What to Know About Your DUI Case in Ocean City

If charged with driving under the influence in Ocean City, it is important that you know precisely what you are facing and hire an attorney that can build you the strongest defense. With this in mind, the following is important information regarding DUI cases in the area as told by our Ocean City DUI lawyer. To learn more about DUI cases in general or to discuss the circumstances surrounding your case, call today and schedule a free consultation.

Where Are DUI Cases in Ocean City Held?

DUI cases in Ocean City are heard on 65th Street at the district court building, which is located in the public service building there in Ocean City.

Administrative license suspension hearings, however, are heard in a different place. Typically what happens is if the person requests an MVA hearing and if they have a lawyer, then the MVA hearing is held at the closest MVA full service location to the attorney’s office.

So for example, if they hire me to help them with their MVA hearing, it will be held at the Salisbury MVA location. If the person just goes homes and request an MVA hearing on their own, the hearing is going to be held in the county of their residence, the closest full service MVA where that person is located.

How Long Does a Typical Ocean City County DUI Case Take?

Typically, a Ocean City DUI case would take about two to three months to get to trial.

Depending what the person is charged with, they have the right to request that their case be heard by a jury. If they request a jury trial, then it’s going to be an additional three or four months before their case is heard.

Why it is Important To Hire a DUI Attorney With Experience Practicing in Ocean City?

It is important because you want to get an attorney who regularly appears in Ocean City and who regularly interacts with the prosecutors and the judge. You want to have somebody who knows what to expect from a judge.

An attorney that regularly appears in front of the judge and regularly interacts with the prosecutors has that sort of institutional knowledge of what is typically done down here. Hiring an attorney who doesn’t regularly appear down here means hiring someone who doesn’t know what typically happens down here.

The risk is having somebody who comes down here who doesn’t know the judge, doesn’t know the prosecutors, doesn’t know what the pet peeves of the judge are, doesn’t know what the judge typically does for a fine, typical hours of community service, et cetera. These are all the little things that you learn about, that you learn when you’re practicing in front of the same judge.