DUI vs DWI – A Utah Criminal Defense Lawyer Helps With Both

DUIs and DWIs are a serious matter; if you’re arrested for either it can change your life. Mistakes happen but your life shouldn’t have to change because of it. DUIs and DWIs are very similar in nature but are not the same thing. The differences between the two are subtle but important, especially when it comes to defending someone in court. Here are the differences between DUIs and DWIs and how a Utah criminal defense attorney can help with either:

The difference between a DUI and a DWI changes depending on the laws of a given state. Both refer to crime of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Depending on the state, a DWI and a DUI are the same charge and are classified as such. These are usually states that have a zero tolerance policy towards drinking, so they make no distinction between blood alcohol content levels.

In other states, they use the blood alcohol content to determine the difference between a DWI and a DUI. Typically these states will classify a DUI as a lesser charge, signifying that they were less impaired. DWIs denote a higher blood alcohol content and/or higher degree of impairment at the time of arrest. In a state that classifies these charges separately, you can have the charges reduced to a DUI but only if it’s a first offense.

Other states use the terms DWI and DUI to signify the difference in nature of impairment. In these states, the term DUI typically refers to the driving being under the influence of drugs. Whereas, the DWI denotes that the defendant was driving while drunk.

How a Salt Lake City Attorney Can Help

Criminal defense attorneys are an invaluable tool in fighting either a DUI or DWI. Everyone makes mistakes and they shouldn’t have to lose everything because of their mistakes. A criminal defense attorney can help you lessen the impact that a DUI or DWI charge will make on your life.

An attorney is an advocate who works on your behalf to ensure that the outcome is as favorable to you as possible. Nobody should have to go through this process alone and it’s important to have someone who works for you when you can’t.

Criminal defense attorneys go through years of education and training in order to best defend people in the court of law. This experience is vital in properly defending people in a court of law. Without the proper training, a person representing themselves in court stands little to no chance of a favorable outcome in a DUI or DWI case. It is important to have the proper representation in court, in order to ensure that your mistake doesn’t cost you any more than it has to.

We do not condone drunk driving. However, we do understand that mistakes are made and people should not have to lose everything they’ve worked so hard for. DUIs and DWIs can affect your whole life, including costing you your job, financial situation, and personal life. By hiring a Utah criminal defense attorney, you can help lessen the impact this has on your life.

Stacey G. Schmidt is a Salt Lake City defense attorney and she can help you tell the difference between a DUI vs. DWI and can give you the best representation for you case. For more information please visit http://www.schmidtgladstone.com/criminal-law .

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What Kind of Questions to Ask a Divorce Attorney

When going into the first consultation with a divorce attorney, it’s important to know what makes them the right attorney for you. It can be difficult to know what separates a good attorney from a bad one and in order to find out, there are some questions you can ask. By asking these questions, you’ll be able to find the right lawyer for you to help you navigate the divorce proceedings.

How much experience do you have in the field? – This is an important question; you want to know that your attorney can handle anything that comes his way. You need to know that your lawyer is going to have the experience necessary to get you what you deserve. Divorces are never easy but having an experienced attorney on your side will make the process easier.

What is involved in the process of divorce and how long will it take? – Your attorney can help guide you through the divorce by educating you on what to expect. Ask your divorce attorney to explain the process, step by step, and make sure you understand exactly what’s going to occur every step of the way. You should also speak with your lawyer about how long the process will take, this will be a rough estimate because the length can change depending on the decisions made by you and your spouse.

How much will you charge me and how do I need to pay? – When you hire a lawyer, you will have to sign a retainer agreement. This agreement will explain how you will be charged, be sure to ask about the hourly rate and how billing will work. Make sure you know the consequences of not paying your bill in full and whether you can pay by credit card and if you can set up a payment plan. You should also ask the attorney what the overall cost of the divorce will be, the attorney will more than likely be hesitant to answer. This question is extremely difficult to answer because most of the factors are no under his control or yours.

