Jonesboro GA DUI Lawyer – Jonesboro GA DUI Attorney
The Law Office of Richard Lawson is a law firm that specializes in DUI defense. Richard Lawson is a former Georgia DUI prosecutor with over 25 years' experience. Please see our reviews on Avvo and contact us for a free case evaluation.
30-Day Warning!
If you have been arrested for DUI in Jonesboro or elsewhere in Clayton County, you only have thirty days to save your driver's license from automatic suspension. To do so, you or your Jonesboro DUI Lawyer must pay $150 to file an Administrative License Suspension (ALS) hearing request or an ignition interlock device request. If this hearing is not requested, your Georgia driver's license will automatically be suspended.
If you refused the State's chemical test of your breath, blood, or urine, your Georgia driver's license will be suspended for one full year, with no opportunity for early reinstatement or a restricted permit. Timing is everything. Contact a Jonesboro DUI Lawyer as soon as possible after your Jonesboro DUI arrest to save your driver's license!
How We Work for You
Our Jonesboro Georgia DUI Attorneys will explore every legal avenue, do everything in their power, and use every resource available to get you the best outcome possible. The Jonesboro GA DUI Lawyers with the Law Office of Richard Lawson never take cases just to take a client's money, stand beside them in court, and tell them to plead guilty. That may be the business model of other law firms, but not us! Our first and only plan is getting results for our clients.
Our Approach
Our approach demands a complete, comprehensive and detailed investigation into every defense and fact of your Jonesboro GA DUI case. While we cannot change the facts, we do, however, investigate them and make sure to pull out all the stops. We look carefully where others simply glance; we dig deep when others merely scratch the surface. Our Jonesboro DUI Lawyers work for you, keeping your best interests in mind throughout your case.
We cannot and will not guarantee a win for your Jonesboro Georgia DUI case. However, our Jonesboro GA DUI Attorneys will make every attempt to develop a defense that will ensure the best outcome for you based on the unique details of your Jonesboro GA DUI arrest.
Search and Seizure
The Constitution of the United States, as well as the Georgia Constitution, guarantees the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. Any time the government intrudes on a person's area or property where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy, a “search” has occurred, and any time the government restricts a person's freedom of movement, a “seizure” has occurred. The Fourth Amendment prevents the government's invasion of our privacy, buy provides a defendant with a beneficial tool in legal defense: the exclusion of evidence.
Those accused of a crime can actually be 100% guilty of a crime; however, if the evidence against them was obtained illegally, their charges may be dismissed. Such situations frequently happen with police stops. Whether it is suspected DUI, drug trafficking, drug possession, or weapons violation, if the evidence collected was discovered during an illegal stop, it could be excluded altogether. That is why it is so important to contact a DUI Lawyer in Jonesboro GA if you believe your rights have been violated. Time is not on your side because police will not likely preserve crucial evidence that could prove a constitutional violation. Swift action should be taken to make certain it is properly preserved.
Breath Tests
The most famous evidentiary test by far that is given to drivers to determine their blood alcohol content (BAC) is the breath test. What type of chemical test used is the arresting officer's choice, and may be of breath, blood, or urine. Most times, the request for a chemical test is made at the police station after an arrest for DUI. Breath testing is typically used because the machine is at the police station and is supposedly in good working order. The tests are inexpensive and can be administered in 3-5 minutes.
Breath Tests as Evidence
There are many procedures to be followed before breath-testing evidence may be used against a defendant in a DUI case:
- The Georgia Implied Consent warning must be read and followed.
- The law enforcement officer administering the test must have certification to operate the breath-testing machine.
- Along with the officer being certified, the breath-testing machine must also be certified.
- The law enforcement officer must follow proper policy and procedure set forth by the State of Georgia. That includes a deprivation period that is mandatory in all DUI cases.
If the fundamental evidentiary requirements are met, the breath test results can be presented in court; then it is whether the test accurately depicts the defendant's accurate blood alcohol content (BAC) at the time they were driving/pulled over. Defenses such as mouth alcohol, rising alcohol, certain medical conditions such as GERD or acid reflux, a margin of error, uncertain statistics, and many others, are then used.
Jonesboro GA Municipal Court
Jonesboro Municipal Court is responsible for handling city ordinance and traffic violations that occur within the City of Jonesboro. Court is held at Jonesboro Police Department building on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 8 am, 11:30 am, and 1:30 pm. The address is 170 South Main Street, Jonesboro, GA 30263. The Honorable Keith Wood, Jr. is the Municipal Court Judge, and Lisa Tobias is the Chief Clerk of Court. Please call (770) 478-7407 for more information.
Jonesboro GA Municipal Courtroom Requirements
Jonesboro Police Department is a secure building and any bags, briefcases, purses, etc. must be inspected by an officer before being allowed into the courtroom.
The following items are prohibited in the courtroom:
- Firearms
- Knives or other edged instruments
- Aerosol spray
- Mace or pepper spray
- Razor blades
- Scissors
- Tools or other utensils
- Knitting needles or pins
- Any item or object that has the potential to be a weapon
Dress Code
The following clothing items are not permitted in the courtroom:
- Hats (exception for religious head coverings)
- Sunglasses
- Shorts or short skirts
- Halter tops or sleeveless shirts
- Baggy pants that sag below the waist
- Any clothing deemed inappropriate by an officer of the court
Map to Jonesboro GA Municipal Court
Jonesboro Georgia DUI Defense
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a risk that is never worth taking. The penalties for DUI are quite severe in Georgia's complicated legal system. Deaths and injuries from drunken drivers are devastating and cannot be sufficiently compensated.
That's why when you need a DUI Lawyer in Jonesboro GA, look no further than the Law Office of Richard Lawson. Our Jonesboro GA DUI Attorneys are the best in the state and will do everything in their power to get you the best outcome possible. Trust no other DUI Attorney in Jonesboro Georgia. Even worse is trusting your Jonesboro GA DUI case to a “general practitioner.” Your life is on the line, and the clock starts running as soon as you are arrested. Make the right choice. Your best defense begins with us!
Our Attorneys
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Richard Lawson
Managing Partner at Lawson & Berry:
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Kimberly A. Berry
Partner at Lawson & Berry:
Jonesboro DUI Resources
Jonesboro GA Police Department
Clayton County Sheriff’s Department
Georgia Department of Public Safety
Administrative Office of the Courts
Clayton County District Attorney
Georgia Department of Driver Services
Wikipedia of Jonesboro Georgia
