What Happens at the First Court Date in Atlanta Municipal Court?

It is critical to have an Atlanta DUI Lawyer that knows the procedures that are followed in the Atlanta Municipal Court.  Every court is different, and we have the experience and knowledge to help.

When someone is arrested in Atlanta, they will have court the next business day.  Since more people are charged with a DUI over the weekend, the initial court date will be the following Monday morning.

Because people have court Monday morning, our Atlanta DUI Attorneys are available to attend your court appearance for you, so you can return to work, school, or your other responsibilities.

The Judge will be Christopher Ward, in courtroom 3A.  He has a policy that allows your Atlanta DUI Attorney appear on your behalf until the “final plea.”  Final plea is when you will have to decide whether to settle or fight your case.  

Prior to the Final plea, we will file for the discovery in your case to review your incident report and the video of your arrest.  Once we examine the evidence, we will begin negotiating with the prosecutor assigned to your case.

The goal of the representation is to get the best offer of settlement for our clients, such as a reduction of the DUI to reckless driving.  If we cannot get the case reduced or dismissed, we can then discuss the possibility of litigating the case.

DUI trials in Atlanta take place in the Fulton County State Court.  Once the case is bound over to state court, you will get a new arraignment date.  We will file new motions, including a motion to suppress.  We also have an opportunity to negotiate the case with the new prosecutor assigned to the case.  

If a settlement cannot be reached, we will set the case for a jury trial.  In Fulton County, it can take as much as two years to get a jury trial scheduled.  That being said, a delay is always to the advantage of the defense in a DUI case.