona DUI are flat fees and hourly fees. The DUI lawyer in Arizona will charge a flat fee somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 for misdemeanor charges. For felony DUI the flat fee can range from $12,000 to $20,000. The other option that an Arizona Defense of DUI lawyer may offer you is an hourly rate. Expect to pay somewhere around $300 per hour for these legal services. By law, a DUI lawyer is not permitted to charge a contingency fee.