The Discovery Phase In my experience of representing thousands of DUI cases in Pennsylvania, I have found the discovery phase to be where the case is won or lost. An informal request for discovery must be made within 14 days after the formal arraignment. In many Pennsylvania counties, judges are not very particular about enforcing…
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Drive your car allegedly drunk, lose your family’s car—Amazing!
Can you imagine? You get accused of a DUI and then as a consequence on top of everything else, you forfeit your family’s car? Your friend loans you his or her car, you get stopped and arrested for a DUI and your friend loses his or her car? What sort of bizzaro world is this?…
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What to Expect if You’re expecting a DUI: The Formal Arraignment
In this series we take an in depth look at the legal processes and proceedings which take place after a person is charged with a DUI in Pennsylvania. Today’s post deals with the formal arraignment. A formal arraignment is when the government, in this case the Pennsylvania County in which the accused was arrested, informs…
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I am facing DUI charges, should I elect to take a Preliminary Hearing?
I am facing DUI charges, should I elect to take a Preliminary Hearing? In Pennsylvania, you have a choice as to whether or not to “take” a Preliminary Hearing. As a lawyer who has represented thousands of DUI cases, I always recommend taking a Preliminary Hearing, especially in DUI cases. As I have mentioned before,…
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What to Expect if You’re Expecting… a DUI
In this series we will examine the steps and stages you can expect to face if you are charged with a DUI in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Very often for someone charged with a DUI, it is their first encounter with the criminal justice system in PA. In this series we hope to alleviate some…
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Why Police Officers, Prosecutors, and Even DUI Defense Attorneys Are Scared to Drive?
I recently attended a seminar hosted by the National College for DUI Defense and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. The seminar was in Las Vegas and was entitled “DWI means Defend with Integrity”. The best and brightest minds in the DUI world including the top DUI attorneys and forensic experts gathered to discuss…
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Are those tests at roadside anything more than glorified stupid human tricks?
I know the title is a little provocative, but it is a question worth examining. Today, one of the nation’s best DUI lawyers, Lawrence Taylor, posted on his blog, the DUI blog (which is a must read), a post entitled “A ‘Fraudulent’ Field Sobriety Test?” Within his blog post, he writes about a peer-reviewed article…
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Are the increasing number of DUI arrests due to better training or different priorities? It’s all in the numbers.
In today’s Patriot News, reporter Kira L. Schlechte penned a very well-written fact intensive article entitled “Troopers’ DUI push hits area hardest: The state police have made more arrests in this region than anywhere else. An advocate credits their training and dedication.” I would highly encourage anyone to read it. The thrust of the story…
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The Emotional Effects of a DUI
It must feel like the world has fallen on you. What are my friends going to think? Will it be in the newspaper? Will I lose my job? What about my license? Will I go to jail? If you are asking yourself this, take a deep breathe. You, are in fact, normal. Just as there…
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