If someone has been charged with a DUI they may find it difficult securing employment or sustaining current employment. A highly experienced DUI attorney can guide their client through the ins and outs of handling the penalties that accompany a criminal conviction. An individual that is working for the government or as a contractor for a government organization and is facing the possibility of a DUI conviction should contact an attorney as soon as he or she can.
A conviction will quite often result in a government employee losing their security clearance, which is why the involvement of a knowledgeable DUI lawyer is so crucial. A security clearance is usually required for Washington, DC employees due to the amount of work they tend to do for the government, most of which requires them to handle sensitive data.
An employer will typically want to know that the individual they’re hiring is a trustworthy individual. With this in mind, an employer will run background checks on potential employees regularly.
Certain security clearances require a person to have no criminal record whatsoever. If an individual acquires a criminal conviction such as a DUI while employed, the crime will inevitably change their employer’s perception of their character. He or she will be considered a convicted criminal, and this will inevitably jeopardize their ability to attain a security clearance.
If an individual is currently employed by the government, or an organization that is tied to the government, he or she can lose his or her security clearance due to a criminal conviction. This can and will pose a problem for that individual if having a clearance is a specific condition of their employment; the loss of security access will typically end in a termination of duties.
Background checks are performed quite frequently. The area is highly specialized and heavily populated with government agencies as well as private contractors that work for government agencies. Employees who work for these organizations or entities are reviewed regularly to ensure that they are not a risk to national or local security.
If an individual drives for a living, they will be subject to regular background checks as well. Employers will do a full check of their employees’ background and criminal history quite frequently in an effort to determine whether or not the individual is exhibiting safe driving behavior on the road.
In most scenarios, an individual will not have the opportunity to explain a criminal record. An employer in today’s competitive market will make decisions based off of a resume; if they must make a decision between two candidates that have applied for employment with similar backgrounds and qualifications, a candidates DUI conviction, or any conviction for that matter, will immediately eliminate them as an option with no explanation necessary.
An experienced defense attorney will adjust their strategy based on their clients’ case. In some instances, if a security clearance is on the line, a lawyer will try to work with the prosecutor to try to enter into an agreement for the charges to be reduced to something that will not affect their clients’ clearance.
In most scenarios, an attorney will present a defense that was crafted specifically to appeal to the court, win the case, and get an acquittal. Ultimately, the defense really just depends on the situation involving the client’s occupation.
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