DUI Defense

Fort Lauderdale DUI Defense Attorney

If you have been arrested for DUI in Florida, you only have 10 days to contest the automatic suspension of your driver's license by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)—in addition to facing criminal charges. At the Law Offices of Patric L. Jones in Fort Lauderdale, we offer a free initial consultation by phone or in person to answer your questions and discuss your options.

When you are arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs in Florida, you face two legal proceedings. The first one is an administrative driver's license suspension through the Florida DMV. The second is a criminal case on the drunk-driving charge. If you do not contest the automatic driver’s license suspension after your arrest, you will lose your license. Likewise, if you are found guilty in your criminal case, you will lose your driver's license and face other consequences such as fines and jail time.

The only way to keep your driver's license while your criminal case is going on is to fight the suspension with the Florida DMV. This is also the only way you can get a hardship license that allows you to drive to work or school while you are waiting for your criminal case to be resolved. Criminal defense lawyer Patric Jones can represent you both at your DMV hearing and in your criminal case.

If I am pulled over for a DUI, do I have to take a Breathalyzer test?

If you have a Florida driver’s license, “…operation of a motor vehicle constitutes consent to any sobriety test required by law” (see the bottom of your driver’s license). In fact, that is the law in most states.

In Florida, Breathalyzer tests are considered sobriety tests that are required by law. You are not required to take a field sobriety test.

If you choose not to take a Breathalyzer test when directed to by the police, your driver's license will automatically be suspended by the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the police will physically take your license away.

What defenses are available in a DUI case?

The evidence in a DUI case may include the results of your Breathalyzer test, blood tests or urinalysis. It might also include a field sobriety test, which may have been recorded on video. However, if the police officer did not have a legal reason to pull you over, your lawyer may be able to have any evidence collected after your stop suppressed.

If you refused the Breathalyzer test, the police may not have enough evidence to prove that you were intoxicated (although you will lose your driver’s license). If you took a field sobriety test that was recorded on video, that may become the crucial piece of evidence in your case. That could go for or against you, depending on whether you appear to be drunk in the video.

If the state's evidence against you is weak, it may be in your best interest to go to trial. If the state's evidence is strong, it may be best to resolve your case by seeking to minimize the penalties.

If your DUI arrest occurred following an accident in which someone was injured or killed, you could face the much more serious charges of vehicular assault or vehicular manslaughter.

Free consultation with a lawyer by phone or in person: To discuss your DUI/DWI case with attorney Patric L. Jones, call 954-779-1994 or contact our law firm by e-mail. We serve clients throughout Broward County, Florida, from our office in Fort Lauderdale and our satellite office in Coral Springs.