Can My DUI Charge Be Changed to Something Less Severe? – Liberty Law

Having your DUI charge changed to something else less severe can be a task, but it is not totally impossible. At the time of your preliminary hearing, a judge will decide whether or not the prosecutor has enough evidence to convince a jury that you were driving while intoxicated. It is during this time that your Salt Lake City DUI attorney will have a chance to evaluate the extent of the prosecution’s case against you and give you more information with regard to all of your possible options. Once you have been arraigned, your attorney will then take some time to meet with the prosecutor to discuss and negotiate the merits of your case.

Depending on the facts and evidence of the case, the subject of a plea bargain may or may not come up at the meeting with the prosecutor. Plea bargains involve the negotiation of deals between attorneys and prosecutors. More specifically, a plea bargain means that you essentially agree to either plead guilty to a lesser charge or you agree to have your attorney and prosecutor mitigate the penalties.

Skillful attorneys are often able to negotiate a plea to a lesser charge, as many cases are resolved before they even make it to trial. That is why it is very important that you have an attorney working on your behalf because attempting to get your DUI changed to a lesser charge on your own is next to impossible. While plea bargains are advantageous to many people accused of a DUI, you should be mindful that pleading to a lesser charge will still count as a “prior” for the purposes of calculating penalties for any future offenses.

If you need a Salt Lake City DUI attorney, please call James Lee for a free consultation.