Lots of lawyers take payment plans.

In any event, you get arrested for DUI, usually because you were in a fight with your significant other, had a bad day at work, or recently got some other type of bad news in your life. Then, to add insult to injury, you get arrested and now you need to come up with a large bunch of money that you don’t have in order to hire a decent lawyer. What to do? Throw yourself on the mercy of the court?..Never. Hire some hack for $995 who looks like he just slept in his only suit? Never. Call a real lawyer and discuss your options.

So here is the question: Do good DUI lawyers take payment plans? The answer, like so many in my business, is: “It depends”.

Once we go to court for a misdemeanor, we have about 90 days until the judges start getting itchy about the age of the cases. This means we have three months to spread out the remaining payments. Thus, if the fee for a DUI case is $3,500, the attorney could accept $1,500 as a down payment and the remaining $2,000 over the next 90 days or a little over $500 per month. In many states, the first court date is not for two months. That gives us a lot of time to work out a payment plan.

But some lawyers say they won’t take payments? True, some lawyers do say that they won’t take payments. Some lawyers lie and some lawyers may be too busy or too set in their ways to work with potential clients. I say that maybe those are not the lawyers for you. Look back at my past blog articles and you will see some very consistent advice: Meet with the lawyer you are thinking of hiring – not his assistant, sales rep, paralegal or otherwise; Make sure the lawyer you are thinking of hiring practices criminal and DUI defense every day and is familiar with the you particular courthouse; and finally, make sure you feel comfortable with the lawyer. This includes the fee arrangements.

Some lawyers try to intimidate you or embarrass you or otherwise make you feel inferior when they are sitting in the lawyer’s office. If a lawyer uses a line like: “You don’t have enough money to hire me”, or “How much do you have to pay me?”, you might be in the wrong place, talking to the wrong lawyer. Every lawyer should have an idea of the fee he or she is looking to get on a particular case. It’s true that fees vary from lawyer to lawyer, but legal fees shouldn’t vary from client to client based upon the client’s ability to pay the fee.

For a confidential consultation with competent DUI and criminal defense attorney call Alex Truluck. Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

If you are pulled over by the police and they request to take a breathalizer test, should you consent? (breathalizer tests are given using breath machines police use during drunk driving criminal investigations). Should you blow into the machine? (Police and prosecutors call it an “instrument” and not a “machine” because machines make mistakes).

YOU WON’T BE RELEASED
In making your decision, you must understand a few key facts. First, the officer definitely believes you are impaired. That’s why he arrested you. He’s even going to swear to it under the penalties of perjury in the arrest report. Furthermore, regardless of what your breath reading is, he’s not going to release you. Yes, you read correctly. Even if you blow under the legal limit, the officer will not give you back your freedom. The protocol in most departments in Florida and around the U.S. is to then request a urine sample. Most officers believe they can’t be wrong. They couldn’t possibly have made a mistake. You definitely must be impaired, regardless of what that breath reading shows. Therefore, it must be drugs! So, they will request a urine sample from you, which will detect even that hit of marijuana, you took three weeks ago.

LICENSE SUSPENSION
Another fact is that if you refuse to blow, the Department of Motor Vehicles will suspend your driving privileges for one year or up to 18 months if you’ve refused to give a sample previously. Additionally, if you’ve refused before, law enforcement can now charge you with an additional criminal offense.

REFUSAL USED IN COURT
One other aspect to consider is that your failure to blow into the machine can and will be used against you in court during your DUI prosecution. Prosecutors today, still passionately argue the a refusal to blow shows consciousness of guilt! He/she knew he/she was impaired and that’s why he/she refused to blow.” That can be very compelling evidence against you. On the other hand, equally, if not even more compelling evidence against you, would be a breath reading showing that you’re over the legal limit.

FINALLY, THE ANSWER
So what’s the answer? Here it is, “It depends.” If you’ve only had one drink (not the size of a fish bowl), that contains about one shot of alcohol, you should be fine. Two drinks? Maybe, depending on your size and how much you’ve had to eat, and when you drank them. Anything more, I’d be concerned.

