Your Virginia Legal Team

Henrico County DUI Damage Control

The necessity of damage control following a DUI charge can be daunting. However, once you understand what the consequences are, it can be straightforward determining your next steps. This can easily be done with the help of an experienced Henrico County DUI attorney. A DUI lawyer will be able to provide you with recommendations on how to mitigate the charge, such as enrolling in an alcohol education course.

They can describe the different types available and help you decide which one is best for your situation. Depending on the number of the offense (whether this was a first, second, third, or subsequent offense), they will also recommend next steps regarding insurance and how the charge affects your license.

First Steps After Receiving a Henrico DUI

After receiving a DUI one of the first things you should do is contact an Henrico County DUI attorney. You need to speak with an attorney about what sort of penalties you may be facing, but also what steps you can take to help mitigate your case. In almost all cases, the first thing a lawyer will recommend is that they enter into an alcohol or substance abuse counseling program.

An alcohol or substance abuse education course is a program which meets anywhere from once a week to several times a week to identify if there is an alcohol or substance abuse problem and how to treat that. The primary goal with these sorts of programs is to educate the individual as to substance abuse and alcohol abuse, but also teach ways to abstain from that abuse and to receive treatment for it.

Advantages of Taking an Alcohol Education Course

The main advantage with enrolling in an alcohol education or substance abuse course is primarily for damage control. The way prosecutors and judges routinely look at DUI cases is that it is not the first time you have ever done it, it is the first time you have gotten caught. What a DUI lawyer in Henrico County is trying to do is provide the prosecutors and judges with information about who you are as a person. In other words, show that there is no substance abuse issue here or if there is, that you are receiving treatment for it and it will not occur again.

Different Types of Courses in Henrico County

There are a number of different education courses in Henrico County. There is your standard Alcoholics Anonymous type courses, but there are also private courses which are a lot more detailed.

There are Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program (VASAP) courses which are provided by the state and there are private counseling courses which typically meet from one to three times a week which involve drug screens and things of that nature.

What to Expect from an Alcohol Education Course

It is beneficial to be very proactive in dealing with an alcohol education course. It’s important to take these courses very seriously, and to get involved in order to get the most out of it. They should expect to be meeting at least once a week and should expect to be tested regularly for drugs or alcohol.

The idea behind getting involved in these programs for purposes of court is not only to get treated, but also to provide the court with documentation about your successful enrollment and participation in such program.

Your Insurance After a DUI Charge

If you are convicted of a DUI in Commonwealth of Virginia and your license is suspended on a first offense, it will be suspended for a year. On a second or third offense it is suspended for up to three years. If you are allowed to get a restricted license on a first offense, you will be required to obtain what is called SR22 insurance, which is high risk insurance, typically for three years. This insurance is a lot more expensive than normal insurance and therefore is the primary penalty.

An Henrico County DUI attorney will usually advise an individual to wait until the case has been finalized before they advise their insurance of the DUI charge, mainly just to see if it’s possible to get the charges reduced or dismissed.

DUI as a Result of an Accident

If you are charged with a DUI as a result of an accident, we usually recommend that you speak with an attorney first. You do not want to make any incriminating statements which can be used against you. Any statement you give to your own insurance company or to the other party’s insurance company theoretically can be used against you, or subpoenaed by the state or police to be used against you in court.

What Everyone Should Know About DUI Damage Control in Henrico County

The most important thing to know about DUI damage control in Henrico is the steps which an individual can take to benefit their case. Many times individuals decline counseling or anything like that because they do not have a problem or they do not think it will help their case.

Clients should always be proactive in DUI cases because there are instances where an Henrico County DUI lawyer is unable to find a very strong legal defense or legal issue. Even if a lawyer can find minor issues, they may not be enough to get your charges or the sentence or punishment reduced. However, if a laywer can join those minor issues with proof of your successful enrollment in and completion of an alcohol substance abuse course, that can make a significant difference in the outcome and sometimes result in minimizing your penalty or reducing your charge.

Contact Us

Do not send us confidential information related to you or your company until you speak with one of our attorneys and get authorization to send that information to us.

Copyright 2024 Virginia Criminal Lawyer. All rights reserved. Disclaimer/Privacy Policy