Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Orlando Drunk Driving Lawyers and Orlando DUI Attorneys

Driving under the influence in Florida is an extremely serious crime. Unless people take their situation seriously and take immediate reaction they can make mistakes that can have life-long repercussions. Being arrested for a DUI in Florida is an extremely trying experience; being pulled over, questioned, handcuffed, arrested, booked, and incarcerated can shatter the mentality of even the strongest personalities.

The Florida DUI laws are designed to be extremely complicated. This is to discourage people from attempting to fight the system on their own, and if they chose to they could face huge court fees that can wipe out a bank account in no time at all. Furthermore, taking on the criminal court system in Florida is a daunting challenge to someone without a background in litigation, and simple errors can result in fines, sanctions, or even jail time.

DUI laws are particularly though. The state of Florida takes a very hard line against those that drive drunk. A person can be charged with a DUI (Driving Under the Influence) if they exhibit at least .08% alcohol per 100 milliliters in their blood or .08% alcohol per 210 liters of breath. The inconsistencies and unreliability of these machines aside, people often help convict themselves of drunk driving merely by taking these tests. You cannot be forced to take roadside sobriety tests in Tallahassee, but the penalties for refusing to take them are quite stiff should a person be convicted of a DUI.

The penalties for drunk driving in Orlando are quite stiff. A first offense DUI is punished by a $250-500 fine and potentially six months in jail, a second offense drunk driving conviction $500-1000 with possibly nine months in jail and an ignition interlock device placed in the defendant's car for a year. A third DUI conviction in Orlando in 10 years is a third-degree felony. This crime is penalized by a prison term of up to one year and an ignition interlock device for at least two years, at the defendants' expense.

Monday, May 7, 2007

Henderson for Judge: A Testimonial

Charles and I met as adversaries in my first personal injury suit, where I represented the plaintiff. This was not long after I cut my teeth as an attorney, mostly representing indigent misdemeanor clients for Squires & Lopez in Portland.

"It's your deposition, you go first," I recall Charles saying when I stumbled a bit with the procedure.

Charles would be an excellent judge. In all our encounters in that case, he consistently demonstrated a confident command of the law and a tireless commitment to fairness and integrity. Oregon needs judges with Charles' qualities on the bench.