Lowering Penalties
Even though you cannot have your DWI charge plea bargained to a lower violation, there may be some options for you, with the help of an attorney. If you are facing a DWI conviction, you can suffer a range of penalties, some of which are at the discretion of the judge. For those penalties that a judge has the ability to adjust, your attorney can try to convince the prosecutor to recommend the lowest possible punishment for you. They will use his or her bargaining skills and knowledge of the DWI laws to argue for a modification of the sentence that may have significant benefits to you. DWI penalties are all mandatory, but some of the mandatory charges have a range of penalty. One example would be in a first offense the range of 7 months to one year loss of license. Although if you are found guilty of a first offense DWI the judge is not permitted to allow you to serve less than 7 months if the BAC is over .10 the judge does have discretion to allow you to serve 7 months rather than up to 12 months. The judge also has discretion with the ignition interlock device in some instances as to whether to require it and if required the length of time it must remain in your vehicle. These examples of the range of the penalties are quite significant and an experienced lawyer can help you get the best possible result.
Call A DWI Attorney Before Pleading Guilty To DWI
Although "plea bargaining" a DWI charge to a less severe traffic violation is not permitted in New Jersey, the type of bargaining over the adjustable penalties for a DWI conviction is impossible without the help of an experienced DWI attorney who is familiar with the complicated laws regarding DWI charges in New Jersey.
