Meriwether County DUI Lawyer – Meriwether County DUI Attorney
Experienced DUI Defense
The Law Office of Richard Lawson is a Georgia legal defense firm that is exclusively devoted to DUI defense. Richard Lawson is a former prosecutor with over 25 years' experience in DUI law. Please check out his Avvo reviews and contact our office for a no-cost case evaluation.
30-Day Warning!
If you have been arrested for DUI in Meriwether County, you should know you only have thirty days to save your driver's license from suspension. To do so, you or your Meriwether County DUI Lawyer must pay $150 to file an Administrative License Suspension (ALS) hearing or to request an ignition interlock device. If the hearing or device is not requested within the thirty-day timeframe, your Georgia driver's license will be suspended.
If you were charged with refusing 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 a restricted permit or early reinstatement. Contact a Meriwether County DUI Attorney with the Law Office of Richard Lawson as soon as possible after your DUI arrest.
Choosing a DUI Lawyer
Many people like to take their time when making important decisions. Why should hiring a DUI Lawyer in Meriwether County be any different? There is a difference between taking the time to find the best Meriwether County DUI Attorney and just waiting around hoping your charges will simply disappear. Once you have been arrested, the clock starts ticking. After a certain amount of time has passed, significant leverage needed to get your best outcome could be lost forever.
However, what is just as important is the message you want to send to a prosecutor who has the power to impose a broad range of penalties against you if you are convicted of DUI. While your DUI defense case is in the early stages, the prosecution makes decisions that will most likely determine how your case will conclude. Never forget that the prosecutor's job is to punish individuals charged with drunk driving. An effective check on their power is having a Meriwether County DUI Lawyer assess whether your case will likely go to trial. Without a skilled Meriwether County DUI Attorney by your side, there is little incentive for the prosecutor to provide any favorable legal options available to you.
Do Most Cases Go to Trial?
While there are exceptions to just about everything, most DUI prosecutions in Georgia are resolved without having to go to trial. A successful resolution before going to trial can happen in one of many different ways. The best outcomes occur through a dismissal of a DUI case. Having a client's case dismissed or “thrown out” is the best because not only does it provide quick relief to the client, it also saves them money. To have such fortunate outcomes, a good Meriwether County DUI Lawyer does a thorough investigation, gets evidence excluded, proves law enforcement's lack of probable cause, and uncovers flaws in breath/blood and field sobriety testing.
A large majority of cases are resolved via negotiations between the Meriwether County DUI Attorney and prosecutor. Each side must weigh the benefits and risks of taking a case to trial versus the certainty of a resolution that could benefit both parties. When a case cannot be dismissed, most clients choose to make use of pretrial negotiations that protect their liberty and livelihood over the risks of a more severe punishment following a trial. Whether or not to go to trial is always the decision of the client. It essential that all risks and weaknesses of the prosecution be fully explored before deciding which route is more advantageous to the client.
Many times an attorney's interest in taking a case to trial is purely financial, and ultimately interferes with the clients' best interests. It is the client who will be facing the consequences of a guilty verdict, not their attorney. Our clients deserve nothing but the most honest and complete information as to if their case should go to trial.
What Are Field Sobriety Tests? Do I Have to Take Them?
Field sobriety tests are used to determine if a driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They must be administered by a law enforcement officer according to standard protocol. The results are subject to the opinion if the officer. Several studies have found them to be highly inaccurate in determining impairment, as well as being administered incorrectly. You do not have to take these tests and may refuse if you so choose.
What if I Refused the Breath Test?
If you refused the State's chemical test of your breath, blood, or urine, you will lose your Georgia driver's license for one full year. That means even if your case ends up being dismissed, your license will still be under suspension.
DUI Involving Drugs
DUI offenses and driver's license suspensions based on the consumption of drugs has unique challenges in a Georgia courtroom. Everyone associates DUI offenses strictly with alcohol use. However, a large number of DUI cases our office handles are not even related to alcohol, but from drugs (illegal or prescription).
It is often easier for a prosecutor to establish criminal culpability when drugs are involved than “regular” drinking and driving. The reason is that someone can suffer criminal punishment merely by having any amount of an illegal drug, regardless if impairment can be proven.
Depending on the drug in question, a person's guilt or innocence can often rely on the type of drug and how long traces of that drug remain in the body. Most people do not know that even if they have not smoked marijuana in almost thirty days, it can still show up on a blood test and get you arrested for DUI and a possible license suspension. Therefore, it is crucial to challenge the admissibility of any evidence and blood draw analysis that suggests the presence of drugs.
Meriwether County Court System
Georgia's court system is known for being confusing. It helps to know a bit about it:
If you are arrested for misdemeanor DUI within an incorporated city (city limits), your case would be heard in the municipal court of that city. However, if you are arrested for misdemeanor DUI in an unincorporated area of Meriwether County, your case would go to Meriwether County Probate Court. If you are charged with Felony DUI, or if you wish to have a jury trial, your case would go to Meriwether County Superior Court.
Greenville GA Municipal Court
If you were arrested for DUI in Greenville GA, you need skilled legal representation from a Greenville GA DUI Lawyer to protect your rights and interests. The Honorable Robert Morton is the Municipal Court Judge, and the Chief Clerk of Court is Shantress Thrash. Court is held at the Greenville Police Station at 202 North Depot Street, Greenville, GA 30222. Call (706) 672-4211 for more information, and contact the Law Office of Richard Lawson to speak with a DUI Lawyer in Greenville GA right away.
