Stephens County DUI Lawyer

Stephens County DUI Lawyer - Stephens County DUI Attorney

Toccoa DUI Lawyer - Toccoa DUI Attorney

You Need the Best Stephens County GA DUI Defense

If you have been arrested and charged with DUI in Stephens County, the first thing you should do is take immediate action to secure an experienced Stephens County DUI Lawyer. Appropriate advice from a well-qualified Stephens County DUI Attorney is your best chance at circumventing more serious repercussions such as:

Hefty fines
Loss of driving privilege
Jail time
Higher insurance rates

Effective Legal Defense

The Stephens County DUI Lawyers with the Law Office of Richard Lawson vigorously defends those who are accused of DUI. They can give you an opportunity to avoid jail and keep your driving privilege, but you have to act fast to properly have your defense presented.

30-Day Warning!

If you have been arrested for DUI, you only have thirty days to save your license from suspension. You or your DUI Attorney in Stephens County must file a request for an Administrative License Suspension (ALS) Hearing or install an ignition interlock device on your vehicle. If this hearing is not requested or the device is not installed within the 30-day timeframe, your license will be suspended. If you have been accused of refusing the State's chemical test of your breath, blood, or urine, your license will be suspended for twelve months, with no chance for a permit.

To build your defense, your Stephens County DUI Lawyer will look at the reports involving the procedures and other evidence in your Stephens County DUI case. Our first defense is to challenge why law enforcement pulled you over; our second is to challenge any evidence that was not properly obtained so it cannot be used against you in court.

Our Stephens County DUI Attorneys will then craft the strongest defense to bring before a judge. If you are a first offender, we want to make sure you can keep your driver's license. If you have had prior DUI convictions, we want to keep you out of jail so you can continue to go to work or school. If your license has been suspended or even revoked for DUI or other traffic-related charges, our Stephens County DUI Lawyers can help you get your license reinstated so you can regain your driving privileges.

DUI and Drugs

About one-third of our cases involves DUI-Drugs. Even if you have a valid prescription for your pain or anxiety medication, that is not considered a defense. It is not against the law for you to drive while using prescribed drugs, or even alcohol, for that matter. However, it is illegal if doing so renders you impaired. The penalties for driving under the influence of drugs are just as severe as if you were under the influence of alcohol.

Pain-relieving drugs (narcotics), anxiety medications, muscle relaxers, and other drugs taken for depression or other mental illnesses may cause impairment, as will alcohol. If your blood alcohol content (BAC) is .08 or more, you are presumed to be impaired. Any prosecutor of a DUI case will attempt to prove the presence of drugs in a person's system is proof of impairment, no matter the level of physical impairment. Presuming impairment is not proving impairment. Merely the presence of drugs or alcohol does not cause or determine impairment.

The crime lab also does a urinalysis and analyzes urine samples that have been obtained by law enforcement from DUI suspects. Again, urinalysis cannot show how much of a drug is in your system, only that the drug is present. Therefore, a positive test result is not proof of impairment. The truth is there is currently no test that can prove an individual is impaired with any particular level of a drug in their system.

The crime lab, while thought to be accurate in testing, often gives questionable test results due to the following four reasons:

Human error in obtaining the blood sample and transporting it to the lab
Human error in prepping the blood sample for testing and analysis
Human error in operating or analyzing the sample
Quality control is poor in sample analysis

Unfortunately, many DUI Attorneys do not dispute crime lab results at all. Make sure your Toccoa DUI Lawyer knows how to challenge the State's chemical test results, as it is a crucial part of your defense. A skilled Toccoa DUI Lawyer from the Law Office of Richard Lawson will know where to look for errors and mistakes in your test results. Choosing the right Toccoa DUI Attorney for your case is not easy. Read on:

How Much Training Should Your DUI Lawyer Have?

If your Stephens County DUI Attorney has not had any training or experience in DUI Defense, they are at a huge disadvantage. They do not know what they do not know. Specifically, your DUI Lawyer in Stephens County does not know what law enforcement knows. Not only has Richard Lawson had extensive training in DUI Defense, he has trained other DUI attorneys on the subject.

Can You Afford a DUI Conviction?

You have been arrested and charged with DUI. Is it your second or third DUI? If so, you could lose your professional license, such as a commercial driver's license (CDL), nursing, or medical license. Maybe you will lose your security clearance if you are convicted of DUI. If you lose your professional license, how will you earn money to pay your bills and support your family?

If your livelihood is in jeopardy or you are in danger of facing a long-term jail sentence, you absolutely cannot afford to be found guilty of DUI. You need an experienced Stephens County DUI Attorney who will fight your charges and protect your liberty.

Richard Lawson and his team of Stephens County DUI Lawyers know the law just as well, if not better than the officer who arrested you. Mr. Lawson is a former Georgia prosecutor with over twenty five years' experience. He knows everything there is to know about both sides of your Stephens County DUI case.

