Michigan Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
I handle a lot of DUI cases, and I speak with a lot of people facing this charge. Over the years, I have repeatedly heard a few things that could politely be called “urban legends,” but that I think are more accurately described as bulls**t. To be clear, I am about to dismiss these notions completely, but once again I must repeat that since I only handle DUI cases in the Courts of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties, I cannot say for sure what happens in other places (although I strongly suspect that neither of these “fables” is true outside of the Tri-County area, either). In this article, we’ll deal with the “deal of the century” scam involving the worlds greatest Plea Bargain. In the next article, we’ll dismiss another often-mentioned, but never-true rumor.
The first “urban legend” I hear is that someone knows someone else who knows some lawyer who can have a DUI dropped to the civil infraction of Careless Driving. This “deal” is usually available for a hefty legal fee, all paid in advance. This deal does not happen. Ever. Alcohol-related Traffic Offenses are never, ever, ever “dropped” to civil infractions, or any other kind of non Alcohol-related Traffic Offense, except in the most unusual, exceptional and rare kind of case. This kind of case comes along once every few years, at most.
When someone runs this kind of hair-brained idea by me, I first tell them that such “deals” don’t happen, and then I suggest that if it’s such a sure thing, they should work out some kind of arrangement with the lawyer which provides a refund of some of that hefty fee if the deal doesn’t go down as they’ve been made to believe.
Not surprisingly, that kind of deal doesn’t happen, either.
Think about this for a moment; the internet is filled with all kinds of Legal websites dealing with DUI. Some, like mine, detail how DUI cases are usually handled. Others focus on (very expensive) ways to challenge the case, but absolutely none of them even hints at the “dropped to a careless” deal. Could it be that, different as the approaches of the various Legal websites may be, they are all at least above-board, whereas the phantom “deal” which always comes secondhand is a scam?
Listen, if you think a deal like that can be had, let me help you get rich. See, I got an e-mail from this Princess in some far away country who has a few hundred million dollars stuck in her bank account, and in order to get it out, she needs your help….
Read on to the next article to find out which other completely untrue rumor often freaks out someone facing a DUI in any particular Court.