While there’s no study that I’m aware of, I believe that drunk driving cases without a reading are won a lot more often than those with a reading over the limit. Jurors can accept many of the reasons why someone chooses not to blow, other than being impaired. For example, some don’t blow because cops refuse them the opportunity to speak to their lawyers first to determine what they should do. Many of my clients are afraid and don’t trust the breath machines. They simply want some guidance before making the decision. Absent the ability to speak to an attorney, many will choose not to cooperate any further, even if that means the officer will consider their actions a “refusal.”

SUSPENSIONS CAN BE CHALLENGED
It is possible to  be very successful in challenging the license suspensions that get issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles for failures to blow. The suspension isn’t a definite. There are many ways to successfully challenge that suspension at a hearing conducted at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, “Don’t drink and drive if you’re impaired.” However, if you make that poor choice and you know you are impaired, your chances of prevailing in the criminal arena are greater without a breath reading showing that you are over the legal limit.

Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area. For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

Obviously everyone would like to have a clean slate – their record cleaned. Expungement is the process of having any convictions or arrests removed from public records in order to clean up your record, thereby eliminating unwanted negative information that can impact your life. Although an expungement will not remove the criminal history from law enforcement data bases, any public records would no longer show certain records if properly expunged. There is certain criterion that must be met in order to qualify, so it is important for you to contact an attorney so that we may provide you with the proper legal advice regarding your specific situation.

When someone has met all probation criteria and obeyed all court orders, and has no new criminal offenses in the past ten years, they likely may qualify for an expungement. Obtaining an expungement provides the individual with the opportunity to eliminate the negative effects of having certain convictions appear on their record, which can impact you in the following ways:

• Employment opportunities
• Educational possibilities
• Housing options
• Immigration status
• Loan applications
• Insurance rates

It is not until after a conviction that someone realizes the long lasting effects that can remain years after you have served your time, met your probation or paid your fines. A DUI on your record can severely affect your job opportunities in addition to increasing your insurance rates. If you are an immigrant, a conviction of certain types of charges could risk your ability to remain legally in the country. And most any type of conviction will make it difficult to obtain housing and jobs, when someone becomes aware of your record.

You can count on Alexander Truluck to provide you with the best advice on how to go about petitioning the court for an expungement. With the correct and accurate presentation, your chances of an expungement can increase markedly. This service is very cost effective for the benefit it provides.

Don’t let your past haunt you for years to come, find out whether you qualify for an expungement. We are available to serve you throughout not just the Tampa Bay area but all of Florida.

We can expunge many felonies as well as misdemeanors. We can reduce many felony convictions to misdemeanors and we may even be able to help if you have been sentenced to state prison. This process is called a Certificate of Rehabilitation and is like a pardon. Obtaining a certificate of rehabilitation requires adhering to strict rules, but a competent lawyer can help you achieve this.

We have also been successful in erasing arrest records. That’s right, if you were arrested and no charges were filed, it is possible to have your arrest record changed. Most lawyers don’t know how to do this or care to take the time. Call a lawyer who can help save your reputation.

The reason why we like clearing people’s records is because it usually means that they have been leading successful, productive lives and it gives us great satisfaction to see this.

Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

It is not a good idea to evade police even if you don’t have a drivers license or have been drinking.

Many people offer excuses when I being arrested for evading law enforcement. Why didn’t you stop? They may say that they were scared because their license was suspended or they were scared because they had been drinking.

None of these answers justify evading police. Evading law enforcement as a felony carries a mandatory minimum 180 days in county jail and up to three years in prison. This is assuming nobody gets injured or killed in the pursuit. By contrast, even a third offense DUI only carries a mandatory minimum of 120 days. Driving on a suspended license with no priors does not require mandatory jail and with priors is usually 30 days or less.

So, even if you think you may be over the legal limit for alcohol consumption and even if your privilege to drive is suspended, if you see those flashing lights behind you or you hear that siren and see the cops, pull to the right and stop as soon as possible. You will be much better off in the long run than if you try to evade the police.

If you or someone you know has been arrested for evading police, DUI, driving on a suspended license or any other criminal charge call a lawyer with the ability and experience to get the job done right.

Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

If you get arrested for possession of narcotics or being under the influence of narcotics. you are probably going to hire a lawyer. The lawyer may make promises to you like, “Don’t worry, I’ll get your case dismissed” or “I will take care of everything.” You walk into arraignment court with the lawyer and suddenly he tells you to plead guilty and take deferred entry of judgment. The lawyer tells you that the offer won’t get any better and the cased will be dismissed in under two years.

