http://www.fightyourdui.com - St. Petersburg DUI Lawyer, DUI Lawyer in St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg DUI Attorney, DUI Attorney in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County DUI Lawyer, DUI Lawyer in Pinellas County, St. Pete DUI Lawyer, DUI Attorney in St. Pete St. Petersburg DUI Lawyer - DUI Attorney in St. Petersburg - Pinellas County DUI Lawyer If you have been arrested for a DUI offense in St Petersburg, or anywhere else in Pinellas County, you will be facing a law enforcement system which will be determined to see you guilty and you will be given some of the harshest penalties anywhere in the United States. But, don't think a conviction is inevitable. You can fight a DUI charge with the experienced help of a St Petersburg DUI attorney. These attorneys have already had to deal with hundreds of cases before where they have successfully defended those charged with DUI. They know just how to challenge even the most solid looking case leveled against their clients. One of the reasons why DUI convictions are so much more serious than other traffic offenses is that they are criminal convictions. A DUI conviction will stay on your record for a very long time. Even if you move out of Florida, any DUI conviction here in St Petersburg will haunt you elsewhere. It is best to fight any DUI charge with the help of a St Petersburg DUI attorney rather than just accept what the court throws at you. DUI convictions can mean financial hardship, especially if your alcohol content was reported to be high (e.g. over 0.15%), it is a second or third conviction or if somebody was injured in an accident while you were driving. It is not just the fines, although they can be considerable, together with other costs, such as court costs. You could lose your license for anywhere between 6 months to 18 months, depending on the circumstances of your DUI arrest. A recent law change means that a first time offender can now apply for a hardship license to allow them to have the restricted ability to drive, but you do have to be prepared not to challenge your overall license suspension. A first time DUI arrest can seem a confusing and intimidating experience. You will first have been stopped at the roadside and it is worth remembering everything that was said and done at this important stage. An experienced DUI attorney in St Petersburg is often able to get a DUI charge dismissed simply because you were not dealt with under the correct protocol when you were stopped. Or the results of your so called sobriety tests were faulty. Over enthusiastic or inexperienced officers may think you were DUI when there were other reasons -- fear, medication, illness and so on. Then there are the variety of blood alcohol tests that are used by law enforcement agencies throughout Pinellas county and in St Pete. Their reliability is continually under question and an experienced Pinellas County DUI attorney will examine the way these tests have been carried out very thoroughly. Contaminated equipment and inexperienced use can lead to invalid results. Yet these flawed results may be used by the prosecution against you. DUI lawyers in Pinellas County will use any irregularity in your arrest process to get your charge dismissed altogether if possible. Of course, there is no guarantee that you won't get convicted, but you may be able to get the penalties imposed on you reduced with an aggressive defense. Some people refuse to take a blood alcohol test when they are arrested. There is little that the law enforcement officers can do to prevent you from doing this, but be warned that the first time you refuse, your license can be removed for 12 months and your refusal could be used against you. If you refuse on a second arrest, then you could even be charged with a second misdemeanor charge. The law in Florida says that you give "implied consent" to agree to taking a blood test when you accept your Florida driver license. On the positive side, a new DUI statute in Florida does now allow you to apply for a hardship license on a first offense, even if you have refused a blood alcohol test. If you have had a prior conviction for DUI, expect to be treated harshly. You could get a jail sentence of anywhere up to 12 months and your license will be suspended for up to 18 months, even for a second conviction. The worst effects are those that are the indirect results of a second or third conviction. You could find your ability to drive restricted by an ignition interlock device or may have your license revoked altogether. The long term effects on employment and gaining an income are gloomy if the charge is not defended adequately. Many people who have been charged with DUI throughout Pinellas county and in St Pete have benefited from the experience and dedication of St Petersburg DUI attorneys. Make sure you get experienced legal representation as soon as you can after you are charged as the more time there is available to prepare a vigorous defense, the better.

• published: 20 Aug 2013
• views: 781