Fairfax criminal defendants and other Virginia defendants charged with DUI need not only to fight the DUI charge, but also to be ready for fallout to their driving privileges from such a conviction.

Fairfax criminal lawyer warns about repeat DUI offenses & loss of license

Virginia DUI charges call for defendants to pursue a full-court press

It is bad enough that a Virginia DUI conviction risks up to a year in jail , and up to five years in prison for a third offense within ten years. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know all too well how important a full-court press is against such prosecutions, because the fallout only starts to begin on the day of a DUI conviction.

Beware mandatory minimum jail sentencing for a Virginia DUI conviction

A Virginia DUI conviction for a trial/plea-proven breath/blood alcohol content (BAC) of .15 or higher brings a mandatory minimum of five days in jail, and ten days in jail for a conviction for a second DUI offense within five or ten years. If the proven BAC is over 0.20, then the mandatory minimum in jail is ten days in jail, and twenty days for a second DUI offense within five to ten years.

A Virginia conviction for a second DUI offense within five years brings a mandatory minimum jail sentence of twenty days (and ten days for a second offense within ten years), which runs consecutively to the above-listed BAC enhancements.

Beware a second Virginia DUI conviction’s yanking your driving privileges

Even a first Virginia DUI conviction brings a one-year driving suspension, with the opportunity to seek restricted driving privileges.

Worse, a conviction for a second DUI within ten years brings a three-year suspension, and a long waiting period to get seek restricted privileges.

A third DUI conviction within ten years, even if called a first conviction, yanks one’s driving privileges for several years, with no restricted driving privileges for at least three years.

As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that a DUI conviction is an ongoing pain, at best, so such cases merit defending against them to the hilt.

Fairfax criminal lawyer Jon Katz has been successfully defending thousands of criminal and DUI clients since 1991. Jon will be delighted to discuss your criminal or DUI case with you, in confidence, by your scheduling an appointment through his staff, at 703-383-1100.