What To Do When You’re Charged With DUI / OVI In Columbus Or Central Ohio

If you were charged with a DUI / OVI in Columbus or central Ohio, you are probably worried about the immediate impact of the DUI / OVI and the Administrative License Suspension (A.L.S.), as well as the long-term effects of a DUI / OVI on your permanent record. You may be thinking to yourself: “what do I do now?” Take a deep breath, hire a good Ohio DUI / OVI lawyer, and relax.

Before you hire a lawyer, and before you go to court, you should learn about your situation. You’ll want to obtain information such as: what is OVI, what are the possible consequences, what are possible defenses, and what is the court process. You’ll also want to obtain information about DUI / OVI lawyers because they are not all the same, and the lawyer you hire may have a significant impact in the outcome of your case. This website is a good source for the information you’re seeking. Another good way to get the information in one convenient document is the book Ohio DUI / OVI Guide. The book is available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes&Noble, and the ebook is available to download for free on this site.

So what happens after you educate yourself? If the Dominy Law Firm represents you, this is the process we’ll follow:

First, we will deal with the Administrative License Suspension (A.L.S.). Within five business days, we will appear in court and file motions appealing the A.LS. In many cases, we can get your license back on the day of your first court appearance. If not, we will petition the court for limited driving privileges.

Next, we will investigate the case. We will then obtain all of the documents related to your case, including police reports, accident reports, witness statements, and chemical test information, as well as any video evidence, such as cruiser videos and police station videos. We will talk with witnesses, review records for the machine used to determine your alcohol concentration, take photos and video if appropriate, and fully investigate all evidence that may be used in your case. Based on the investigation, we will probably file motions to suppress evidence, such as the breath test, blood test, or urine test, was well as the field sobriety tests.

After investigating, we will then return to court for a pretrial hearing, and I will then be able to negotiate with the prosecuting attorney. The goal of most clients who hire the Dominy Law Firm is to have the D.U.I./O.V.I. charge dismissed or changed to something that is not a D.U.I./O.V.I. If we do not reach an agreement consistent with that goal at the pretrial hearing (in most cases we do not), we’ll schedule a hearing on our motions to suppress evidence. If the case is not satisfactorily resolved at the motion hearing, we will schedule a trial.

This may sound like a lengthy process and a lot of work. It is. If your primary goal is to get your case over with quickly, you can plead guilty at your first court appearance by yourself or with an inexpensive attorney that will walk you through the process. If your primary goal is to keep the DUI / OVI off your record, the case process described above is what you can expect. We work with you through this process, regularly providing you with all documents related to your case, updating you with all case developments, and answering your questions.

If the Dominy Law Firm represents you in this process, there is a flat fee for the entire case (with the exception of a trial). We only accept a limited number of cases, and most of our clients avoid a DUI / OVI conviction. For more information, please read the firm overview. You can also see what clients say and review our past case results. If you would like to discuss representation for your DUI / OVI case in Columbus or central Ohio, EMAIL US or call 614-717-1177.