Le Knapp: Will A DUI Stop Me From Getting A Job?

A DUI is short for Driving Under the Influence of either illegal drugs or alcohol. You can be convicted of this offense if the court proves that while driving or operating an automobile, you were under the influence of either alcohol or drugs or even both. The penalties may vary according to the laws of the state that you were caught drunk driving but could generally range from and could be a combination of the following: fines, suspension of driver’s license and some jail time. Hence, if you are a DUI offender, you must expunge your DUI records to make your reputation more pleasant and attractive and of course, to get your driver’s license back.
You might have had a DUI offense files against you and that you are looking for some ways to clear it up before an employer for a prospect job find out about it. This will give you a few ideas on how to do it easily.

A few number of people think that they can’t completely clear or expunge their DUI records. You may be among the many people looking for some ways to expunge your DUI records in order to stop it from showing up on future background checks.

Your DUI can be expunged in two ways: by your very own self or with the help of a good lawyer. If you want to clear it up yourself, you have to learn the tricks to clearing it up in no time. Learning it is not a fast way. Firstly, you have to fill out some forms and then you are ready to expunge the records yourself. The names of the forms that you need to be filled could be learned from some internet sites which offer some fees for this service.

If you would rather go for the help of your lawyer, then the first step to this method is to find someone who is competent enough to clear you out of your mess. He must be a lawyer that specializes in DUI cases and must be good at that. He must be effective in cleaning your records permanently. He must also be a determined breath test operator. It is also important that your lawyer is a specialist in conducting SFSTs or standardized field sobriety tests. So, you should be able to look for a lawyer from the best DUI defense law firms in your location. However, you have to learn about a few things before you go and consult an attorney for expunging your DUI records. Try looking for almost the same cases as yours and try to learn from them. The best possible place for researching is online or through your friends. They could tell you a thing or two which happened to them. It should also be remembered that honesty is always important in any case and that you should tell the whole story to your lawyer and trust his advice. Be careful also about divulging some details about your case as this could be used against you later on.

It’s no surprise that current DUI Law mandates that DUI punishments cause problems in your personal life in the short term. With punishments such as temporary loss of license, community service, fines, alcohol education and assessment, etc… it forces you to do some “rearranging” of your personal life.

But what isn’t always known by most is that the effects of DUI will last for years, even a decade. The punishments actually serve as a barrier from getting past the offense and moving on with your life for many years to come. This is because the initial punishments cause a domino effect of problems that can propagate through several years of someone’s life.

First, you’re forced to take a considerable amount of time off from work to perform your community service which usually involves picking up litter on the side of the highway. If you’re paid by the hour that’s a considerable loss of income! If you’re paid in salary there goes your whole vacation allotment for the entire year (if you haven’t used it up already). This is assuming that you even have a way to get to work since your license has been temporarily suspended. The irony of all of this is that with all of this commotion you’re likely to lose your job while you need money to pay all of the fines!

Potentially, you have someone who has either lost their job or has lost a considerable amount of income by not being able to attend employment. They are forced to pay the court fines and fees along with all of their other monthly bills on an even smaller income then they had before the offense. So what is happening is all of your monthly expenses are rapidly increasing but your income has either ceased to exist or significantly decreased.
If they lost their job due to the DUI then they now face the challenge of trying to find a new job to secure some income but don’t have a driver’s license for transportation and then also have to disclose on the job application that they have been convicted of a DUI. This makes finding any new work near impossible.

What does this do to someone’s mental state? It makes them very emotional and very unstable. Couple these feelings of anxiety with the animosity that a large percentage of people feel when they get a DUI. The animosity comes from the fact that a lot of people are wrongly accused and convicted of this offense because so much discretion is left up to the police officer during a dui stop. Low BAC laws and political pressure funnel more and more innocent people into the DUI system every day.

What is the likelihood of a repeat offense when the punishments do this to a person? The person’s stress level and mental state has completely deteriorated and depression is setting in. They’re worrying about bankruptcy and future employment plans but at the same time are unable to help themselves because the courts have handicapped them.

We’re all for punishments for people that break the rules but the punishment has to fit the crime. It has to be rehabilitative in nature if we actually want to fix the problem. The current punishments instigate repeat offenses and worsen the problem instead of fixing it.

You may be wondering what your life will be like after a DUI conviction (in US). Once convicted, a DUI on your record can greatly affect your life. Your DUI conviction record will significantly impact your future employment opportunities, auto insurance rates and driving privileges. The worst part is that the DUI will stay on your record and continues to affect all aspects of your life for at least ten years. A ten years time can make a very big difference in your life but with a DUI on your record, it can become a roadblock that stops you to move on with your life!

As I mentioned above, a DUI conviction will affect you in the following areas: future employment opportunities, auto insurance rates and driving privileges. Now let’s see how it affects you in each area.

1. Employment – How a DUI affects your future employment opportunities?
Majority of jobs these days perform a background check. So you cannot hide your conviction to your potential employers. Due to this, you may find difficulty getting a job for a position that you may be highly qualified for. As a result you may lose your monthly income and despite that you are required to pay all the court fines and fees.

