Know 5 Things About Going To Court In Houston For A DWI
Naturally, you want to turn things around in your favor and even fight successfully to maintain your rights, as well as your driving privileges, following a DWI arrest. You also need to know and understand what you should expect in terms of an upcoming court date, possible hearings, and even potential trial activity. We’ve readied a handy list of five main things you should keep in mind while you go through this process. Of course, things always go better if you have a DWI attorney in Houston TX at your side, and if you want one, contact us immediately for someone you can trust to guide and represent you.
Keep reading to learn 5 things to remember if you are facing a DWI charge in criminal court:
Your rights don’t change:
If you’re headed for court for DWI, then you still have the same set of rights as anyone else accused of having committed a crime. You’re entitled to legal counsel and the freedom to not make statements that are self-incriminating. You might feel rather small when standing in front of a judge, but you’re not.
Dress appropriately:
Think of the courtroom as a professional area, such as a high-class office. Try to be clean and dress nicely. You don’t have to go out and buy yourself a new suit or fancy dress, but wearing flip-flops and shorts is entirely out of the question. In actuality, a lot of criminal courts aren’t even going to see you should you come in dressing too casual for their taste. Instead, you’ll get sent away for a new court date. If there is an enforced dress code in your local DWI court, then failing to meet it intentionally repeatedly can be treated as contempt of court, which is its own crime.
Plea deals aren’t always good deals:
If it’s your first appearance, you probably shouldn’t enter a guilty plea. A DWI case is a complicated one, and any good DWI attorney in Houston TX is going to need a fair amount of time to thoroughly investigate your case. A DWI guilty plea in Texas is a permanent conviction that stays on your record for life.
The burden of proof rests on the state:
To get you convicted of something like driving while intoxicated, prosecutors have to convince a judge or jury of a certain set of facts. To summarize, the prosecution must prove beyond any reasonable doubt that you were, in fact, operating a motor vehicle in a Texas public place and that your BAC, or blood alcohol content, was high enough to render you legally intoxicated. They must also prove that this BAC happened because of alcohol consumption or drug use. If your DWI attorney in Houston TX is able to defeat even a single one of these points, then the entire case or argument against you might come unraveled.
You are free to think about appealing a negative finish:
In a DWI case, the defense can appeal any ruling or verdict that isn’t beneficial to the specific defendant. Appeals are often dependent on judicial or factual errors that happened during the hearing or trial that might have altered the eventual outcome. Don’t expect any appeal to be successful if gets filed just because you don’t personally care for how things turned out. Alternatively, the prosecution is not allowed to appeal if they take a case to trial and then lose.
Remember this: If you’re preparing to go into a Texas courtroom for a case like this and you have no idea what to do, then don’t go solo. Start building a robust defense this very minute by contacting our law firm for a DWI attorney in Houston TX consultation. Call today for more information!