The Hudson Law Office

DWI Attorneys/DUI Lawyers

Aggressive DUI Defense

Sarasota, Bradenton, and Key West, Florida

When Everyone Else is On Your Back, We're On Your Side.^®

(941) 957-0500 Sarasota-Bradenton

(305) 292-8384 (8DUI) Key West

by Tom Hudson

People often ask me if I have any pieces of advice for friends who might drive after they have had a drink or two.  Now, bear in mind that I do not advocate driving after drinking, and I tell my own children to get a designated driver or to take a cab.  However, it is my extensive experience that the mere smell of an alcoholic beverage on your breath, coupled with a slight stumble while getting out of the car, or even leaning against the side of the car while talking to the officer can turn a speeding ticket into a full-blown DUI arrest and a night in jail.  Even if you are way under the limit.

In my opinion, that's just not fair.   But the fact remains that at any given time, I have between five and ten clients with pending cases who blew UNDER .08 on the Intoxilyzer.  They don't drop the charges even if you blow under the limit.  Instead, they make their victim go out and hire a lawyer, and then try to bluff like they are going to go to trial, and then drop the case immediately before trial when we call their bluff.  (Of course, not all lawyers are confident enough to call their bluff.)

Anyway, I do have a piece of advice about how not to get caught in the DUI trap.  In fact, I have a lot of advice.  And most of it is on this website, including such gems as "The Safest Way to Say "No" to the Police," "The Four Words That Can Save You a DUI Conviction," and "The Five Things NOT to Do If You Are Pulled Over By the Police."  But the best advice I know is so ingenious that I can't even publish it online.   If I did, and the police read it, they would immediately use it against my clients.  If you ever run into me in person, ask me about it.  The most I can say is that it is a gambit that makes it almost impossible for the police to make an arrest stand up, (much less a conviction) unless they have iron-clad proof that you were drinking.  I mean like a witness who actually saw you at the party and counted your beers. 

This idea is not mine, but came to a group of DUI lawyers while we were meeting at Harvard Law School in July, 2007 for the Summer Session of the National College for DUI Defense (NCDD).  We were brainstorming during a late evening session, and when a lot of clever and motivated experts get together, they sometimes come up with good ideas. 

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At the Hudson Law Office, we focus our criminal practice on one thing:  the defense of DUI cases.  Tom Hudson is trained as a Breath Test Operator, as a NHTSA Drug Recognition Expert (DRE), and as an Instructor of the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests.  He has received formal training in the biochemistry, physics and electronics involved in testing blood, breath and urine, and is one of only three attorneys in the entire State of Florida who has passed the rigorous requirements of the National College for DUI Defense for Board Certification as a DUI Defense attorney.  Tom trains other lawyers in the scientific principles underlying DUI prosecutions.  There is simply no one in this region with more training and experience to defend your DUI charge.  We average one jury trial per month, which means that the State Attorneys know us and know that we are not bluffing.  See what we've been doing lately.  Experience makes a difference.  Let us make a difference for you.  Call us toll-free at 888-957-0500.

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