Why Hiring an Experienced DUI Attorney Matters

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Many of the people Jim Yeargan represents are scared.  Mr. Yeargan is an Atlanta DUI attorney, and he views his job as to help people, often scared people, keep a mistake from ruining their lives.

A DUI attorney for 15 years, Mr. Yeargan has put prior experience as a DUI prosecutor in Atlanta to work for his clients.  Prior to working for the defense, he not only prosecuted DUI cases, but he also trained prosecutors in DUI cases, and he taught at police academies.  Now he uses that knowledge and experience to his clients’ advantage.

His clients are often “Professionals like lawyers, doctors, pilots, or accountants–people who cannot just plead guilty and move on with their lives.” Mr. Yeargan enjoys representing clients who have something to lose.   It is his job to work with them to ensure they do not lose what they have achieved in their lives because of one mistake. These are people who fear their lives will spiral out of control if they have a DUI conviction on their record.  That is where Jim Yeargan and the other attorneys at Yeargan & Kert, LLC step in.

In addition to professionals who may see their professional lives damaged or even taken away from them with a DUI conviction, Mr. Yeargan states that “Parents in divorce or custody battles fear a DUI conviction could wreck their lives.”  That is why having practiced DUI litigators like Mr. Yeargan can make a big difference.

In additional to custody issues and professional concerns, a DUI conviction can also impact practical things in anyone’s life.  DUI conviction can affect how a person will get to work, get their kids to school, and even how they will get their groceries.

DUI convictions can cause a person to lose their driver’s license; require community service time; result in fines from $300 to $1,000 or even higher; require mandatory DUI school and other penalties.  Multiple DUI convictions increase the penalties.

A skilled attorney will work on behalf of his clients to get charges dropped or reduced. This allows the defendant to honestly tell future employers they have not been convicted of a DUI and prevents DUI convictions from interfering in other parts of their lives.

What to Do when Pulled Over for Suspicion of DUI

Mr. Yeargan recommends that if a driver is pulled over for suspicion of DUI that they take the following steps:

• Always be polite and respectful to the officer—“Yes, Sir”, “No, Ma’am.”
• Politely refuse to take the field sobriety test.
• Don’t agree to take a breath, blood, or chemical test.
• Don’t admit to drinking or taking medicine.
• Give brief answers.

Mr. Yeargan adds, “In these situations, you will be taken into custody, but by refusing to take the tests the officers ask you to participate in you will be reducing the evidence they have against you. This will give you a better position to fight the charges later on.”

Why Yeargan & Kert, LLC?

Any lawyer can take and defend a DUI case.  There can be a lot of money in it for the attorney, but not just any attorney can successfully defend their clients.  Questions to ask potential lawyers include if an attorney has experience and understanding about field sobriety testing.  Do they have experience in breath testing machines or with other drugs that impair driving tests? The answers to these questions can tell you if you will get a vigorous defense or not.

A good reputable DUI attorney can cost a defendant a lot more than an inexperienced DUI attorney, but the results will speak for themselves.  In Georgia, DUI cases are some of the most difficult cases to try because there is so much science and laws change so much.  An experienced and qualified attorney can make all of the difference.