Our DWI Credentials are Exceptional, 7 DWI Defense Lawyers
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As attorneys dedicated to representing individuals accused of operating a motor vehicle under the influence, I and my staff of experienced DWI defense lawyers have known more than a few drivers who have avoided a conviction for drunken driving here in the Garden State. While most arrests for DWI or drug DUI — including those for impaired driving due to prescription drugs and illicit substances like cocaine and cannabis — result in a conviction leading to heavy penalties, there are other instances where the prosecution does not have sufficient evidence to obtain a guilty verdict.

And, while we know that not every DWI or DUI summons is warranted or deserved, we also are concerned when civil servants occasionally break the very laws that they are sworn to uphold. Whether it is avoiding a drunk driving charge altogether or side-stepping stiff fines and other penalties for driving while intoxicated, the average person hardly has the option of avoiding a DWI hearing and many times feels he must navigate our legal system in the absence of legal representation. (We will say right here that it is in most everyone’s best interest to, at the very least, consult with a qualified DWI attorney following an arrest for being drunk behind the wheel.)

From time to time, we see justice being served on local politicians and government officials who have been found guilty of breaking the laws of New Jersey and local communities. Just as the average citizen must face their accusers, local officials, patrolmen and other officers of the court should stand trial for their misdeeds, take responsibility for their actions and accept any consequences should they be found guilty.
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Most New Jersey drivers already know that state and federal law enforcement and traffic safety groups spends a great deal on anti-drunken driving education and enforcement, especially around the holidays. We can see it constantly; the increased DWI-DUI patrols on our highways and surface streets, more frequent drunk driving roadblocks and sobriety checkpoints…never mind the numerous radio and TV public service announcements aimed at making potential drunken drivers aware of the risks of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated by beer, wine or hard liquor. The word is out: New Jersey is hardly tolerant when it comes to DWI, or even drug DUI (prescription or illegal substances like marijuana).

Whether one is arrested for driving under the influence here in Monmouth County, Passaic, Ocean or Sussex County, the results of a drunk driving conviction can be expensive, inconvenient and even embarrassing. But what if every citizen was encouraged (monetarily) to report fellow drivers that they suspected of driving drunk, or likewise impaired by some kind of prescription medication? It’s happened already, according to news reports, down in the Sunshine State.

Based on a recent article, reporting an allegedly impaired motorist down in Palm Beach County, FL, will apparently yield the caller $100. The program known as “Mobiles Eyes,” which has been in effect for the past decade, was created to get the driving public involved in looking out and reporting potentially drunk drivers. In return, according to news articles, the caller receives payment if that particular motorist is arrested for driving while intoxicated.
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There’s little defense for poor decisions made in haste. Whether that applies to being pulled over for a minor traffic infraction, leading to a DWI or drug DUI summons; or if its making the wrong choices heading into a court hearing on a charge of driving while intoxicated, a poor decision in either instance can lead to license suspension, steep fines and penalties and even the loss of one’s job or standing in the community.

Regardless of the circumstances, never assume that a qualified DWI defense attorney is not worth talking to, at the very least to more completely understand your rights as well as the possible outcomes of a DWI or DUI case. As a defendant, knowledge is power. An experienced drunken driving lawyer has the skills and knowledge it takes to negotiate legally in a courtroom setting.

The loss of one’s driving privileges is nothing to ignore, especially if you absolutely need a car to get to work or school. The loss of mobility can not only be a burden on family and friends, who may be asked to help get a convicted drunk driver here and there, but it can affect one’s ability to find a job or even to hold on to one. Before walking into a courtroom unprepared for the consequences, consider a consultation with a qualified legal professional well versed in drunk driving law.
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Make no mistake, at this time of year there are many New Jersey motorists who get picked up for drunken driving day after day as the holiday season progresses through to the New Year. It matters little if someone is an upstanding person in his or her neighborhood or well-respected individual in the local business community, being arrested for DWI or drug DUI can and does happen; the results of which can be costly and embarrassing.

It’s no laughing matter when a driver is pulled over after having a few drinks. While the initial traffic stop must be for a moving violation, exhibiting any outward signs of possible intoxication will likely pique an officer’s interest to the point that a field sobriety test will be requested. I f failed, the patrolman may decide to arrest the driver and take him or her in to have a breathalyzer test performed (via Alcotest or other such device), which could possibly lead to a charge of drinking and driving.