Some of this is true and some is not. Deferred judgment is a program where in the case of charges of simple possession or being under the influence, if the defendant is found suitable and is otherwise eligible for the program, he would plead guilty to the charges, and sentencing would be deferred for 18 to 24 months. During the deferment period the defendant must obey all laws, perform a Penal Code 1000 approved drug education class, pay certain fees and can earn his dismissal.

So what’s so bad about this?

First, this is still a conviction for many purposes. The federal government and immigration service don’t view PC 1000 or deferred entry of judgment as a true dismissal, rather they view it as a conviction. Technically, even under state law, when we plead guilty and are found guilty based on our plea, this is a conviction, albeit a temporary conviction.

Next, if we are eligible for DEJ, then we are eligible even after the conviction at trial. It’s true that after trial, DEJ is discretionary with the judge, bad, we can still get it. Further, when we take into account that we are talking about misdemeanor crimes, it might be worth the gamble to push the case as far as possible before settling if necessary.

Is there a search issue? Let’s run a motion to suppress evidence. Is there a lying or heavy handed cop? Let’s run a Pitchess motion. Let’s generally try to do everything we possibly can to try and get the case dismissed or reduced. Let’s generally make it as difficult as possible for the prosecutor to secure a conviction. Maybe we can avoid a drug conviction. Maybe I can achieve my client’s goals without pleading guilty straight up to the charged crimes. Let’s try.

Then, if after exhausting all other options we are still not able to get the case dismissed or reduced, only then do we talk about pleading guilty and taking deferred entry of judgment. This is not to say that deferred entry of judgment is a bad thing for the defendant in a criminal case.

Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

Did you know that nearly all traffic tickets can be overturned? In most cases it is easiest to simply pay the fine, especially when you know that you broke the law without question or dispute. However, if you feel you were wrongly charged, or are afraid that you may end up paying hundreds of dollars more in auto insurance premiums, then it just may be worthwhile to fight your ticket. This will take some time and effort on your part, but could end up being very rewarding in the end.

Never pay the fine on your traffic ticket until you have fought the traffic ticket to the full extent of the law. Once you pay the ticket you are admitting guilt and will no longer have a chance to fight it. If done correctly eight out of ten traffic tickets can be overturned.

If you plead guilty or no contest when you get a traffic ticket you are waiving your right to fight the traffic ticket in a court of law. Paying the fine related to your traffic ticket is also waiving your right to fight the ticket and it is equivalent to pleading guilty.

Once you receive the public court records regarding your traffic ticket you should check for the following situations. Make sure the information is not out of date. Make sure the proper information actually exists. Finally, make sure the information is accurate. If any of these situations do not exist then you should have no problem having your traffic ticket overturned. The amount of time it takes for the court to turn over the records has no bearing on the outcome of your traffic violation.

If you need to talk to someone in person regarding overturning a traffic ticket, then you need to contact the district attorney. You are not allowed to talk to the judge directly as this has to be done through specific channels. You can talk to your lawyer, but they too will have to speak with the district attorney. Doing so yourself will save you lawyer fees. Talking with the police officer that issue you your traffic ticket will only give them more information to support your traffic violation and can be used against you.

You can also contest your traffic violation through the postal mail. This has a high success rate, but very few people know about it. If you wish to go this route the technical term is called trial by declaration. All you need is a detailed well thought out defense. The police officer will have to submit a written rebuttal as well or the argument is one side and you ticket should be revoked.

If you must face court then you should definitely request a trial by jury. This is your constitutional right and the courts more often than not will simply overturn your ticket to save court costs and time. In rare cases, the court may honor your wishes and are you a trial by jury. If you lose then you may end up paying substantially more money in the end to cover the extra court costs. However, in the vast majority of cases the risks are very low and the rewards very high.

If you have questions about whether or not to contest a traffic ticket, perhaps you should consult with Alexander Truluck. Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

They don’t call them that anymore. They call it an “Injunction for Protection. According to the Pinellas County Court:

AN INJUNCTION FOR PROTECTION IS a Civil Court Order (often referred to as a “restraining order” and herein referred to as “Injunction”) that places restrictions on an individual (referred to as the Respondent) who has allegedly committed acts or (in some cases) made threats of violence against another individual (referred to as the Petitioner). An Injunction is requested by the Petitioner who files a “Petition” with the Court asking for protection from the Respondent.

