In Texas, a conviction for drunk driving can result in a significant fine, jail time, and the loss of your driver’s license. You will also have a permanent criminal record that can disrupt many parts of your life.
The best way to fight back against a DWI charge is to get a lawyer. A DWI lawyer in Grand Prairie at the Law Firm of Randall B. Isenberg can help you. Contact us today at 214-696-9253 to get started.
How Can a DWI Lawyer in Grand Prairie Help Me?
A DWI lawyer looks out for your best interests at all times, protecting your legal rights and providing expert counsel along the way.
It is imperative that you understand that neither the police nor the prosecutor has your best interests at heart.
In many cases, the police and prosecutors try to convince people arrested for DWI in Grand Prairie to enter a guilty plea in exchange for lesser penalties. However, they neglect to inform you exactly how it will impact your life.
With a lawyer on your side, you will understand exactly how a conviction will affect your future. You will also have the opportunity to explore all of your options, so you can make well-informed choices.
It is rarely in your best interest to plead guilty — even with a positive blood alcohol test result — especially if your DWI lawyer believes you have other options.
After analyzing the facts and evidence of your case, we can use any potential weaknesses or violations of your legal rights as leverage to negotiate with the prosecutor. In many cases, your attorney may be able to convince the prosecutor to reduce or dismiss the charges against you.
Will I Go to Jail for a Grand Prairie DWI Conviction?
In most cases, yes. How long you spend in jail will vary, depending on whether you have prior convictions.
Based on the Texas Penal Code (TPC), these are the penalties you may face for DWI in Grand Prairie.
First DWI Offense: Jail time between 3 and 180 days, up to a $2,000 fine, up to a 1-year driver’s license suspension, and a fee of $1,000-$2,000 for 3 years to reinstate your license
Second DWI Offense: Jail time between 30 days and 1 year, up to a $4,000 fine, up to 2 years’ driver’s license suspension, and a fee of $1,000-$2,000 for 3 years to reinstate your license
Third DWI Offense: Prison time between 2 and 10 years, a $10,000 fine, up to 2 years’ driver’s license suspension, and a fee of $1,000-$2,000 for 3 years to reinstate your license
The court may require that you perform community service and report for rehab or substance abuse treatment in addition to the required alcohol education program. Upon conviction for a second DWI within any five-year period, you must install ignition interlocks on each of your personal vehicles.
Aggravating circumstances that will significantly increase your level of charges include having a BAC above 0.149, having a passenger in your car aged 14 or younger, or having an open container of alcohol. If any of these circumstances apply to your arrest, you will face the next level of charges which, in most cases, doubles the severity of the penalties.
After a DWI conviction in Grand Prairie, you will have a permanent criminal record. This means that, any time someone runs a background check on you, she will see your crime. Potential employers may use this as a reason for not hiring you. Potential landlords may also decline your application to rent a home or apartment. Having a DWI conviction also precludes you from holding many types of professional licenses in Texas and in other states.
You will also face substantially higher car insurance premiums.
Will a Grand Prairie DWI Conviction Cost You Your Driver’s License?
In addition to your criminal trial, you must attend an administrative hearing to determine the disposition of your Texas driver’s license.
The Administrative License Revocation (ALR) hearing is a civil matter conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS). Within 14 days of your arrest, you must request a hearing; otherwise, TxDPS will automatically suspend your license. That suspension will range between 90 days and two years.
When you report for the hearing, overseen by an administrative law judge, you will testify under oath. The arresting officer in your case will also give sworn testimony, as will anyone else with information pertinent to your case.
Having a DWI or ALR suspended license hearing lawyer from the Law Offices of Randall B. Isenberg represent you will help prevent you from giving testimony that can harm your criminal case. We can also make a case to the administrative law judge, to help avoid or minimize any license suspension.
Even more important, your lawyer will have the opportunity to question the arresting officer, potentially gleaning insight about your criminal case.
If the judge does elect to suspend your license, your lawyer can appeal or request an occupational (provisional) license, allowing you to drive to work or school and to any necessary personal appointments or errands.
How Will Your Lawyer Fight DWI Charges?
The prosecutor must meet a high burden of proof to obtain a conviction. Consequently, any potential strategies your DWI lawyer may use to fight your case will focus on injecting reasonable doubt into your case.
We may question whether the police had reasonable suspicion to pull you over, or whether they had probable cause to make an arrest and request BAC testing.
We may also challenge the validity of the BAC testing.
If the police violated your legal rights at any time, we can leverage that as a part of your defense. For example, if the police failed to use established guidelines for field sobriety testing, it may invalidate any evidence they obtained during the traffic stop.
If, during breath testing for DWI, the police and testing technicians failed to follow the published Texas Administrative Code (TAC) breath alcohol testing standards and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) DWI testing procedures, the court may disallow the evidence.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a DWI Lawyer in Grand Prairie
The Law Offices of Randall B. Isenberg provides professional representation to clients facing Texas drunk driving charges. Attorney Randall Isenberg brings more than 30 years’ experience to your case. In addition to being a DWI attorney, he has also spent time as a state judge and felony prosecutor. This gives him an insider’s perspective into how the other side builds its case.
Call us today at 214-696-9253 to schedule a complimentary consultation with a DWI lawyer in Grand Prairie.
