Reader’s Question:

My driver’s license was suspended because of a DUI charge. I wonder what will happen if I will be caught driving with a suspended license here in Trenton New Jersey? What are the consequences? Would there be any penalties?

Alvin

Trenton, NJ

If you will be caught driving in New Jersey while on a suspended driver’s license because of a DUI charge, it can have serious and inconvenient consequences. These would include a fine of $500 for the first offense. You will have a fine of $750 and jail time of up to five days for the second offense. For the third and subsequent offense, there would be a fine of $1,000 and jail time of 10 days. You will have an additional fine of $3,000 if you had unpaid surcharges. You are also facing an additional $500 fine if you don’t have an insurance, an additional license suspension of up to 2 years and jail time up to 90 days. You will have an additional jail time of 45 days if someone was injured in an accident.

For all of these offenses, you can lose your license for up to six months. After your current suspension has been served, the suspension is served consecutively.

Make sure you don’t get caught driving with a suspended license in New Jersey. Better yet, don’t drive at all with a suspended driver’s license because unfortunately, New Jersey does not issue hardship licenses or conditional licenses for drivers who have had their licenses suspended.

Reader’s Question:

My boyfriend was charged with DWI here in New Jersey. This is his first offense. I used to live in New York and my brother has been convicted there before with DWI and spent months in prison and paid $500 and penalty assessments. Are the penalties the same in each state? I need to know these things so that we know the consequences if my boyfriend will be convicted.

Eliza

Elizabeth, NJ

Driving While Intoxicated in the State of New Jersey means a bunch of penalties that include fees, charges and surcharges, imprisonment or mandatory counseling. There is no difference between DUI (Driving Under the Influence) and DWI in New Jersey.

If this is his first DWI offense in New Jersey, expect a fine of $250 to $400, a jail time not exceeding 30 days and suspension of his license for three months. Moreover, there would be a New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission (NJMVC) surcharge of $1,000 per year for three years and payments of $200 to the DWI Enforcement Fund, $50 to the Violent Crimes Compensation Fund, $75 to the Safe Neighborhood Fund, and $200 for license restoration. He would also have to undergo counseling for 12 to 48 hours at an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center (IDRC) in which may cost $150, and extra payment if outpatient counseling is stipulated by the IDRC.

If he will be convicted with DWI, this would become a permanent part of his driving record in New Jersey. The premium could be higher for a person with a DWI tag since many insurance companies look into the driving history for three years.

READER QUESTION:

Is the cost of hiring an AV rated New Jersey DUI attorney worth it?

Sally

GOOD QUESTION, SALLY.

This is a question on the minds of many searching for a good lawyer for their case. An AV rated New Jersey DUI attorney is someone who has the greatest amount of experience, prestige, and expertise in their specific area, and so they are the best kind of lawyer to hire in most cases. However, there are many higher costs that follow getting the best, so I would say that you should at least speak with the lawyer first to get an accurate assessment of possible costs and payment plans, and then work them into a budget along with other costs associated with your DUI so that you can see what you are able to live on.

It’s best for you to find a lawyer who will offer you a reasonable monthly payment plan. Most will do this. In addition to that, you need to have an understood fee agreement before hiring any lawyer, even an AV rated New Jersey DUI attorney. Also, you need to add to your budget a bunch of the costs which you might overlook normally, so much as the charges for paying employees to track down and interview your witnesses, and the costs for paper used in your case.

–Fashun.

The most important thing to take with you to your consultation with your potential Newark NJ DUI lawyer is a strategy. If you don’t have a plan for what you want to happen in that half hour or so you’re in there, then you won’t get the information you need to make the most intelligent decision, likely. The following areas are things you should hit on in your conversation.

• Experience.

Your chances of getting your case to succeed depends a good deal on the experience of your Newark NJ DUI lawyer. How long have they been working on DUI cases? To what extent do they handle DUI cases? How often are they successful? Have they ever prosecuted rather than defended a DUI cases (this is good because they know how the other side works more thoroughly)?

• Compatibility

You need to choose the lawyer who you are able to work with best. Someone who will talk to you intelligently but also explain difficult concepts, who welcomes information, and who wants to work with you.

You hang up the phone and feel a wave of relief–you’ve just chosen the Trenton NJ DUI attorney who will handle your drunk driving conviction case. But hold on. You aren’t done yet. Hiring a lawyer isn’t like asking for forgiveness, and you certainly aren’t washing yourself clean of anything so quickly. This is a process and it requires you to be involved.

