DUI Attorneys with Office in Cranford, New Jersey
Cranford is a quaint Union County community within a close commute of New York City. The municipality has several major roadways running through it including the Garden State Parkway, Highway 607, and Route 28. This may explain why the State Police and Cranford police force write so many tickets. In fact, Cranford Municipal Court hears 50 – 100 DWI cases annually. Many lawyers appear in Cranford on DWI and traffic cases, however, few can say that they have a specialty in this area of law. Our DWI defense firm, The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall possesses this specialty and also happens to be located just down the road from Cranford Municipal Court. Our team of Union County DUI attorneys includes Jonathan F. Marshall, a former municipal prosecutor in several municipalities and Colin Bonus, a seasoned defense attorney with over 30 years experience. All of our attorneys spend a significant portion of their time defending individuals arrested for driving while intoxicated and traffic matters in New Jersey and we believe that this level of focus and exposure to DWI issues is shared by few firms in the state. We know all of the issues and arguments to be made, and prepare every case with the objective of defeating the DWI charge. We encourage you to take advantage of this experience and contact our office to arrange for a free initial consultation. We hope you find the information that follows to be of assistance.
Penalties If Convicted of DWI in Cranford
A conviction for a First Offense of DWI carries fines and penalties, along with a mandatory license suspension of between 3 months and 1 year. If there are no blood alcohol readings or readings of .08% but less than .10%, then a 3 month suspension applies. If the blood alcohol readings for a First Offense of DWI are .10% or higher, than the suspension period ranges between 7 months and 1 year for this charge.
A Second Offense of DWI involves fines and penalties, 48 hours of jail, and a mandatory license suspension of two years. The 48 hours of jail is customarily suspended for a Second Offense based on the defendant serving 48 hours of mandatory Intoxicated Drivers Resource Center Education.
A Third Offense is quite serious and a conviction for DWI carries additional fines and penalties, 10 years loss of license, and 180 days of jail. The 180 day jail term for a Third Offense of DWI can longer be served through community service or residency in a rehabilitation center, as the full term must be served in jail upon conviction.
Stages of Your Cranford DWI Case
The first proceeding in any drinking and driving case is referred to as arraignment. Arraignment is the initial appearance before the Court wherein an accused enters a plea and applies for a public defender if he or she is unable to afford an attorney. If an individual accused of DWI has already retained an attorney, the arraignment can typically be waived provided counsel forwards a letter of representation to the court. Thereafter, the case enters the discovery stage wherein all of the relevant documentation and evidence is requested from the Cranford Police Department. Our approach and practice tends to be different than many during this stage. It is not uncommon for our office to file one or more motions to force the prosecution to supply all those documents we believe relevant to a DWI case. Thereafter, the case proceeds to trial at which time all evidence is presented and a Municipal Court Judge, without the benefit of a jury, decides all factual and legal issues.
The aforesaid information is obviously a thumbnail of what is involved in defending a DWI case in Cranford Municipal Court. If you or a loved one was charged or arrested for dwi or refusal in Cranford, we would be happy to discuss exactly how we can assist you. We are confident that if you meet with us and have an opportunity to explore our knowledge in this area, you will be comforted in knowing that we can assist you in this difficult situation. Please do not hesitate to contact our office toll-free to set up a no obligation consultation.
