DWI offenses (Driving While Intoxicated) have been rampant in the United States in recent years. As a result, state governments have been very aggressive too in an attempt to curb the recent increase in these kinds of cases.

What to Do

If you are stopped because a police officer suspects that you have been drinking and driving, your first step is not to panic. Be attentive to the questions that are being asked of you. You should also have your driver's license and insurance handy because you will need to show these documents to the police. In all cases, you should cooperate as much as possible with the officers so you can avoid additional legal trouble.

In the state of Texas , it is a citizen's right to ask the police officer for a specific reason that he or she stopped you. It is also important to answer carefully if the officer asks you questions like where you are from and where you are going. Bear in mind that the police officer is just trying engage in a dialogue with you. This is only part of the law enforcers' assessment of whether or not you are sober enough to continue driving. He or she may want to conduct a field sobriety test as well. Again, it is very helpful to cooperate with the officer.

If in case you have actually been drinking and are arrest for a DUI or DWI, you are going to want to call a lawyer as soon as possible. Although judges vary in court rules, the majority of the legal courts in Texas require a legal counsel for the litigation of criminal cases, especially those that involve a jail sentence as the main form of punishment. That means that you must retain either a public defender or hire a lawyer of your own if you are charged with either of these offenses.

Retaining the Right Counsel

So the question now is how do you get the right DUI lawyer? It is important to remember that criminal lawyers are qualified to defend Texas DWI and DUI cases. However, over the years, and maybe due to the frequency of DWI cases, it has become a trend for some lawyer to focus mainly on DWI cases. Dubbed “DUI lawyers” by most, these are the best lawyers to retain for your case for several reasons. First, the scope of DWI offenses are so broad and sensitive, you need to be defended by somebody who has a thorough knowledge on the case. To do this, you have to talk with a DUI lawyer before deciding to hire him or her. This way you will be able to see what kind of services he can offer, at what price, and how much time he is willing to devote to the case. Second, given that DUI and DWI lawyers have an intimate knowledge of the process as a whole, they are more likely to understand how the judge will view certain evidence and present a better case, as a whole, than the standard defense attorney might.