Now that you have finished your first consultation, you will need to create a new form of conversation between you and the lawyer, now as a lawyer and client instead of lawyer and potential client. Essential to this is having a set of realistic goals. So get out a piece of paper and, thinking about your case, scribble down a few goals you have for it. What exactly do you plan on accomplishing–that is, are you looking to get a jail sentence or fee reduction, do you need limited driving priveleges, and so on. You also need to create a frame in which you want this all to be done with, so that your lawyer can pace accordingly.

Communicate these goals to your Trenton NJ DUI attorney, and in fact communicate anything else related to your case. Supply your attorney with all the necessary information, and call up anytime some new piece of information arrives. Keeping up a constant conversation will keep your case from running astray.

Why do I need an NJ DUI lawyer?

You may think you can waltz into court all by your lonesome and save your day, but these cases aren’t as simple as they may seem in your imagination. There are a lot of things an NJ DUI lawyer can help you with. For example…

• Get you some education.

Come on, how much do you really know about your state’s DUI law? An NJ DUI lawyer can give you the specifics–what consequences you’re up against, your chances, the laws, and so on.

• Defend you.

An NJ DUI lawyer knows better than you which direction to come from when defending you in court, and is more able to get you off with lighter consequences than you would be able to do alone.

• Handle things.

Your DUI lawyer can take care of all of your paperwork, fees and fines, scheduling court dates, filing, making calls to the right people…stuff you would otherwise have to do on your own while holding down a job and whatever responsibilities you have.

If you’re really cutting corners and can’t find a cheap lawyer, you may need to take some risks. Still, even though you don’t absolutely need a New Jersey DWI attorney in the cases below, it would probably be bad news if you didn’t get one, and it’s heavily advised. As in all cases, before you decide to take the risk, you should schedule a consulation with a lawyer and talk about your case for a bit.

You most likely need a New Jersey DWI attorney if…

• if this is the second time you’ve been caught driving while intoxicated, even if you were absolved the last time, then it’s very possible that a NJ DWI lawyer should be on your list of people to hire.
• if you had a very high BAC when you were pulled over–around twice the normal amount which could get you hit with a DWI–then the consequences are much harsher and you really need a lawyer.
• if you had someone under the age of 18 in the car with you when you were pulled over, then the consequences are usually the same as if your BAC is double the legal limit, and so you probably need a lawyer.

Sometimes it isn’t quite clear whether you need a Hackensack NJ DUI lawyer, and in cases such as these it’s up to your discretion. Even if you find yourself in this situation, it’s still beneficial to you to schedule a consultation with a lawyer, which most offer free, so that you can make sure that you really don’t need an attorney.

You might (or might not) need a Hackensack NJ DUI lawyer if…

• you don’t know what’s going on. DUI law is big stuff, and if you don’t get it, or don’t want to spend time learning it so you can represent yourself, you may need to hire a lawyer.
• you need to understand what will happen to you if you are convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• you need to understand the process of fighting a DUI conviction or lessening your sentence.
• you are working for a license which a criminal conviction could keep you from getting.
• your job requires bonding.

For penny pinchers, and for those on a tight budget, hiring a Trenton NJ DUI attorney may not be the most attractive option. It isn’t absolutely necessary every single time that you hire one, so you should look at your situation on a case by case basis to see if it’s worth spending your hard earned money.

It is absolutely imperative that you hire a Trenton NJ DUI attorney if…

• you work in an area where driving is your life. You could be a pizza delivery guy or a taxi driver. You could be a business person who goes on a lot of trips. If losing your license for a long time would leave you without an income, or with a much smaller income, then you need to hire a lawyer.
• you received your DUI from an accident involving either injuries or death. If this is the case, it could go as far as having your license revoked for a long, long time to a very lengthy jail sentence
• you’re a repeat offender. If you’re going on your third DUI or (somehow) even more than that, then you need a DUI lawyer to keep you from the worst consequences.

If you’re going to hire a lawyer to represent you for your DUI case, then somewhere along the (beginning of the) line, you’re going to have to go in for a New Jersey DUI lawyer consultation. This can be like jumping into deep water without knowing how to swim first for first timers, so if you have the time, you need to become more knowledgeable.

• Go to the library.

The library is an excellent source of information. While you don’t need to know DUI law backwards and forwards, checking out a book on your state’s laws and skimming some of the most important content can give you some basis, when you go to your New Jersey DUI lawyer consultation, so that you can know if the person you are talking to is really knowledgeable. You have no idea how many people have been screwed over by lawyers who didn’t know their stuff.

• Check the yellow pages.

If you’re hurting for a place to FIND a lawyer, just check the yellow pages. There are plenty of lawyers in there, but don’t jump to the assumption that they’re the best just because they have a full page ad.