Greene County DUI Lawyer

Greene County GA DUI Lawyer – Greene County GA DUI Attorney

Greensboro GA DUI Lawyer – Greensboro GA DUI Attorney

Former Georgia DUI Prosecutor

Attorney Richard Lawson is a former DUI prosecutor and has over twenty five years' experience defending the fights of those arrested and charged with DUI. The Law Office of Lawson and Berry is a law firm that focuses solely on DUI and DUI-related Defense. We are the top-rated DUI Defense firm in the state. Our reviews can be found on Avvo. Contact us now for expert DUI representation.

30-Day Warning!

If you have been arrested for DUI in Greene County, you must understand that you only have thirty days to request an Administrative License Suspension (ALS) Hearing or an ignition interlock device. If you (or your Greene County GA DUI Attorney) fails to file a hearing request or the interlock device request and pay the $150 filing fee, your license will be suspended. If you are accused of refusing the State's chemical test of your breath, blood, or urine, your license will be suspended for one year, with no chance for a permit. Seek advice from a Greene County GA DUI Lawyer right away!

Getting Pulled Over

The traffic stop is when all of the stress begins. You are driving along, minding your own business, when you are pulled over by police. Read on to find out more about evidence that can be used against you. However, keep in mind, no case is hopeless.

Field Sobriety Tests

The Prosecution will try to use your performance of field sobriety testing as evidence that you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs. However, your Greene County GA DUI Attorney may be able to use that same evidence to prove that you were, in fact, not impaired. Your Greene County Georgia DUI Lawyer with the Law Office of Richard Lawson will carefully examine your field sobriety test performance and see if the results can be used in your favor.

There are three field sobriety tests that are standardized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The tests are:

Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test
Walk-and-Turn
One-leg Stand

These three tests are standardized by NHTSA because the scoring system is objective.

Some law enforcement agencies also use non-standardized field sobriety testing to determine if a driver is impaired. These tests can include, but are not limited to, the finger-to-nose test, reciting their ABCs, finger-tap test, and the Rhomberg balance test. These tests usually carry less weight because they are seen as less reliable in determining physical and mental impairment caused by alcohol or drugs.

Field Sobriety Tests force a DUI suspect to concentrate on two separate things at the same time. However, they are not infallible, as there are many reasons besides alcohol that could cause you perform the tests poorly. Your Greene County Georgia DUI Attorney will attempt to show that you “failed” your field sobriety tests for reasons unrelated to alcohol or drug use, such as illness, nervousness, fatigue, and disability. If your performance on the physical aspects was weak, but you did well on all the mental tasks, your Greene County GA DUI Lawyer can make a valid argument that you were not under the influence. Alcohol use causes mental impairment prior to physical impairment; therefore, making room for reasonable doubt.

Even if you “failed” field sobriety testing, that does not mean you are going to be convicted of DUI. After your Greene County GA DUI Attorney reviews all of the evidence in your case, they will know what evidence should be challenged and how.

DUI Video Recordings

Every element of your Greene County DUI charge must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Audio and video recordings made by the police during your DUI stop and subsequent arrest may be used against you to prove your guilt. Your Greene County Georgia DUI Lawyer will obtain and comb through any and all evidence against you in your DUI case to decide if your charges can be challenged.

Police all over the country are using audio and video recorders to gather evidence during DUI arrests. Some officers have microphones attached to their uniforms to record audio. Police dashboard cameras can not only display your interaction with police but how you were driving before you were pulled over and your field sobriety test performance as well.

Although the prosecution will try using this potentially incriminating evidence against you, there are some instances where the recordings might help your case. For example, if the record shows that you performed the field sobriety tests flawlessly, your Greene County GA DUI Attorney can argue that you were not impaired. Law enforcement may have given you incorrect or confusing instructions on how to perform the tests, or may not have remembered to ask if there was anything that would affect your ability to perform them. The police video could show that there were issues with your footwear, or that you were not tested on even ground. An audio recording could prove that you were not slurring your speech, as the arresting officer testified.

Chemical Testing

The breath, blood, or urine test you took (if you submitted to one) is one of the biggest pieces of evidence against you. However, they can all be effectively challenged. Our Greene County GA DUI Lawyers will dissect your chemical test results to determine the best challenges.

Many people, even prosecutors, believe that chemical test results are solid proof of intoxication. However, they are not always accurate. Every type of chemical test can be challenged in a DUI case.

Chemical Testing and DUI-Drugs

Chemical testing for DUI-Drugs is even more error-prone than for alcohol. Drug tests look for metabolites in the suspect's blood or urine, not the drug itself. Since different drugs remain in the body's system for various periods of time, a blood or urine test can detect drugs in your system long after their effects have worn off. The good thing is that allows our Greene County GA DUI Attorneys to challenge this so-called “evidence,” since now there is reasonable doubt of your guilt.

A DUI Charge is a Serious Threat

Back when you were younger, if you made a bad decision and got into trouble, the sheriff brought you home, and your worst worry was facing your parents. Those days are gone. A Greene County Georgia DUI charge carries serious consequences. You lose your freedom. The State of Georgia takes your license to drive. You have a criminal conviction that will show up if an employer or potential employer runs a check on your background. Your insurance premiums increase. You are on probation for years.

