My Lawyer Asked Me to Complete Community Service Before Court

The general advice we give our clients is to complete all the possible conditions of their sentence before going to court.  The most common question asked, as a result, is: "Am I making an admission of guilt by completing potential terms of a sentence for which I have not been convicted?"

The short answer is "no."  The more important discussion is the reason we ask our clients to inconvenience themselves before being convicted of a crime.

Most Cases Settle:

There are hundreds of thousands of misdemeanor arrests in Georgia every year.  If even ten percent of those cases went to trial, the system would collapse.  Therefore, there is an incentive to settle cases.  That motivation serves the State's interest as well as the interest of the accused.  In a DUI case, we often try to get a person's case reduced to reckless driving.  That does not mean we can do that in every case; however, for most people, a reduction to reckless driving is an excellent outcome.

When our clients have completed DUI School, community service, and alcohol and drug counseling before court, it can aid in our negotiation process with the prosecutor.  It shows the accused has taken his or her case seriously.  Additionally, those same conditions are usually required in a sentence for reckless driving.

Also, when a person completes the terms of their sentence before going to court, that means they can do those things at a more convenient time rather than on a probation officer's difficult schedule.

More so, if your Georgia DUI Lawyer cannot get your case reduced or dismissed, it is still more convenient to have everything done before court.  Even in pleas to DUI, having the conditions of the sentence done before the court date can make the difference between spending time in jail and being released on time served.

But What if I Am Completely Exonerated and Found “Not Guilty?"

Congratulations!  We make every attempt to win each of our cases.  Our offices take several cases to trial every year.  That being said, most clients are not willing to risk the consequences of going to trial unless those consequences are outweighed by the risk of having a conviction to DUI or a lesser offense.  As Georgia DUI Attorneys, we have to anticipate what is in our clients' best interest.  That is why we advise our clients to be proactive in their own defense.