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Have you recently received a DUI, you need to know what steps you need to take next. To help you with this, you might want to take a few moments to review the following tips.

Retain An Attorney

One of the first things that you are going to want to do is to retain an attorney for your upcoming hearing. If you cannot afford one, the courts may be able to appoint one to you for your defense. Either way, you want to make sure that you are giving yourself plenty of time to speak with your attorney about your case so that he or she will be able to determine the best way to handle it for you. This means that you do not want to wait until the day before the hearing to look for an attorney, especially since many attorney's find themselves with busy schedules.

Look Into Drug And Alcohol Counseling

If you have a problem with drugs or alcohol, you will want to seek professional help with it. The judge that you will eventually see may require you to attend drug and alcohol programs, but you might want to sign in on your own. Not only does this make sure that you are getting proper help as soon as possible, but it shows how serious you are about correcting your problem. While signing yourself up for drug and alcohol counseling on your own will not get you out of trouble with the judge, it may help him or her see that you are willing to work on yourself and may therefore, give you a sentence that will allow you to continue to do just that. For example, you might be given probation instead of jail time with the condition that you successfully complete the program that you have started.

Come Up With A Backup Plan

It is important to remember that you are not going to be sure of your punishment for the DUI until you have gone through the entire process in the courts. You may end up with nothing more than a fine or probation, especially if this is your first offense. However, you could actually end up with some jail time. Until your court date arrives, you might want to get some of your personal affairs in order. This way, should you find yourself sentenced to jail, even if it is just for a month, you will know who will care for your plants, pets, and kids. You will know that your utilities will be paid while you are gone. You can also work on saving as much money as possible to pay on any fine that you receive so that you can settle that as quickly as possible.

As you can see, there are a few things you need to do if you have received a DUI in order to be as prepared for the legal process as possible. Talk to a lawyer like H Edward Andrews III.