Fairfax DUI appearance dates- Virginia DWI lawyer says to be fully prepared

Fairfax DUI appearance dates in court are showtime, starting with your arraignment. As a Virginia DWI lawyer, I know that some people may not think of their arraignment as a big deal, and that is correct so long as you appear timely at your arraignment and in the right courtroom, or so long as you have a lawyer hired before that date who knows how to avoid the arraignment date. Be careful that the judges in many counties outside Fairfax require your appearance at the arraignment even if you already have an attorney, at least unless the court in advance waives your appearance. In one General District Court neighboring Fairfax, for your lawyer to waive the appearance of both of you at the arraignment, your attorney needs to specifically state in his or her preacipe / notice of appearance (or in another suitable court filing) that both the defendant and defense attorney waive their appearance at the arraignment, and the judges want your lawyer to list a date that you are requesting for trial, among dates available from the court clerk.

When your Fairfax DUI appearance is for a trial date, obtain a Virginia DWI lawyer well in advance

Your Fairfax DUI appearance date for adjudication when alleged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in violation of Va. Code § 18.2-266, ideally be with a lawyer present for you. Yes, hiring the right Virginia DWI lawyer will be a substantial financial investment for you. Since you want a favorable return on your investment, choose wisely with your lawyer. Virginia DUI defense involves obtaining, reviewing, analyzing, adding to and synthesizing essential evidence and discovery, and finding, knowing, understanding and tackling many complexities, nuances, and ins and outs of the statutory, case, regulatory and court rule law. On top of that, your Virginia DWI lawyer should be a capable and persuasive trial lawyer.

Why do I need to hire my DUI lawyer well in advance of my trial date?

You are in for one or more material surprises if you do not hire a lawyer well before your Fairfax DUI appearance date for trial. For one thing, the Fairfax County commonwealth’s attorney’s / prosecutor’s office agrees to provide discovery / evidence that is required by the court rule at least ten days before your District Court trial date as long as your attorney at least twenty five days before your trial date provides the prosecutor’s office with a form discovery order (see discovery order forms here) that is pre-approved by that office. Your Virginia DWI attorney will want sufficient time to review that evidence and discovery with you, to know what further evidence and information to seek and to build your best possible defense.

For my  DUI defense, what court filing deadlines exist for seeking a blood transfer order, and for receiving and excluding the certificate of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) analysis

Numerous deadlines exist for issuing witness and document subpoenas, seeking blood transfer orders when a blood draw was used to check your BAC, requesting your certificate of BAC analysis and objecting to the admission of your certificate of analysis’s admissibility at trial. When your Virginia DWI lawyer know and correctly applies these and other deadlines, those deadlines do not become distractions to the real heavy lifting for your Fairfax DUI appearance in court.

My judge, police officer and court personnel seem so nice. Why do I need to spend much on my DUI lawyer?

For your Fairfax DUI appearance dates, do you prefer a kindly judge who hammers Virginia DWI defendants with the judge’s rulings, verdicts and sentencings, or an irritable judge who acquits you or at least issues a favorable sentence? Of course we prefer a kind judge who rules the way you want, but when that fails you want the latter judge. Make sure that your Virginia DWI lawyer provides you insights about your judge.

Am I permitted a continuance on my first Fairfax DUI trial date?

For your first Fairfax DUI appearance date for trial, you are generally permitted a trial date continuance. Fairfax GDC Administrative Procedures (March 2017) at 82. What do you do if your judge does not like the foregoing procedure? When you have the right Fairfax DUI lawyer, s/he can argue to the judge that the Virginia DWI defense attorney and the defendant came to court that morning on notice by said procedures that: “In the Fairfax County General District Court, the first court date on a charge of driving while intoxicated (DWI) will generally be continued and neither the Commonwealth nor the Defense will need to subpoena witnesses for this date.”Id.

Take your first step towards a great court defense by calling Fairfax DUI lawyer Jonathan Katz’s staff at 703-383-1100 for a free initial in-person consultation about your court-pending case. By the end of your first meeting with Jon Katz, you will feel substantially more knowledgeable and confident about your defenses.