When you find yourself arrested on an impaired driving charge, you need to reach out to a DUI lawyer as soon as possible. In the Toronto area, you can contact North York DUI lawyers at Mass Tsang for advice and legal aid. When you do so, you need to make sure that you provide useful, accurate information to the lawyer. Here is an example of some information that you should offer to your DUI lawyer as soon as you can.
Information about the Traffic Stop
Burlington DUI lawyersoften ask for information about the traffic stop that led to your DUI charge. This allows them to know about the arresting officer’s attitude and behavior toward you as well as any potential procedural issues that might have some bearing on your case. The most common way in which DUI cases get dismissed is due to a procedural error during or shortly after the arrest. While you can’t assume that this will happen, it helps to take any potential lead you possibly can. The more information you can provide to your lawyer, the better your chance of turning a difficult situation into something that you can manage and take control of.
Information about Your Drinking Before the Stop
How much did you drink prior to getting pulled over for DUI? While it’s impossible to tell whether a person was intoxicated based only on a report of how much they had to drink, this information can be helpful when determining consistency of stories. If, for example, the police breathalyzer test showed you as significantly over the legal limit but you insist that you only had two drinks before getting behind the wheel of your car, then your lawyer knows to look into this apparent conflict of information. When discussing the matter with your lawyer, you should make sure to state how much you drank, how long it took you to finish the drinks, and how long you waited before you started driving.
Prior Criminal Record, if Applicable
Finally, your criminal history, especially when it comes to DUIs, is extremely relevant to your case. The difference between a firs time offence and a third time offence is a period of multiple years without your driver’s licence and months in prison. If you are communicating with a new lawyer in your area for the first time, you need to make extra sure that you state your criminal record, if any, and whether you have previous impaired driving charges on your record. You might feel hesitant to explain your full history if you have previous run-ins with the law, but being honest and up front with your lawyer can make a huge difference in your approach to the case.
When you hire a North York or Burlington DUI lawyer, you need to provide as much relevant information as possible. If you come to your meeting with your lawyer armed with the details mentioned above, you will make the process that much smoother and increase your chances of success in court.
