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5 Important Things a Minneapolis DWI Attorney Can Do for You

On Behalf of | Jun 11, 2015 | Firm News |

If you have been recently arrested for driving while intoxicated, you may be tempted to plead guilty right away, especially if you were drunk at the time the police pulled you over. In many cases, that could be a mistake. Before you decide whether to plead, consider these five things that an experienced Minneapolis DWI attorney can do for you to lessen the stress, and possibly reduce the consequences, of your DWI.

  1. An attorney will explain the process. Getting arrested is scary, and navigating the court system can be overwhelming. An experienced attorney can take some of the stress out of the experience by explaining in detail the processes and procedures involved and by keeping track of your court dates and deadlines.
  2. An attorney will review the evidence. One of the most important tasks an attorney can do for you in a DWI case is review the evidence against you. Even if you know that you were driving drunk, the evidence may provide a basis for reducing the consequences or, in some cases, even dismissing the charges entirely. If, for example, the police did not have a valid reason to pull you over or did not have probable cause for your arrest, a court might throw out much of the evidence against you.
  3. An attorney will file complex legal motions. If the evidence reveals a basis to challenge the charges or evidence against you, an experienced attorney will file motions with the court, arguing for the dismissal of your case or for the suppression of evidence. These motions are likely to include sophisticated legal argument and citation to relevant legal authority and case law that may be difficult for a non-attorney to find or understand.
  4. An attorney will negotiate your case. Even if the evidence does not reveal a basis to dismiss the charges against you entirely, an experience DWI attorney may be able to identify smaller problems with your case and use those issues to negotiate a reduced charge (so that you end up with a reckless driving conviction rather than a DWI, for example), or negotiate a lighter sentence (less jail time or a reduced fine) than what you would have received had you pleaded guilty on your own.
  5. An attorney can take your case to trial. If negotiations fail, or if you want to exercise your right to a jury trial, an experienced attorney will be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses in your case, and to formulate a trial strategy that will maximize your chances of success. An attorney can decide which witnesses to call to testify, how best to cross-examine adverse witnesses, and what arguments are most likely to persuade a jury.

The lawyers at the Martin Law Offices are some of the most experienced DWI attorneys in Minneapolis. If you or someone you know has been charged with a DWI, contact us to schedule your free case evaluation and to find out more about what our highly experienced attorneys can do for you.