How will we communicate? – It’s important to be able to keep in contact with your lawyer and knowing the most effective form of communication is vital to keeping contact with your attorney. This can help speed up the process if he can email you draft documents as PDFs.

What kind of resources do you provide that will make the divorce easier? – Divorce is not just hard as a legal affair but is a very emotional time in any person’s life. Any good attorney will give information for resources to help deal with the emotional side of divorce.

What kind of a case do you think I have? – Lawyers cannot make guarantees regarding the results of a divorce. But your attorney should be able to look at the case and give an expected outcome

Knowing what to ask the lawyer about will help prepare you for the long road that lies ahead of you. If you ask your attorney these questions, it will give you a great head start on and help you devise a strategy to help the ruling be in your favor.

Stacey Schmidt is the lead counsel for the divorce and family law team at Schmidt and Gladstone, for more information please visit http://www.schmidtgladstone.com

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What Can a Salt Lake Divorce Attorney Do For You

I think the real question here is what can’t they do? A Salt Lake City Divorce Attorney is like a superhero with the power of the law on their side. Well, that might be a little extreme. A divorce attorney can help you calmly and legally navigate one of the toughest experiences that anyone will have to face. Ending a marriage is never fun, despite what movies and television would like you to believe. However, a divorce attorney can help make the process go just a bit smoother and make sure that you’re treated fairly over the course of a divorce.

Salt Lake Divorce Attorney Process

A lot of people don’t understand the process of a divorce. It’s not exactly something most people devote a lot of time to thinking about. For this reason, many people go into the divorce proceedings ill-prepared and under-educated. A Salt Lake City Divorce Attorney can sit down with you and help you understand what’s going to be needed and what’s going to happen throughout the process. A roadmap to help you navigate the tricky parts of a divorce, as well as a timeframe and preparations for the less tricky but still time-consuming aspects of a divorce can be a priceless tool to help make your divorce as quick and painless as possible.

Knowing your rights as a parent during a divorce can be tricky, especially if the divorce gets ugly. Having someone on your side that has a clear understanding of your rights as a parent as well as the rights of the other parent can drastically affect how often you get to see your children, and in some cases whether you get to see your children at all. Divorces can be handled without an attorney but it’s not advisable based on the examples provided above. However, if there are children involved in the divorce, the biggest mistake you can make is to go at it alone, with limited knowledge of your rights. Salt Lake City Divorce Attorneys are extremely knowledgeable and will fight for you based on what’s in the best interest of the children.

Okay, maybe not THAT happy

A divorce attorney can save you money, this may seem counter-intuitive but it’s true. Attorneys tend to cost a lot of money, especially the good ones. The money that you spend on an attorney may seem like a lot up front but will save you a lot more in the long run. Divorces can be difficult and hard on the wallet especially. Divorces can be even more expensive if you don’t know what you’re doing, that’s where the attorney comes in. They know what they’re doing and they’re good at it, that’s why they’re Salt Lake divorce attorneys. They will fight for you to make sure that the outcome is fair to you and will try to make sure both sides leave the marriage as happily as possible.

Divorces are never easy but they can be made easier by having somebody on your side to help you get what’s rightfully yours. If your leg is broken, you don’t just throw a cast on it and keep going. You go to a doctor so that he can use his knowledge and experience to help you get through the healing of the arm as quickly and with as little pain as possible. Think of a Salt Lake City Divorce Attorney as a doctor for a broken marriage. It would seem pretty silly and irresponsible to not see a doctor about a broken leg, why would you go through a divorce without the knowledge and expertise of a Salt Lake City Divorce Attorney on your side?

Contact the Schmidt & Gladstone Salt Lake Divorce Attorneys

Stacey Schmidt is lead counsel of divorce and family law for Schmidt and Gladstone. She has years of experience in family, domestic, and public interest law. Give the Schmidt & Gladstone Law Firm a call at 801-895-3113 to schedule your FREE consultation if you are need of advice or help with a potential divorce.

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