A DUI conviction can have devastating effects on your life, including possible jail time, probation, fines, and restrictions on your license. A conviction brings with it the requirement to take alcohol classes, complete an alcohol use evaluation, alcohol counseling, community service, and the completion of a Mothers Against Drunk Driving awareness class. On top of that, a DUI can gravely affect a person’s career.
DUI Charges Follow You into the Workplace
Beyond the criminal or DMV penalties, many occupations require additional reporting and consequences. Professions such as doctors, nurses, dentists, police officers, military service members, and lawyers, often require licensees to adhere to strict ethical and moral standards. Often, these professions require a person to report charges and convictions to their respective licensing board and comply with penalties on the professional side.
These penalties may include treatment or therapy in addition to what a district attorney requires. Penalties may also include mentorship and monitoring, or worse, a suspension of a license or loss of employment. Medical professionals often incur consequences with the hospitals they work in. Employment contracts and admission privileges can be restricted or even rescinded.
Deferred Sentences
A deferred sentence agreement is a typically considered a good outcome for most people. Yet even a deferred sentence can have devastating effects on one’s license. A deferred sentence, if completed successfully, results in no conviction and a dismissal of the case. In the case of a DUI, a successfully completed deferred sentence results in no points being applied to your DMV record and allows a person to seal the record once the case is closed.
However, a deferred sentence also includes an acknowledgment of guilt. This can cause problems in one’s professional life even though the criminal case resulted in no conviction. Some professional boards and employers view the acknowledgment of guilt the same as a conviction and apply the same penalties as they do for a conviction. For this reason, some people get backed into having to take their case to trial. This is because while the District Attorney’s offer of resolution is quite good, the effects on the person’s career can be the same as a conviction.
Avoid Professional Blowback
If you work in an occupation that requires a professional license, it is critical you understand the consequences that the ultimate disposition will have on your professional license and your employment. Often, this requires reviewing licensing standards, reviewing contracts, and understanding conditions of employment. We often work with professionals who have been charged with a DUI. Before we advise a client to accept any disposition, we get a clear understanding of how the disposition will affect their licensure and employment.
We Are Here to Help
If you are a professional and are facing a DUI charge, you need legal representation. The Bussey Law Firm is well versed and very experienced in working with professionals caught up in a DUI charge. We routinely work with doctors, nurses, dentists, active-duty military personnel, and other professionals whose career has been put in jeopardy by a DUI charge. If you have been charged with a DUI, you should contact The Bussey Law Firm at (719) 475-2555.
