We offer expert legal services to residents of all areas in Hillsborough County and Pinellas County. Regardless of the neighborhood you’re based in, Mr. Brian Palacios is committed to providing you with robust legal support and representation. Assault and battery charges can have serious consequences, potentially altering the course of an individual’s life. The penalties for such offenses can be quite severe, ranging from hefty fines to a significant amount of time behind bars. This is why our primary objective is not just to ensure that you get a trial, but that your trial is conducted fairly and justly. In the event that you are caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and it results in an accident, then your charge might possibly be escalated to a felony offense.
Over 150 Years Combined Experience in DUI Defense in Tampa FL
Our attorneys know that it can be confusing and distressing to be arrested for any offense, and the steps you take immediately after the arrest are crucial. However, it’s essential to note that you can also face charges even if your BAC is below this threshold, as long as law enforcement believes that your driving ability is impaired due to alcohol or drugs. Another defense involves challenging the accuracy and reliability of the breathalyzer test used to measure your blood alcohol content (BAC). Florida law requires strict maintenance and calibration of breathalyzer machines. If the device wasn’t properly maintained or if the test was administered incorrectly, the results could be flawed. In any Tampa DUI involving breath test results, Attorney Mayberry requests breathalyzer maintenance records to assess (and challenge) the validity of the breathalyzer results.
Information Center – Learn About Defending a Florida DUI Case
When you call our office, ask to speak with an attorney on the phone or schedule a confidential consultation in the office. If you call after our regular business hours, leave a message with our answering service. Challenging the Causation of Injury – In some cases, the defense may argue that the injuries sustained by the victim were not directly caused by the defendant’s impaired driving. Instead, they may argue that other factors, such as poor road conditions or the actions of another driver, were the primary cause of the accident and subsequent injuries. While every case is different, even a first-time DUI offense carries the very real possibility of jail time. Even if you avoid a DUI conviction, the arrest might cause immediate consequences to your educational or career opportunities, especially if you have certain certifications or licenses.
Each level the charges are reduced can save you thousands of dollars and indirect consequences that would otherwise occur. The only downside to contesting the administrative suspension is that if you are not successful, then a hard suspension will start. Even if all the witnesses appear at the hearing, your attorney can raise other objections. Your attorney can move to invalidate the suspension because of a lack of competent and substantial evidence. Leslie Sammis has focused her career on DUI cases for the last 20 years.
Field sobriety tests may be part of a traffic stop when an officer suspects that you may be driving under the influence. If you are arrested for DUI, you must submit to a chemical test (breath, blood, or urine). Regardless of the test results, you should always retain services from a DUI attorney. You need to aggressively fight your DUI charges in order to minimize or completely avoid these serious penalties. Let the experienced criminal defense attorneys stand in your corner and fight for you.
- DUI trials are complicated because many prospective jurors are nondrinkers, reformed alcoholics, or have religious reasons not to drink alcohol.
- However, knowing your rights and following these steps can help protect you and ensure that the encounter is handled legally and fairly.
- Moreover, persons could face a Federal DUI criminal charge if caught driving while under the influence along federal roads, federal parks, military bases, another federal property.
- Darryl Mitchell is a renowned criminal defense attorney who provides exceptional legal representation to clients in Tampa and the rest of Florida.
- Essentially, it represents the percentage of alcohol in one’s blood.
If you have to rely on credit cards to pay your fines, the costs of an Ignition Interlock Device, school fees, and so on, the hefty credit card balances could affect your credit utilization ratio and FICO score. Additionally, if you fail to pay a court-ordered fine, it could go to collections. After an arrest for DUI at MacDill Airforce Base in Tampa, FL, your DUI case will be prosecuted in the federal court in the Middle District of Florida, dui lawyers tampa United States District Court, Tampa Division. You must act quickly in these cases to preserve all avenues of attack.
When someone hires me as their DUI attorney in Florida, they often do so after one of the most stressful experiences of their lives. The flashing lights, the roadside questioning, and the fear of what comes next can leave anyone overwhelmed. The good news is that once I take over your case, I immediately begin working to protect your rights and fight the charges. Pretrial motions help the court and defense limit the manner in which the state of Florida can prove their case. The state has the burden of proof, therefore your Tampa DUI attorney needs to have an advocacy style and philosophy which forces the state to use only legally obtained and relevant evidence.
More frequently, they can lead to the reduction of the case from DUI to reckless driving. The next several court dates are technically called pretrial hearings. However, in Hillsborough County Florida these court dates are called disposition dates. If a person under age twenty-one refuses to provide a breath alcohol sample, the DHSMV will suspend their driver’s license for one year for a first refusal and 18 months for a second refusal.