2. Auto Insurance – How a DUI affects your Auto Insurance?
A DUI conviction can cause your auto insurance rates to sky rocket. Sometimes your insurance company may even drop you due to your DUI violation.
3. Driving Privileges – How a DUI affects your driving privileges?
Depending on your state, your drivers license may be immediately suspended after arrest or you are required to argue your case before your license is suspended. Remember that the DMV hearing, which is known as “administrative per se” hearing, is different from your DUI court proceedings.
Get back to your normal life:

Knowing all the distress a DUI conviction can cause in your crucial areas of life, what you can do to return to your normal life?

Regarding your employment opportunity after a DUI conviction, the best option available to you is to expunge your DUI record. Once expunged you do not have to disclose your conviction on a job application. Also, you will come out clean in background checks conducted by your employers, landlords or anyone. It’s like your DUI never happened. You will have no problem getting a job now. However, you must disclose your conviction to certain employers like educational institution, law enforcement agency etc.
Besides, expunging your DUI conviction record can be helpful in getting re-licensed.

As with an auto insurance rates, it all depends on your state and your auto insurance company. Mostly, you are required to pay high price for at least three years and then your rates will return to normal.

So getting back on track after a DUI conviction is possible when you know what to do and take right action.

Though expunging your DUI record is the only best solution available to you, it is not perfect. Sometimes even your private employers, can access your “expunged” record. This is where DUI Process manual comes to your rescue. This manual primarily aims to help you get back on track. It includes little known strategies to “completely” expunge your DUI record and pass any background checks. Especially, this strategy is helpful if your state (US) does not allow formal expungement. Also it includes tips to get very cheap SR-22 insurance that will save you hundreds of dollars per month as well as strategies to get drivers license back.

A DUI defense lawyer is your best shot if you have been arrested for drinking while driving. You need to hire one to assist you all throughout the investigation and trial, and to make sure that your rights are protected. There are always DUI defense lawyers who are willing to take this kind of case and will work for you. Let me discuss a few tips and ideas on how to choose the best DUI lawyer and what to expect once you hired one.

Once you are charged with DUI, the authorities could penalize you with many things including community service, license suspension, jail time, probation and lots more. There are some US states that require a breathing analyzer tool installed in the cars of those who already got arrested so that they would not be tempted to do everything again. Some would force you to take a pill that would make you feel ill when you drink alcohol.
A DUI defense lawyer could help you get the least difficult penalties and possibly make the DUI charge against you be dropped altogether. He or she is knowledgeable with how the system runs in your area. He or she would know how to talk to the judge or the prosecutor. If everything goes well, your sentence would not be as heavy as before.

So if you are really determined to get yourself out of this mess, find the best DUI defense lawyer in your area. Try to find out which of them has a good reputation and an impressive record. Do not let their service fees stop you from selecting best one. Think about your family, friends and your job. You do not want to lose them all, do you? Do your best to resolve this problem as fast as you could.

If you were pulled over for being suspected of driving under the influence would you know your rights? Most people don’t know their rights even if they are only pulled over for a broken tail light and this is a lot less serious that DUI.

Even if you know for certain that you are under the legal limit for DUI, you may be so nervous that you could fail a sobriety test. You shouldn’t allow an officer to intimidate you and you should know that you still have rights.

Learn what your rights are before you find yourself in this situation. There is one right that you have that is the most important one in any situation that you find yourself in with an officer of the law. Many times you won’t be reminded of this right until you are being placed in handcuffs. This is the right to remain silent.

It is your constitutional right to refuse any questions that are asked of you. It is unconstitutional for an officer to coerce you into making a statement against your will and the evidence will be thrown out. It is the police officer’s job to gather evidence only, not to act as a judge or jury.

If an officer continues to question you after you have chosen to remain silent then he is violating your DUI rights and the evidence cannot be used in a court of law. Just like in the Miranda Rights that are read to an individual that is being arrested, you can request for your attorney to be with you during questioning.

If you are taken off to a back room and continue to be questioned after you have asked for your attorney then your DUI rights are not being upheld. Many times people will watch police shows on television and assume that everything that is done on them is according to the law. This could not be further from the truth.

Most of these shows are not accurate and use drama to get better ratings, however many people believe what they see and assume that they have no rights when dealing with the police. You should become educated about your rights and not allow an officer on a power trip violate them. Many times individuals that don’t know their rights become preyed upon by people in uniform.

Don’t fall for the line, “Go ahead and tell the truth that you were drinking and I’ll go easy on you”, officers will use this on you to get you to violate your DUI rights and talk after you have told them that you are remaining silent. It is always best to remain silent and hire a lawyer before you talk to the police.

It is very smart to talk with an attorney and find out your rights even before you find yourself in this situation. They can advise you of your rights to make you more knowledgeable of how to deal with the authorities if you are stopped for suspicion of DUI.

DUI Lawyer in Utah Free Consultation

When you need legal help with a DUI charge in Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC (801) 676-5506 for your Free Consultation. We can help you with criminal defense. Expungements. Drug Crimes. Sex Crimes. And Much More.