AN INJUNCTION MAY INCLUDE PROVISIONS THAT: restrain the Respondent from further acts of violence; order the Respondent to leave a shared dwelling; prevent the Respondent from coming to your home, school or place of employment; and/or award temporary custody of minor children.

AN INJUNCTION SHOULD NOT BE USED as a tool to manipulate the Respondent or the Judicial System, gain access to property, or to settle issues of child custody or spousal support, but rather to protect you against a genuine and well-founded fear of continued violence or abuse.

VIOLENCE IS DEFINED byFlorida Statute 784.046(1)(a) as “any assault, aggravated assault, battery, aggravated battery, sexual assault, sexual battery, stalking, aggravated stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment, or any criminal offense resulting in physical injury or death, by a person against another person.”

VIOLENCE DOES NOT INCLUDE ALL OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOR. Trespassing, criminal mischief, threats, tampering with a witness and harassing phone calls are all criminal offenses which should be reported to law enforcement, but may not necessarily, alone, qualify for the issuance of an Injunction.

FLORIDA LAW SEPARATES INJUNCTIONS FOR PROTECTION INTO FIVE CATEGORIES: Domestic, Stalking, Repeat, Sexual and Dating. When determining the type of Injunction for which you need to file it is very important that you read over all of the requirements for each type before selecting one; choosing the incorrect type may cause your Petition to be denied by the Judge.
The types are defined as:

• DOMESTIC VIOLENCE : Violence or stalking that has occurred, or that the Petitioner has reasonable cause to believe they are in imminent danger of becoming the victim of, between individuals who are spouses, former spouses, or persons related by blood or marriage who are residing or have resided together as a family, or individuals who are residing together or have resided together as if family, or individuals who have a child in common.
   
• STALKING VIOLENCE : means someone is purposely following or harassing you repeatedly over a period of time for no legitimate purpose, causing you emotional stress. If in doing so, he/she threatens your life or threatens to harm you, with the intent to cause you reasonable fear for your safety, then the act becomes aggravated.
• REPEAT VIOLENCE : Two acts of violence or stalking on two separate occasions, one of which must have been within the past 6 months committed by a person against another person. These types of Injunctions are usually appropriate for neighbor-against-neighbor, coworker-against-coworker, or other types of relationships that are of a non-domestic or non-dating nature.
• SEXUAL VIOLENCE : Any one of the following criteria must be met: (1) You must have reported the incident to law enforcement and be cooperating in any criminal proceedings or (2) The Respondent must have been sentenced to prison and the term expired or is due to expire within 90 days, and any incident of the following: (1) sexual battery (2) a lewd or lascivious act, committed upon or in the presence of a person younger than 16 (3) luring or enticing a child (4) sexual performance by a child or (5) any other forcible felony wherein a sexual act is committed or attempted.
• DATING VIOLENCE : Violence or stalking that has occurred, or that the Petitioner has reasonable cause to believe they are in imminent danger of becoming a victim of, between individuals who (1) have been in a dating relationship within the past 6 months (2) have had an expectation of affection or sexual involvement and (3) have been involved over time and on a continuous basis, excluding individuals who have engaged in ordinary fraternization in a business or social context.

• FILING FOR PROTECTION IS FREE.There is no fee to file a Petition and the Sheriff’s Office also serves (hand delivers) certified copies of the Judge’s order to the Respondent without charge. A PETITION MAY BE FILED IN the county where you currently or temporarily reside, where the Respondent resides or where the violence occurred.

You might be more comfortable having an attorney file for you. In any case, perhaps you should consult with Alex Truluck.

Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area. For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

Not if you can avoid it. You should ask to talk to your lawyer. In any case you shouldn’t say anything. If you do say something, don’t lie.  We have a right to remain silent, but we do not have a right to lie.

In the heat of a situation, it may be difficult not to same something. It is our natural instinct to respond to a question, particularly if it is accusatory. However, we need to keep a cool head and ask yourself what to I have to gain by talking, and what do I have to lose. When police approach us on the street, we do NOT need to stop and talk to them unless we are ordered to do so. We do NOT need to open ours doors at home for the police and we have a right to exclude them from our property unless they have a search warrant to be there. By avoiding the contact in the beginning it makes it much easier to avoid answering questions by not ever being face to face with the police.

