Criminal charges are a serious matter, with consequences that can include fines, imprisonment, loss of civil rights, and a permanent criminal record that can affect your ability to obtain employment and housing. Your rights, your reputation, and your freedom are all at stake. If you, a family member or a loved one is facing criminal charges of any kind, good legal representation is absolutely essential. Bay View Law Group can provide advice or a referral for whatever charges you may face, but the strongest emphasis for our in-house attorneys is on DUI and other traffic cases.

DUI

DUI stands for Driving Under the Influence, and while this is commonly understood to mean under the influence of alcohol, the legal definition recognizes the condition of impairment more broadly, including the influence of drugs.

The penalties and procedures for DUI vary widely from state-to-state, but in nearly all states these penalties can be severe even for a first offense – fines, jail time, cancelled insurance, points on your state-issued driver’s license, and loss or curtailment of driving privileges, which can restrict your freedom to work and travel.

There are many stages leading up to a DUI proceeding, a variety of potential charges, and many steps that law enforcement must follow correctly in order to successfully meet their burden of proof against you in a court of law. But while it may be a long time before your day in court, the impact on your life will begin immediately. An experienced attorney from Bay View Law Group can help you understand, from the first hours of the charge, what steps you can take to potentially reduce the negative impact on your life both in the short and the long term.

Traffic Court

Traffic offenses that are not DUIs can still have a similarly drastic effect on your life, financially and otherwise. Traffic courts are a busy, confusing, frightening place for the average citizen who doesn’t spend every day there, and mistakes can cost you money and other penalties that you might have been able to avoid with better knowledge and planning. Even for minor offenses, a good attorney like one from Bay View Law Group’s network can quickly help you plan your trip through the court system in a way that may help you avoid some of those common mistakes made by those with no representation.