DUI SERVICES

There are a number of things that you can do to avoid being charged with a DUI but probably the best advice that we can give a person is to NOT drink and then drive. However, what some may not know is not drinking and driving is no guarantee that you won’t be charged with a DUI.  More times than we can count,  individuals have been arrested and charged with a DUI for something as simple as having red or bloodshot eyes or “looking like they’ve been drinking”.
 
The number one problem with DUI arrest is there is no penalty or punishment for the officer who wrongfully arrests someone. In fact, most people if asked would say that it is worth a few innocent people getting arrested if it gets drunk drivers off the roads.  We can agree, we all want roads free of dangerous drivers. The problem with this philosophy, however, is what about the innocent person who now has an arrest for DUI on their record?  Their credit is damaged.  They may lose their job on top of the money expended to defend themselves. Factor in the hit to their reputation when most people will simply believe that they were in fact drunk and likely “got off by hiring a good lawyer”. Truthfully, according to most scientific studies, the sobriety test that the officers use to gauge intoxication is, at best, 77% accurate and this is ONLY if and when they are administered correctly.  This means that almost ¼ of the people arrested are actually not impaired but have been falsely arrested and does not even factor in test administration malfunctions. 
 
We at MRLS pride ourselves on turning over every stone to find the mistakes made in our client’s arrests.  Our founder, Michael Reid, is a certified instructor on the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests and is also certified on the various breath machines used in most states.  This training has allowed him to predict where most officers made mistakes.    
 
What many people do not realize is DUI cases are among the hardest cases to defend in the 21st century and short of the basic speeding ticket has become the most common encounter with law enforcement for the public. There is a disregard for fundamental Constitution rights all in the interest of getting “drunks” off the street.  Another problem is a typical DUI arrest generally involves at least two simultaneously happening cases.  First, there is the criminal case which, as everyone knows, involves fines, and possible jail.  The other less-known case is the civil case governed by a complexly different set of rules which are set up to determine only one thing: whether or not you will lose your ability to drive.  You have as little as 14 days to file the proper paperwork on this case or you face a license suspension of at least 6 months.  Also, you have the burden of proving you should be allowed to keep driving and that the officer did not have probable cause to arrest you.  
 
Why is our firm your best chance at this? Our founder, Michael Reid, wrote the handbook that every judge and attorney in the State of Missouri uses to tell them what the law is regarding DUI.  Based on Mr. Reid’s more than 2 decades of experience, MRLS has developed a system for identifying the officer who did not have probable cause to arrest you.  This proven system starts the minute you call and set up your initial consultation where we gather the information necessary to defend your case.  We will give you some questionnaires which we use to assess your case.  From there,  we demand discovery from the state prosecutor and the officer who accused you.  At your strategy session following your initial consultation, we will go over this discovery and formulate a plan of attack.  In trial, our team of attorneys and experts deconstruct every mistake and omission in the State’s case.  At every step of the case, we hold the State to its burden. Remember, you don't have a lot of time. Let our team of experts get started today!