You may feel like your situation is hopeless. However, even if there is hard evidence against you, a seasoned Stephens County DUI Attorney will most likely be able to lessen or eliminate fines, jail time, probation, and community service. There is also the possibility of a "not guilty" verdict at a trial or even having your charges dismissed.

You can get the best outcome for your case by using a "no holds barred" approach. However, this will cost more money than you might expect; but the expense will be worth it to hire the best experts and attorneys with the most experience to work diligently on your case.

Just Who Are These Experts?

There are three most common witnesses who can testify on your behalf in a Stephens County DUI case and are specialists in these fields:

Standardized Field Sobriety Testing
Breath-Testing Machines
Pharmacology
Toxicology/Blood Analysis

A qualified Stephens County DUI Attorney could just rely on their skills and training to achieve success in DUI cases. However, they could produce improved results if one or more expert witnesses could be added to your defense.

What is the Importance of Expert Witnesses?

The blood analysis done by the Georgia Crime Lab is recognized as the "Gold Standard" by most Georgia DUI Lawyers. Unfortunately, these tests are so poorly done that the results are often questionable. Suspicious or incorrect blood test results could cause the judge to throw out your case and leave you free to resume your life.

THE STEPHENS COUNTY COURT SYSTEM EXPLAINED

Where your misdemeanor DUI arrest occurred determines which court would have jurisdiction over your case.

Toccoa Recorder's Court

If you were arrested for misdemeanor DUI in the City of Toccoa, you need a DUI Lawyer in Toccoa to fight for your rights in Toccoa Recorder's Court. The Honorable Robert Sneed is the Judge and can be contacted by calling (706) 886-7553. Jennifer S. Findley is the Chief Court Clerk, and can be reached by calling (706) 282-3238. Court is held at 203 N Alexander Street, Toccoa, Georgia 30577. Call the Law Offices of Richard Lawson and speak with a Toccoa DUI Lawyer today!

Stephens County State Court

If you were arrested in an unincorporated area of Stephens County, or if you would like a jury trial, your case would go to the State Court of Stephens County. The State Court Judge is the Honorable James Irvin, and Willie Woodruff is the State Court Solicitor. Court is held at the Stephens County Courthouse at 70 N Alexander Street, Toccoa, Georgia 30577. Call (706) 886-1215 for further information.

Superior Court of Stephens County

Superior Court has jurisdiction over all felony cases. Stephens County Superior Court is part of the Mountain Judicial Circuit, along with Habersham and Rabun counties. The Honorable Russell W. Smith is the Chief Superior Court Judge. Court is held at 70 N Alexander Street, Toccoa, Georgia 30577. Call (706) 886-7525 for more information.

The Chief Prosecuting Officer for Superior Court is the District Attorney's Office. The District Attorney for Stephens County Superior Court is Brian Rickman. His office is located in the Stephens County Courthouse in Suite 208. District Attorney Rickman can be contacted by calling (706) 886-7920.

Where to Get Help for Your Stephens County DUI Arrest

When everything possible must be done to keep you from a DUI conviction and protect your privilege to drive, let the Stephens County DUI Lawyers from the Law Office of Richard Lawson defend you. If your liberty and livelihood are in jeopardy because of a Stephens County DUI arrest, call now for a free case evaluation by a trained Stephens County DUI Attorney or DUI Lawyer in Toccoa right away!

Recent Case Results

This case was in Helen Municipal Court. The client was charged with a DUI and four counts of DUI Child Endangerment. In Georgia, for every child under the age of 14 in a vehicle it is considered a separate DUI offense. The client would have been declared an habitual violator from one arrest an... Read On
Client was charged with a suspended license because he did not reinstate his privilege to drive after the expiration of his restricted license. Per my advice, the client properly reinstated his license the day after he was charged. Case Dismissed in Cobb County State Court. Read On
Client was a resident of New York who was arrested while he was visiting Georgia for pleasure. He was charged with DUI, Reckless Driving, and Speeding 37 MPH over the speed limit. We were able to get the client an unbelievable outcome in Hampton, Georgia. His DUI dismissed, his speeding ticket wa... Read On

Recommendations

DUI WITH HIGH BAC (.112) LOWERED TO RECKLESS DRIVING!

Richard was not the first lawyer I spoke with after my DUI charge, but he was the last when searching for representation. This was my very first time encountering any sort of legal dispute so I had no idea what I was doing and I was very scared. Richard was very friendly, down to earth and consol... Read On
Miracle Worker!

Not only did Richard Lawson and his very capable associate get my DUI reduced to reckless driving with parole, but he did something that I didn't think was possible. I was stopped for a moving violation recently. The police arrested me because they showed my driver's license had been suspended. H... Read On
Ideal attorney for anyone

Mr. Lawson is outstanding. He was professional, attentive to any requests, and got the outcome I wanted but thought was unachievable. I had been arrested for a DUI. The case was very difficult, intricate, and was seemingly without hope, but Mr. Lawson was able to get the charges drastically reduc... Read On