Your Alabama Lawyer - Divorce, DUI, Bankruptcy, Personal Injury - Birmingham, Pelham, Calera, Chelsea, Jemison, Montgomery, Prattville

LEGAL TIPS

What is a DUI? :
The various versions of driving under the influence generally constitute a misdemeanor (punishable by up to one year in jail) . However, the offense may be elevated to a felony (punishable by a longer term in state prison) if the incident caused serious injury (felony DUI), death (vehicular manslaughter or vehicular homicide), or extensive property damage (a state specified dollar amount) or if the defendant has a designated number of prior DUI convictions within a given time period (commonly, 3 prior convictions within 7 years). California, which is being followed by a growing number of states, now charges second-degree murder where the legal state of mind of malice exists -- that is, where the defendant exhibited a reckless indifference to the lives of others.

Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

Forms - DUI Lawyer - Driving Under the Influence Law Firm

As little as two drinks in less than an hour can cause a driver to be legally impaired under the current Alabama DUI law. Many times, good people use poor judgment and find themselves in a confusing and dangerous legal situation. Without proper guidance, one episode of poor judgment can have severe consequences for drivers arrested for DUI in Alabama.

An arrest for Driving Under the Influence in the State of Alabama can severely damage your life. The arrest causes a person to loose their license, pay high fines, and spend time in jail. In some cases, when people loose their license, they can loose their job as well. An attorney working on your behalf can help you try to avoid the consequences and penalties associated with a DUI arrest and conviction. Attorney Byron M. Richardson works directly with his clients to help them put forth a strategy together to defend their case and lessen the impact of the arrest in the client’s life.

At Richardson Law Offices, LLC we offer an initial phone or email conversation to discuss with you the consequences of your DUI arrest.

CALL TODAY, TOLL FREE 1-866-232-6234

DUI & Driving Under The Influence:
DUI - DWI - ODWI? :
Unlike DUI, DWI, or OWUI cases that involve alcohol, there is generally no per se or legal limit that is employed for persons accused of driving under the influence of prescription medication or illicit drugs (although this is not the case in Ohio[citation needed]). Instead, the key inquiry focuses on whether the driver's faculties were impaired by the substance that was consumed. The detection and successful prosecution of drivers impaired by prescription medication or illegal drugs can therefore be difficult.

Alabama & US DUI Laws :
It is also a criminal offense in all states to drive a vehicle while under the influence of drugs DUID, or under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs; the drugs themselves need not be illegal, but can be prescription or even over-the-counter. This offense requires evidence of impairment as a result of the drugs or drugs and alcohol, although some states have passed laws making driving with the mere presence of certain drugs a criminal offense.

* No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality
of legal services performed by other lawyers. The information presented at this site should
not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.

All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2008 Richardson Law Offices, LLC

Glossary of Legal Terms :: Alabama Lawyers

DUI History :
Historically, guilt was established by observed driving symptoms, such as weaving; administering field sobriety tests, such as a walking a straight line heel-to-toe or standing on one leg for 30 seconds; and the arresting officer's subjective opinion of impairment. Starting with the introduction in Norway in 1936 of the world’s first per se law which made it an offense to drive with more than a specified amount of alcohol in the body, objective chemical tests have gradually supplemented the earlier purely judgmental ones. Limits for chemical tests are specific for blood alcohol concentration or concentration of alcohol in breath.