Salisbury Third DUI Lawyer
Someone who is looking for an attorney to represent them in a 3rd DUI case in Salisbury should be looking for a Salisbury third DUI lawyer who has experience, who has represented numerous other defendants in DUI cases. It can also help if the DUI attorney has previous experience as a prosecutor.
It’s also important to find out if that attorney is a local attorney who has an office in Salisbury and who regularly appears in front of these judges. It may not be as helpful for a person to hire an attorney that lives and works two or three hours away from Salisbury and that does not regularly appear in front of these judges.
What to Look For in a Salisbury Third DUI Lawyer
They should be looking for a Salisbury third DUI lawyer who knows the judges and who has worked with those judges in the past. That sort of experience is invaluable. One of the reasons it’s so important is because judges will assess the credibility of the attorney, too. The judges are looking at the attorney and they are asking themselves “Can I believe what this attorney says when this attorney appears in front of me? Is he typically prepared for court? Has he been forthright with the court in the past?” If you have a strong reputation with the judge then the judge is going to listen to what you have to say.
A third offense DUI charge will also be held in the district court building on Baptist Street in Salisbury. If the person desires, they certainly can pray a jury trial. If they were to do that, then their case would be heard in the circuit court for Wicomico Country. That is the court that has jurisdiction over jury trials.
Building a Defense for Third DUI Cases
Building the defense for a third DUI charge should be the same as building it for a first time DUI charge because the goal is still the same. The goal is to get a verdict of not guilty for the client if at all possible. That would involve Salisbury third DUI lawyers reviewing the evidence and keeping mind what the elements of each one of the offenses are because attorneys should be reviewing it and asking themselves if the state has the necessary evidence to prove each and every element of those offenses.
Salisbury Third DUI Charges
The prosecutors handle third time DUIs very, very aggressively. If the defendant has a prior conviction then the state will pursue the subsequent offender penalty, which means they will ask the court that the penalty be enhanced. For a third offense, the maximum penalty can be enhanced to:
- Three years incarceration
- And/or a three thousand dollar fine.
At that point, you’re talking potentially about prison time for a DUI. In Salisbury, the prosecutor’s office will file for subsequent offender penalties. They typically do it for a second offense DUI and they most definitely will apply for it in a third offense DUI case.