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Arrested for DUI, what's next?
How much does a DUI cost?
Nashville DUI stats and facts.
Nashville's DUI Officers
How to I get a DUI in Nashville?
Who's taking DUI cases to trial?
Useful names and numbers.
The Truth
  Should I blow?
   

The truth you need to know if you’re facing a DUI charge in Nashville:

Your fate lies in the facts of your case, not in magic your lawyer might perform.

The officer who arrested you is very likely a specialist who’s only purpose on the police force is to arrest and convict drunk drivers.

Everything that happened and everything you said was probably recorded for viewing by a judge and jury in the event of a trial.

If you took a breath test like two thirds of those arrested, and the result is over .08% the officer does not even have to testify in order for you to be convicted of DUI due to Tennessee’s DUI per se law.

98% of those charged with a DUI offense in Nashville plead guilty to something.

In the past four years only 60 people have taken their DUI case to trial.

Over 1/3rd of those arrested for DUI in Nashville refused to take the breath test. Nearly everyone of them lost their license.

 

Arrested for DUI, what's next?

If you've made bond, or received a citation, your first court appearance will usually be scheduled within a month of your arrest or booking. Retaining an experienced attorney fully prepared to represent you prior to this date is a wise decision. The first court appearance is often referred to as the Settlement Docket. It is also at times called the Appearance or Arraignment Docket.

How much does a DUI cost?

The cost of a DUI in Nashville or anywhere else for that matter, should not only be measured by the actual dollars spent. In most cases, the embarrassment plus the mental anguish and harm to a person's overall lifestyle take a much greater toll than any harm to the pocketbook.
In a Davidson County DUI case, fines along with court costs, probation and DUI school fees often exceed $1000. It costs much more for those cases that progress to Criminal Court.

Nashville DUI stats and facts.

Several years after I had begun practicing criminal defense law in Nashville , I realized that some of the attorneys were approaching defending a DUI much differently than I was. I had this realization just at the time that I, along with several other attorneys, began to focus my practice primarily on those charged with a DUI. A few attorneys had started spending some serious money advertising and marketing for DUI business. Concern over my approach led me to request from the clerk's office certain court records showing the disposition of all cases pertaining to DUI's.

Nashville's DUI Officers

Nashville has an elite, highly trained group of officers, dedicated solely to tracking down and catching Drunk Drivers. Currently, there are 8 officers and 1 sergeant in the DUI Enforcement Unit of the Metropolitan police force. These officers are involved with the most critical technical aspects in most of Nashville's DUI cases.

How to I get a DUI in Nashville?
The first step towards a DUI conviction in Nashville obviously involves consuming alcohol or drugs, either legal or illegal, in such an amount that your ability to operate a motor vehicle is impaired. Many cases I have dealt with involve individuals who rarely drink. Amateur drinkers attending a social event, usually tied to their work, having a little to much and trying to drive. I believe many experienced impaired drivers avoid arrest by carefully following the traffic laws and driving between the lines.
Who's taking DUI cases to trial? And Are They Winning?

The truth is - hardly anybody is taking cases to trial in Nashville . Of the 2254 cases bound over in the past 4 years, it appears that only 60 have gone to trial. We recently reviewed the files for 54 of these cases. It appears that two we have not reviewed were trials where the defendant was found not guilty, and the lawyer had the file expunged. Below, you will find information concerning DUI cases which went to trial and the lawyers who defended them.

Should I Blow?
Each year we represent a number of people who insist they only had one or two beers before they were stopped, but they refused to take the breath test. When asked why, they reply, ‘because a lawyer told us not to,” or “I heard the tests don't work.” These people almost always lose their driver's license and more often than not plead guilty to DUI in the end. If they had taken the breath test, they probably would have saved their driving privileges and not been convicted of DUI. If they blew and registered below .08%, the officer would probably have allowed them to go home.