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MA Drunk Driving Defense Home
Massachusetts Drunk Driving Laws & Penalties
2nd Offense Drunk Driving Laws & Penalties What should I do if I've been charged with a second offense?
14 Reasons to Fight Your DUI in Court
OUI Case Wins Here is a list of cases just like yours and what happened. Not Guilty results and dismissals.
DUI Cases - Frequently Asked Questions
What will it cost to hire you? How I charge for OUI defense.
Why hire Russell Matson? Training. Experience. Results.
10 Mistakes People Make in their DUI Cases
9 Reasons Why You Can Fail Field Sobriety Tests - Without Being Drunk! Field Sobriety Tests are often set up for you to fail. Here are 9 absolutely legitimate reasons why.
Top 9 Lawyers Mistakes in Defending DUI Charges (and how to avoid them)
10 Common Police Mistakes in DUI Arrests
3 Reasons Why Some People Plead Guilty
What happens in an OUI court case? What is the arraignment, the pretrial, and other court dates?
For a free legal consultation on your Mass DUI/OUI charge from Attorney Russell Matson, please fill out the form below:
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Mistakes
Made After Being Arrested For Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol
(OUI)
An OUI conviction on your record can have a serious impact on the rest of
your life. Don't make any of these common mistakes that may make matters worse.
- Not taking the matter seriously. This is a charge that will follow
you for the rest of your life if you are convicted. You will lose
your driver's license, your insurance rates will skyrocket, you
will have to pay fees for being put on probation, and you could
end up going to jail. Every DUI conviction after the first one becomes
progressively much more serious and will have profound
implications on your future.
- Not hiring an attorney. The law is complex and you need a skilled
drunk driving defense attorney to represent you. You must raise the right defenses at
the right time or you will lose the opportunity to do so.
- Hiring a lawyer based upon the amount of the fee alone. You
need to hire a lawyer and pay an appropriate fee which will allow
your lawyer to invest the proper amount of time and effort into
your case to fight the prosecution. Lawyers must earn enough in
the time they spend on your case in order to keep their doors open
and make a living wage. A lawyer with the lowest fee will have
an incentive to go to court and plead you guilty right away to save
time and effort.
- Driving after your license has been revoked. If you are arrested
after your license has been revoked for a MA DWI, and found guilty
of the operating on a suspended license you face a minimum mandatory 60 days in jail.
- Failing to appear in court. The court will issue a bench warrant
for your arrest for failure to appear, and revoke any bond you've posted. When you are
picked up on the warrant you will be spending some time in jail.
- Hiring the wrong lawyer. You want a lawyer who is experienced
in handling driving under the influence cases. Ask any prospective
attorney how many OUI cases he handles per month, if he knows who the best
judges are in each court, and what his success rate is. You want a lawyer who will investigate and prepare your case and take it to trial,
rather than an attorney who talks about making a deal right away.
Frequently you have to take a case to trial in order to be found
not guilty or have the case thrown out.
- Talking to anyone but your lawyer about your case. Anything
you say to anyone besides your lawyer can be used against you.
- Failing to prepare for sentencing. While you hope not to be convicted of the charges, it is still a
good idea to prepare for the possibility of sentencing. Sentencing
becomes more important if you have previously been convicted of
operating under the influence in Mass.
You may want to consider attending
AA meetings or an alcohol rehabilitation program before you go to
court because a judge is likely to be more impressed with actions
you take on you own after being arrested than by promises made about
future conduct at a sentencing hearing. Your lawyer should also
know about your work history and any extenuating circumstances in
your case.
- Thinking that talking to numerous attorneys will help you handle
your case on your own. You need to have an experienced
Massachusetts drunk
driving attorney go to court
with you, or you risk unnecessarily severe consequences if you get
the wrong DA or judge with an axe to grind. A tough attorney fighting for you
can navigate through these situations.
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