The importance of retaining a good DUI lawyers if arrested for driving under the influence is often overlooked. The magnitude of having a good DUI lawyer on your side equals that of having the best doctor trying to save your life. Of course, a drunk driving conviction is not a matter of life or death in the literal sense, but a DUI conviction or guilty plea will affect your life.
The first and most obvious effect on your life by a DUI conviction is the punishment. Depending on whether you are guilty of a misdemeanor offense or a felony DUI offense, you will pay a fine, potentially lose your license to drive, possibly serve some sort of community service, and maybe serve some time in prison. Not to mention the fact that in Michigan, the punishment escalates if you are convicted of a DUI-related offense for the second time within a certain time frame.
Then there is the stigma associated with someone found guilty of a DUI-related violation. It’s not just a punishable stigma, but also an embarrassing one. Having a DUI conviction on your record will affect all aspects of your life. For example, in Michigan, law school graduates who wish to take the bar examination for admission to practice law must satisfy a character and fitness review, and a DUI-related conviction will be a factor taken into account when character and fitness to practice law is questioned.