I would never suggest pleading guilty because it stays on your record forever. A judge could sentence you up to 180 days in jail, and a judge could give you up to five years of probation. A judge could also suspend your license for up to three years; you need to know how the system works to request driving privileges, and you need to understand how the system works to file motions to get off probation early. It’s probably the worst thing in the world you could do is go in unrepresented.
Often, judges will even tell you they won’t accept a plea until you consult an attorney on your case because they understand the severe consequences, mandatory jail time, and mandatory license suspensions, so they don’t want to see somebody going to a case without an attorney. Suppose you cannot afford an attorney. In that case, they don’t have the funds, and excellent OVI attorneys are expensive, especially nowadays because of the cross-section of people. I’m representing an NFL football player right now. Still, some people won’t have the money. If they do not have the money, I highly recommend that they see if they qualify for a public defender so they can at least talk to somebody about their potential defenses. You can get a public defender, and some of these public defenders are incredible attorneys as well. Never go in there unrepresented. At the very least, see if you qualify for the public defender’s office so that you can talk to a public defender about your case.
What Can And Will You Do As My DUI Or OVI Attorney That I Cannot Do For Myself?
First and foremost, an attorney can save the client time from going to court. For example, in Hamilton County, if it’s your first offense, an attorney can generally waive your appearance to the arraignment. So, you don’t have to take work off to go to court for all the pre-trials. In other words, I may have to go to two or three pre-trials before I get the discovery just because the prosecutor’s been so busy or just hasn’t made it a priority to give me a discovery.
There are just so many uncertainties going in without an attorney that I think it’s crazy not to. Attorneys can help you with all that, save your time from going to court and negotiate plea deals with the prosecutors because most prosecutors will not talk to you unless you have an attorney.
For more information on DUI Defense Law In Ohio, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling ne} today.