Date: 7 Jan 2010 Comments: 0

I am a Seattle criminal defense attorney. This signifies, amid other things, that I have a great number of acquaintances, contacts, and people I’ve immediately met ask me all sorts of unusual inquiries about DUI laws, how to defeat a DUI, and what to do in certain situations if confronted by the police while driving. But the added day, I was the one who heard a anecdote regarding a investigation encounter that solidified what I’d been telling everyone – preparation and education are the keys to a excellent ending.

The account started at a fantasy football draft I was attending with a bunch of associates. One of the acquaintances, who knows what I do for a living, started asking me some questions regarding a Seattle DUI situation he had recently. He didn’t hire me at the time (I was still working in Kansas as a criminal attorney), and chose a person on a list his company has that offers prepaid legal services. Pointless to say this guy’s lawyer was a little less than motivated to give my buddy the five star treatment.

Even though my buddy had obvious grounds to get the breath test kicked out of evidence, was stopped for following too close to the auto in front of him in downtown Seattle at a busy time of night (i.e. the traffic was bumper to bumper – it was impracticable to pursue too close when traffic wasn’t moving), and he exhibited no added crucial signs of intoxication, the best the Seattle criminal defense attorney can do, and what he suggested my friend to take, was a stipulated order of continuance down to a negligent driving first degree allegation after a year of no violations and complying with some additional conditions.

Well, my buddy was doing okay, complying with the whole thing and staying out of dilemma, when he had a review court hearing scheduled so the court could make sure the whole thing was on track. This court hearing was planned for a time my buddy was out of the state, so the Seattle DUI attorney said he’d handle it on his own. When my buddy got back, the attorney didn’t tell him anything, and my friend kept on living life like it was no predicament. Except at that court date the court gave my friend a month to complete an alcohol appreciation class or face revocation of the stipulated order of continuance. Because my buddy didn’t know regarding it, he didn’t do it. Guess what? The court convicted him for DUI and at the moment he’s got to do a day in jail!