This is not to say that we can fail to stop when the cops try to pull us over on the road or we can refuse to be arrested or resist arrest when cops try and put handcuffs on us and take us to jail. What’s the difference? In many cases there is a very fine line between what the law calls a “consensual encounter” with law enforcement and the police ordering us to do something.

You should be careful out there. There is a very fine line between not answering questions from the cops and failing to comply with their “lawful orders”. The trick is to find out where that line is located and stay there. Once you ordered to stop by the cops, you must do that. You still don’t need to talk to them. At this point remember to be compliant. Hand over your identification, keep your hands on the steering wheel and don’t make any sudden movements. Tell the officer if you need to reach for your wallet or into your glove box. Make eye contact with the officer if possible. Listen to what he says. You may not like the way he speaks to you, but deal with it to keep yourself safe in the tense situation.

Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area. For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

Drug tests are becoming more and more common with employment applications. What happens if you fail?

1. You won’t get the job

2. It will usually just stay between you and your employer. Some employers place those tests into a national database that other potential employers can pull up when you apply for a job.

3. It can show up in a national database for other employers to see. This is rare and only very few employers use this. Walgreens uses it.

4. No, police will not know. It’s not a crime to have drugs in your system unless you’re driving.

Is drug testing legal?

The federal government has limited laws regarding drug testing. Therefore, drug testing is mostly a state issue. States and local jurisdictions have different laws regarding what methods of drug testing are lawful, which substances can be included in a drug test, and when employers can use drug tests.

What Can Cause a False Positive?

There are many legal substances and products that can cause a false positive. The following common substances are among the many that may cause a false positive.

Do I Need a Lawyer if I Fail a Drug Test?

An experienced employment lawyer can help an employee who has not been hired, who has been fired, or who has been denied benefits because of an unlawful or faulty drug test. Your attorney can help you understand the drug testing laws in your jurisdiction, decipher the best course of action for you, and protect your rights and remedies.

Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area. For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.

If you get a DUI, the first thing that you will probably do is retain an attorney. Most attorneys charge for their services on an hourly basis. The lawyer speaks to the client, discusses the case and takes a “retainer”, or advance funds, and bills against the retainer for his work. When the retainer gets used up, the lawyer will require additional payments.

First offense, no injury, no damage. For our purposes we’ll consider a first offense only and we’ll presume you’re lucky enough not to have hit anyone or caused property damage. The conclusion is that if you’re arrested, you should expect to pay somewhere between $5,000 and $12,000 with the largest cost typically being the jump in your insurance rates. (BTW, subsequent offenses may double or triple the costs.) Here’s a breakdown:

• Court Costs. Fines differ from state to state and county to county. Typically first offense fines range between $250 and $1500.
• Legal Fees. Using a lawyer to navigate the system will probably help but (assuming you don’t go to trial) will cost approximately $2,000. Of course, there’s no expense if you don’t have an attorney. Cost: $0 (no lawyer) to $2,000. (Going to trial will likely cost at least $5,000. )
• License Reinstatment. The administrative costs for getting your license back after suspensions vary by state. Expect to pay between $250 and $500.
• Substance Abuse/Counseling/Rehabilitation Classes – If these are required in your case, the costs may range from $100 to $500.
• Ignition Interlock System. If required, you’ll pay an installation fee ($100) and monthly rental fee of approximately $50 to $100 per month. Average time for first offense is 3 months though many states require longer periods. Figure this cost between $0 and $325
• Increased Insurance costs. After a DUI, you’ll be categorized by your insurance company as a high-risk driver. Most insurance companies will raise rates at least $1,000 – $1500 or more annually. This high-risk requirement typically continues for three years, after which the rates drop back down. Expect to pay between $3,000 – $4500 over three years.
• Loss of Income. Sitting in jail, doing community service, court appearances and remedial services may take you away from your job for anywhere from one to four weeks. The median US income in 2014 was about $52,000 a year. So we’re estimating the cost at $1,000 to $4,000.

Conclusion: We estimate that the average cost for a non-injury, non-property damage DUI is between $5,000 and $12,000. Keep in mind that our numbers are on the conservative side.

If you have been arrested for DUI, consider call Alex Truluck.

Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area. For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.