Map to Greenville GA Municipal Court
Luthersville GA Municipal Court
If your misdemeanor DUI arrest occurred in the City of Luthersville GA, call the Law Office of Richard Lawson right away for a free case evaluation with a Luthersville DUI Lawyer. The Honorable Jim Barfield is the Municipal Court Judge, and Jacqueline Carroll is the Chief Court Clerk. Court is held at the Luthersville Police Department located at 104 Wortham Road, Luthersville, GA 30251. For more information, call (770) 927-6885. Contact the Law Office of Richard Lawson as soon as possible after your Luthersville DUI arrest. When you need a DUI Lawyer in Luthersville, do not take chances. Call the best Luthersville DUI Attorneys in the state!
Map to Luthersville GA Municipal Court
Manchester GA Municipal Court
If you were arrested for DUI in Manchester GA, you need a DUI Lawyer in Manchester GA to get you the best outcome possible. The Municipal Court of Manchester GA is held in the courtroom in the main Manchester Police building at 120 Second Street, Manchester, GA 31816. The Honorable John D. Gilson is the Municipal Court Judge, and Jan Lanier is the Municipal Court Clerk. The Court Clerk's office is located at 122 Second Street, Manchester, GA 31816. Office hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 8 AM - 4 PM. Court convenes two times a month and is held on the second and fourth Wednesday at 5 PM. Arraignment day is the second Wednesday. That is when the judge handles all guilty pleas. Bench trials are held on the fourth Wednesday. Call (706) 846-9679 for more information. If you need a DUI Lawyer in Manchester GA, do not hesitate to give us a call. Our Manchester GA DUI Attorneys are ready to take your call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Map to Manchester GA Municipal Court
Warm Springs GA Municipal Court
If you were arrested and charged with DUI in Warm Springs, you need a Warm Springs DUI Lawyer right away to make sure your rights are preserved. The Honorable Robert Morton is the Municipal Court Judge, and Amanda Gibson Knox is the Court Clerk. Court is held at 3655 Whitehouse Parkway, Warm Springs, GA 31830. Call (706) 655-9096 for more information. Choosing a DUI Lawyer in Warm Springs is an important decision that must be taken seriously. Call the Law Office of Richard Lawson and speak with a Warm Springs DUI Attorney today!
Map to Warm Springs Municipal Court
Woodbury GA Municipal Court
For a DUI arrest in Woodbury, you need an experienced DUI Lawyer in Woodbury to handle your case from the start. The Honorable Robert Morton is the Municipal Court Judge, and Angel Fowler is the Court Clerk. Court is held at 30 Durand Street, Woodbury, GA 30293. For more information, call (706) 553-5480. If you need expert legal representation from a Woodbury DUI Lawyer, please give our office a call as soon as possible. We have a seasoned Woodbury DUI Attorney ready to take your call and discuss your case.
Map to Woodbury Municipal Court
Meriwether County Probate Court
The Probate Court of Meriwether County is held at 100 Court Square, Greenville, GA 30222. The Honorable John Ransack is the Meriwether County Probate Court Judge. For more information, please call (706) 672-4416.
Map to Meriwether County Probate Court
Meriwether County Superior Court
Meriwether County Superior Court is part of the Coweta Judicial Circuit that also includes Carroll, Coweta, Heard and Troup Counties. Kye Gibson is the Clerk of Court, and may be contacted by calling (706) 672-5516. Court is held at 100 Courthouse Square, Greenville, GA 30222.
There are seven judges who hear cases:
Honorable A. Quillian Baldwin, Jr.
Chief Judge of Superior Court
Post Office Box 1364
LaGrange, Georgia 30241
(706) 883-1633
Honorable Dennis Blackmon
Coweta Judicial Circuit
Post Office Box 338
Carrollton, GA 30117
(770) 830-5871
Honorable Jack Kirby
Coweta Justice Center
72 Greenville Street
Newnan, GA 30236
Honorable John T. Simpson
Coweta Judicial Circuit
311 Newnan Street, 3rd Floor
Post Office Box 338
Carrollton, GA 30112
(678) 390-6206
Honorable William G. Hamrick, III
Coweta Judicial Circuit
Post Office Box 338
Carrollton, GA 30112
(678) 390-6236
Honorable Emory Palmer
Coweta Judicial Circuit
72 Greenville Street
Newnan, GA 30263
(770) 683-0491
Honorable Allen B. Keeble
Coweta Judicial Circuit
100 Ridley Avenue
LaGrange, GA 30240
(706) 883-1730
Honorable W. Travis Sakrison
Coweta Judicial Circuit
72 Greenville St.
Newnan, GA 30263
(770) 683-0498
The Chief Prosecuting Officer for Superior Court is the District Attorney's Office. The District Attorney for Meriwether County is Peter J. Skandalakis. His contact information is:
Peter J. Skandalakis
District Attorney
Coweta Judicial Circuit
100 Courthouse Square
Greenville, GA 30222
(706) 672-1302
Map to Meriwether County Superior Court
Protect Yourself and Your Future
If you have been accused of DUI in Meriwether County, it is crucial that you have experienced legal assistance as soon as possible. You do not have time to lose. Call the Law Office of Richard Lawson today and find out what our skilled Meriwether County DUI Lawyers can do for you to get the best outcome for your case. The best way to protect yourself and your future is to hire the best Meriwether DUI Attorney. We are the state's top-rated DUI Defense firm. Your best defense starts 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:
Meriwether County DUI Resources
Meriwether County Sheriff's Office
Greenville GA Police Department
Manchester GA Police Department
Administrative Office of the Courts
District Attorney of Meriwether County
Georgia Department of Driver Services
Meriwether County Public Library
Wikipedia of Meriwether County