One wrong decision should not ruin your whole life. As experienced Greene County GA DUI Lawyers, we can help you:

Protect your liberty and good reputation;
Maintain your driving privilege;
Avoid hefty fines and fees

Our Experience

Not all defense attorneys can say they have been on both sides of the courtroom. Richard Lawson began his legal career over twenty years ago, as a Georgia DUI prosecutor. He knows how law enforcement thinks, what judges look for, and the challenges to evidence that prosecutors fear most.

GREENE COUNTY GA COURT SYSTEM

Georgia has a complicated and confusing court system. If you have been arrested for DUI in Greene County GA, you would more than likely want to hire a DUI Lawyer in Greene County GA because they would be familiar with the local court system.

Greene County GA Municipal Courts

If you are arrested for misdemeanor DUI within a city's limits, your case will have its arraignment in that city's municipal court. For Greene County, Georgia, that means your case would go through Greensboro GA Municipal Court, Union Point Municipal Court, or Woodville Municipal Court.

In a municipal (city) court, your skilled DUI Attorney in Greene County GA can negotiate a favorable plea agreement; argue for a case dismissal; or have a trial by judge only (bench trial). City courts do not have jury trials.

If a defendant wants a jury trial, their case is sent to Greene County Georgia Superior Court. In Superior Court, the District Attorney is the prosecutor, and the court process is more formal. It is not recommended for any defendant to attend a hearing in Superior Court without representation of a seasoned Greene County DUI Lawyer.

Greensboro GA Municipal Court

Greensboro Georgia Municipal Court is located at 1141 Siloam Road, Greensboro, GA 30642. Judge Dexter Winbush is the presiding judge, and Catherine Castro is the Clerk of Court. All misdemeanor cases that originate within the City of Greensboro, GA will have an arraignment in Greensboro Georgia Municipal Court. Choose a qualified Greensboro GA DUI Lawyer from the Lawson and Berry.

Map to Greensboro Municipal Court

Union Point Municipal Court

Union Point GA City Hall is located at 107 Scott Street, Union Point, GA 30669. Municipal Court, however, is held at the Four-Room School Building at 211 Veazey Street, Union Point, GA 30669. Peter J. Rice, Jr. is the judge, and Yolanda Callaway and Sharon Knight are the Chief Court Clerks. Court is held the second Monday of each month. Call (706) 486-4102 for more information. Contact our office to speak with a Union Point DUI Lawyer today!

Map to Union Point City Hall

Woodville GA Municipal Court

Woodville Municipal Court is located at 1001 E Peachtree Avenue, Woodville, GA 30669. LaVerne Ogletree is the Municipal Court Judge, and Sharon Sellers is the Chief Court Clerk. Call (706) 453-0089 for more information. We have a DUI Lawyer in Woodville waiting to speak with you now!

Map to Woodville Municipal Court

Greene County GA Probate Court

If your misdemeanor DUI arrest occurred in an unincorporated area of Greene County GA, your case would have its arraignment in Greene County Probate Court.

The Probate Court Judge is the Honorable LaVerne C. Ogletree. Court is held at 113 N Main Street, Suite 113, Greensboro, GA 30642. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM (4 PM on Wednesdays), and closed for lunch daily from 12 PM to 1 PM. Call (706) 453-3346 for more information.

Map to Greene County Probate Court

Greene County GA Superior Court

Greene County Georgia Superior Court is located in the Greene County Courthouse at 113 N Main Street, Greensboro, GA 30642. Deborah D. Jackson is the Clerk of Superior Court, and may be reached by calling (706) 453-3340 or in her office, Suite 109, Monday through Friday, 8 AM – 5 PM.

Map to Greene County Superior Court

There are five judges who hear felony cases:

Chief Judge William A. Prior, Jr.

P O Box 728

Madison, GA 30650

(706) 342-0672

Judge Hugh V. Wingfield, III

P O Drawer 1539

Gray, GA 31032

(478) 986-6501

Trenton Brown, III

100 S Jefferson Avenue

Suite 335

Eatonton, GA 31024

(706) 485-7530

Judge Brenda H. Trammell

P O Box 1050

Milledgeville, GA 31059

(478) 445-4270

Judge Alison T. Burleson

P O Box 111

Monticello, GA 31064

(706) 468-4906

The District Attorney is the Chief Prosecuting Officer for Superior Court. The District Attorney serving Greene County is Fred D. Bright. His contact information is:

Fred D. Bright, District Attorney

Greene County Superior Court

113 N Main Street, Suite 216

Greensboro, GA 30642

(706) 453-3339

Your Success is Our Goal

If you have been arrested for DUI in Greene County Georgia and you need expert legal advice, look no further than the skilled Greene County DUI Attorneys with Lawson and Berry. Our primary goal is to get you the best outcome possible for your Greene County DUI case. Our DUI Lawyers in Greene County GA will do their best to protect your precious time, money and reputation. Call now for a free consultation.

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