"I got arrested for DUI - do I really need a lawyer?" 

The short, honest answer to that question is "No, there is no legal requirement for you to hire a lawyer."  You are certainly free to go to court on the appointed dates and times and plead guilty.  It won't cost you a nickel in attorney's fees.

If you've read this website thoroughly, you may have a decent idea of what you are faced with in terms of penalties and what some of your options are.  You also know that attorney's fees for a basic DUI case for ARD are in the ballpark of $850.00 - $1,500.00 in York County.  It depends on whose office you walk into. Information about Attorney Gothie's fees is on this page. 

If you are faced with handling your ARD or your DUI case on your own without talking to an attorney, you could save yourself some money.  What happens if you make a mistake?  What happens if you miss a deadline for waiving a hearing or for filing some paperwork?  You could be rejected from ARD.  The ARD program rules for York change constantly -- failing to complete the forms the right way or missing a deadline could result in you going to jail instead of getting into ARD.  Your court costs are going to be more than your attorney's fees, even if you get into ARD.

Another benefit to having an attorney experienced in handling DUI cases and other criminal cases is that you can benefit from the attorney's experience.  You may not even know if you have a defense.  If you know you have a good defense, you may not know the rules of evidence or the rules of criminal procedure.  How many suppression hearings have you been to?  Do you know all the rules about reasonable suspicion and probable cause?  An experienced DUI attorney will be able to identify a problem with how your were arrested or how your car was stopped.  

A DUI is not the same as a speeding ticket.  Police will not negotiate with you and reduce the charge to "disorderly conduct" or "public drunkeness."  Telling a police officer that you will lose your job or your house if you can't drive will not change his mind.

You should hire a lawyer you are comfortable with as soon as possible to give the lawyer the best chance possible to do a good job for you.  If you wait until after the preliminary hearing, you are hurting only yourself.

Even if you have no defense and you are not eligible for ARD, you will have questions about work release, house arrest, and license suspension issues.  Attorney Gothie can provide information about treatment programs that you may be able to enter instead of going to jail in some situtations.  These are not things that you can easily find on your own.

You may want help scheduling your DUI sentence or court dates to conform to your schedule.  An attorney will be able to help out with things like these.  If you are from out of the area or if you are outside of Pennsylvania, this can be very important.  Your attorney can also help to make the process smoother and more understandable.

A final consideration is that you can have a free,confidential, no-risk consultation with an attorney. You have nothing to lose by calling. Set up your appointment now by calling attorney Joseph N. Gothie, Esq.,at (717) 848-8455.

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