We see this kind of scenario play out week after week all across the Garden State. Consider the following bits and pieces culled from local news sources:

Ocean County DUI Arrest
A simple wrong turn resulted in a couple charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS), as well as drug DUI and possession of drug paraphernalia. According to the news report, Stafford Township police officers responded to an anonymous report after the unnamed caller reportedly saw a passenger car being driven in a reckless fashion along a stretch of Rte 9.
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For anyone who wonders if the nation’s financial woes have impact enforcement of drunken driving laws here in the Garden State, the short answer is likely, No, at least in the near term. As New Jersey DWI defense attorneys, I and my legal staff talk to dozens of individuals every month who have been accused of driving while intoxicated. Although many of these people believe they are not guilty, some may be convicted of DWI or drug DUI and others may not. Whatever the circumstances surrounding a drunken driving arrest, it’s always a good idea to get some perspective from a qualified defense attorney.

Getting back to the issue of DWI-DUI enforcement, such as roadside sobriety checkpoints and roadblocks, as well as enhanced drunk driving patrols, recent news articles show that the funding of state and municipal police agencies continues apace regardless of talk swirling around Washington, D.C, to limit costly appropriations and government-funded programs.

Regardless of whether one is arrested in the city streets of Trenton, Toms River or Princeton, odds are that some motorists will be picked up by a police officer whose overtime is paid for by federal money received by New Jersey law enforcement agencies. The question that many people may be asking themselves is whether these expenditures are worth even a significant increase in drunken driving arrests and DWI or drug DUI summonses.
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Throw another Yule log on the fire and pour a bit more holiday cheer, but be very careful not to celebrate and drive all in the same timeframe. Here in the Garden State, like many areas around the country at this time of the year, the period from Thanksgiving through New Years’ Eve can see increases in police anti-drunken driving patrols, as well as roadside sobriety checkpoints
We all know the dangers of drunk driving, driving while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle while impaired by doctor-prescribed medications, so let’s just say that staying sober on the road this holiday season is the best defense against a DWI arrest or a drug DUI summons. As New Jersey drunken driving defense attorneys, it’s our experience that helps people accused of driving under the influence of beer, wine, hard liquor and even illegal substances, such as cocaine and marijuana. New Jersey drivers themselves can do themselves a big favor by finding a sober ride home if they’ve had too much to drink at a family get-together, holiday open house or seasonal office party.

As many people already know, state police and municipal law enforcement departments are constantly on the alert for drivers who break the law by drinking and driving. And while a DWI arrest rarely begins with an officer assuming a driver is drunk behind the wheel of his or her automobile, the results of many holiday traffic violations can end up with a motorist being arrested and charged with DWI or DUI, not to mention other moving violations. We won’t even mention those arrests that come after a roadway collision that may or may not have been the result of driving drunk.
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There are a myriad of things one shouldn’t do when driving, but operating a motor vehicle while impaired by prescription drugs, beer, wine or hard liquor is definitely at the top of that list. As New Jersey drunken driving defense attorneys, the DWI lawyers at my firm know all too well that drivers who drink alcohol, or even take doctor-prescribed medication, run a serious risk when getting behind the wheel while intoxicated. Aside from the extreme physical dangers, the odds of being arrested for DWI or drug DUI increase with the frequency of driving under the influence.

Of course, the law prohibits a highway patrolman or municipal police officer from stopping a motorist solely on a hunch that the subject is drunk behind the wheel of his or her automobile. Here in the Garden State, a state police officer or city cop must witness a moving violation in order to pull a driver over. What this means is that although a motorist may be intoxicated while driving, until that driver makes an illegal turn, runs a stop sign, exceeds the posted speed limit, or breaks any one of the dozens of other moving violations, a policeman cannot simply stop a car because he thinks that the driver is drunk.

