Do You Need A Lawyer For Your DUI Case?
Reader’s Question:
My cousin in New Jersey has just been charged with DUI. He wants to know if he needs a lawyer to help him on his DUI case. Also, does he or the lawyer have control over which judge or prosecutor he gets for his case?
Shantell
Bayonne, NJ
Every person accused can actually represent himself or herself in court. However, because DUI is such as serious matter, it is not a generally wise choice to go to court unrepresented. Your cousin’s right to drive, his freedom, and his future employment options may hang in the balance. The choice is his and I advice him to take advantage of most lawyers’ free consultation to see whether or not he would want to hire a lawyer. On the other hand, any individual facing a second or more DUI in less than five years (measuring from date-of-conviction to date-of-arrest) should always utilize a lawyer capable of taking the DUI case to trial. The new penalties for repeat offenders are more serious and possibly life-changing.
As a general rule, no one has any control over which judge or prosecutor your cousin can get for his DUI case in Bayonne, New Jersey. Rotation of judges or computer assignment makes most court assignments for each case random. A lawyer has very little input about how the DUI case is assigned, or which prosecutor or judge will handle it.
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