Drink driving is one of the most common criminal offences committed by people in Singapore. Most people charged for driving after drinking alcohol, who do not have financial resources to hire a lawyer, want to plead their guilt themselves. In fact in normal first time cases serious punishment is not imposed by the court. They can persuade the magistrate to use Section 10 to avid their conviction and/or grant maximum reduction in the period of disqualification of their license up to six months for first time mid-range PCA offense.
But in case you fail to persuade your drink driving case successfully in the court then you should hire a qualified lawyer who can work hard for your case in Singapore for a number of reasons. Some of these reasons are briefly described here under for your consideration.
When you are charged for drink driving your car the first step your lawyer will take is to inform you about your legal rights in such situation. In this way he will help you in preventing to feel guilty as well as making the mistakes repeatedly which can worsen your situation in such cases.
Your lawyer knows how to defend you in the court if you are charged with serious DUI offence, which is not so serious in normal conditions. In such situation your legal representative should be experienced to talk with the juries, prosecutors and judges in the court.
Another reason of hiring an attorney is the thorough knowledge of drink driving laws much better than a common person like you as they have got on the basis of their long practice.
A lawyer can work the best in representing you in the court in case you have offended the law for the first time. He can ensure to minimise the fines and/or the time of imprisonment as much as possible on the basis of his knowledge and experience. But the scope of taking up your drink driving case reduces if your DUI convictions or DUI offenses are of more serious nature.
There is a very common misconception that an experienced attorney can defend his clients in drink driving cases of any type. But one should keep in mind that your attorney cannot create miracles for you. He cannot change your imprisonment into just a fine if you have killed someone while driving under the influence of alcohol. People usually assume that their legal representative can save them in any situation after seeing certain movies or shows based on Law and Order.
In fact you will have to face imprisonment if you are guilty to injure someone seriously or killed him while driving under the influence. But still it is worthwhile to hire a drink driving lawyer in such situation as he can help in minimizing the time period of the imprisonment considerably by pleading on your behalf in the court.
Thus it is advisable to hire a lawyer for drink driving in Singapore to reduce the fine or sentence to a minimal level by representing you in the court on the basis of his knowledge of law and experience.
But while finding out your legal representative to plead your case in the court you will have to be a bit careful. You can find the best lawyer for drink driving in Singapore by following the tips provided here under.
Shop around:
If you are guilty of drink driving then finding the best lawyer is as important as making a financial decision as he is going to help you in managing your future. So you should shop around and compare several attorneys to find the best one. You can consult your family and friends who might have availed the services of such attorneys in similar cases in the near past. You can also search the rating of the local Bar Association to find the best representative who specialises in the area of your requirement.
Shortlist them:
After comparing the available attorneys you can shortlist some of them who appeal to you. It will help you in making final decision after talking to them individually. You call them and ask certain questions relating to your case to know whether they are interested in handling your case or not. Some of the interested attorneys may invite you to discuss your case in person instead of on the phone. It will help you in knowing their views about your case and you will be able to find the best one. Though most drink driving lawyers do not charge any fee for first meeting but still before visiting them personally you must ask about their consultation fee to avoid any harassment later on.
Experience:
Another thing to focus on while finding the best drink driving lawyer in Singapore is the check the experience of the shortlisted attorneys. You can ask them about their experience in dealing with the legal issues like yours. Whether they have handled the cases similar to yours in near past or not and how they tackled them. You can also ask about the fate of those cases to ascertain that you can expect positive result after hiring the best one of them.
Personal meeting:
You can find the best drink driving lawyer successfully in Singapore after consulting some of the shortlisted attorneys in person. Your first meeting with any of these attorneys should not extend more than 15-30 minutes. While discussing your case with them you should note down their views in this regard. After personal meeting you should review their views and take your time to think over the whole matter before taking a final decision. After finally selecting the best attorney you should make an appointment with him to discuss your situation in detail so that he can confidently represent you in the court.
Thus, if you are unable to plead your drink driving guilty successfully in the court yourself then it is advisable to hire a lawyer to represent you in the court in Singapore. But you should find a legal representative carefully.