7.20.2009

Seattle DUI Attorney | You Can't Talk Your Way Out

Time and time I see this scenario play out in court. It is an arraignment calendar. People are there to show up and show the court they know they are in trouble, find out exactly what they are charged with (if they don't already know), plead not guilty, and find out if they are going to have to do anything special to remain out of jail while the case is pending.

A Seattle DUI case is called and a guy gets up who does not yet have a Seattle DUI attorney and walks up to the front of the court. Once the guy gets up to the front, the judge asks the guy a couple of questions, "Is your name really Guy?" "Yes." "Do you know what you are charged with?" "Yes." "How do you plead?" "Judge, I don't think I should have been charged with a DUI. I only had four beers..." And that is when the proverbial shit hits the proverbial fan.

If you are charged with DUI in Seattle, or charged with any other crime, for that matter, you should understand one important concept about your arraignment - the judge doesn't care why you are there, the matter is purely procedural, and you should say as little as possible, get your next court date, and get out.

If you start telling the judge or the prosecutor about your case, including why you did what you did, not only will they not care, but it could significantly damage your case down the road. If you didn't understand the concept, when you are talking in court, your statements are being recorded. They will use those statements against you later on if they can. And they don't care what you have to say.

So, if you are charged with DUI and you don't have a Seattle DUI attorney yet, here is a word of advice - don't talk at your arraignment except to answer the judge's questions (and don't worry, he or she will not ask you about what happened). Hire a DUI lawyer as quickly as possible and just try to get out of there without doing more harm than good (by the way, this advice works if you need South Carolina DUI Attorneys too).

Contrary to popular belief, you cannot talk your way out of anything. What you can do is make things worse. So, moving forward, be quiet, keep your head low, and let your attorney do the work for you.

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