But no one should in any way construe that operating a car, truck or other vehicle while impaired is okay so long as one isn’t caught. As we alluded to previously, there are serious and irreversible consequences to drunk driving, not the least of which is the very great risk of getting into a bad accident. In fact, this is one of the reasons why New Jersey drunken driving laws include harsh penalties for those convicted of DWI and drug DUI.
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While many people who are involved in automobile accidents may receive a modicum of sympathy from friend and relatives, if they caused the traffic accident, the police may not be as sympathetic. If other injuries were inflicted on the vehicle’s other passengers or people in other cars involved in the wreck, it’s reasonable to assume that any sympathetic capital will have been used up well in advance of a court hearing, depending on the circumstances.

As New Jersey drunken driving defense attorneys, I and my experienced staff of DWI lawyers know that mixing an injury accident with a charge of driving while intoxicated (or, for that matter, drug DUI) can complicate a drunk driving defense. Here in the Garden State, law enforcement and our court system are very aware of the consequences that drinking and driving can have on traffic safety. Flouting the law and actively operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of beer, wine or hard liquor can only serve to make a defense case more difficult.

Keeping in mind, of course, that any charge of DWI or DUI lodged against a motorist who may have been the cause of an injury-related DWI roadway collision should be followed by at least one consultation with a qualified legal expert, if only to understand one’s options going forward. We have heard too many stories of individuals who believed that they were in the right and therefore handling their own defense was hardly a concern. As a former municipal prosecutor, I understand the many and varied strategies followed by prosecuting attorneys around the state, which can help contribute to a good defense.
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It’s happened to more than one New Jersey driver in the past week: cruising down the road after a luncheon with business associates, coming home from a good friend’s bachelor party, or even going to the supermarket to pick up some groceries. These all sound normal enough, and they are, but for one added element: being stopped by a police officer for some minor traffic infraction. Whether it was a turn without signaling, a rolling stop in a quiet neighborhood or maybe just a burned-out taillamp, either way, one could be looking at a pricey ticket for one or more traffic violations, unless….

Unless the driver in question appears to the patrolman to exhibit some of the “typical” signs of being drunk behind the wheel. If a driver has had a drink or two previous to the traffic stop, then that individual could have trouble down the road, since many police officers are extremely suspicious of driver who exhibit signs of being intoxicated. As New Jersey DWI defense lawyers, I and my legal staff are committed to representing individuals who have been accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs and even controlled dangerous substances (CDSs), also known as drug DUI.

We’ll say right now that if you or anyone you know ever thinks you may have had too much to drink, save yourself the trouble of possibly being stopped on the road by a New Jersey state patrol officer or a municipal officer and risk being charged with DWI or DUI.

Recently, we saw a number of DWI and related arrested mentioned in several so-called police blotter columns in the news. These incidents, which occurred in Ocean and Union counties, provided a smattering of the typical kinds of drunken driving arrests that happen on a daily basis all across the state. As drunken driving attorneys, we know how easily a motorist can be tagged by a police officer for what may seem like a minor infraction only to be slapped with a drunk driving charge, maybe even more. Consider the following as object lessons in what not to do, and what to expect should you decide to take a chance with the law.
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On too many occasions, individuals accused of drunken driving walk into a courtroom with no representation and very little preparation, apparently ready to accept the court’s judgment on something that could haunt them for years to come. Here in the Garden State, it is always a good idea to seek counsel from an experienced legal professional regarding a DWI or drug DUI summons. If winning one’s case was not enough impetus for some, perhaps avoiding hundreds and likely thousands of dollars in fines, fees, assessment and other costs related to a drunk driving conviction should help influence many people’s decision.

At the very least, even if someone is not disposed to retaining the services of a qualified attorney, there is much one can learn from an initial consultation, which in the end may point an individual in the right direction. We know this from our professional experience as New Jersey DWI-DUI defense lawyers. As a former municipal prosecutor myself, I understand the strategies used by prosecuting attorneys that are tailored to attain a guilty plea or gain a guilty judgment against a defendant in a DWI case.

Although receiving a summons for drunk driving following a routine traffic stop should never be taken lightly by drivers in the Garden State, there are worse alcohol-related scenarios that can result in much worse outcomes for one accused of DWI. More to the point, being concerned about an arrest that takes place at a typical sobriety checkpoint is natural; however, consider how much more serious one’s position should an arrest follow the aftermath of an injury-related traffic accident that may have been alcohol-related.
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