OHIO DUI / OVI Overview

Ohio DUI / Ohio OVI Defense Lawyers

The lawyers and professional staff of Koffel Law Firm are specifically educated, trained, and experienced in helping someone charged with DUI in Ohio. Most telephone calls to Koffel Law Firm are routed to a specialist who assists in answering preliminary questions, helping clients with their pending court date, and providing a detailed overview on what is expected in court. The law firm has reasonable retainers and many times can customize a payment plan to help you.

The lawyers and staff quickly and efficiently guide a person through the maze of questions -- "how do I get my vehicle back?", "how do I get driving privileges for work?", "am I going to go to jail?", and so on. The professional staff of Koffel Law Firm is well known in Ohio for providing the best legal representation after a DUI arrest.

DUI is known as "Driving Under the Influence". Ohio's new acronym is OVI -- "Operating a Vehicle Impaired". It more accurately reflects the breadth of Ohio's DUI / OVI laws. First, you do not need to be "driving" in order to be charged with DUI or OVI. Second, a "vehicle" in Ohio includes traditional motorized vehicles as well as bicycles, golf carts, and lawn mowers. Finally, "impaired" now includes drugs of abuse, including prescription drugs. The entire Ohio DUI / Ohio OVI statute can be found at Ohio Revised Code section 4511.19.

All DUI / OVI arrests follow a certain procedure in the court process. A Columbus DUI defense lawyer from Koffel Law Firm provides aggressive legal representation and will guide you through the process from the moment of your arrest.

The Traffic Stop

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DUI on a Bicycle

You will be stopped, either through exhibiting driving habits that causes law enforcement to suspect you of DUI / OVI, such as weaving, speeding, wide turns or other indicator of drunk driving, or you may be stopped at a roadside sobriety checkpoint. You will be asked to provide your documents, and will likely be asked to perform certain field sobriety tests for more evidence. These tests are not very accurate, and the best of them has been shown to have a 77% accuracy percentage. However, if you do not submit to them, you will be arrested for DUI. You can refuse the test, and this is often the best decision.

Breath, Blood and Urine Testing

You will almost certainly be asked to take a breath test, and in some cases, a blood or urine test. These tests have a degree of inaccuracy as does any test. The breath testing equipment is required to have been calibrated daily, and to have been frequently tested with regard to accurate readings. However, the administration of the test must be done exactly per the mandated instruction. You are required to take the breath test and if you don't, you will be facing serious consequences and definitely an arrest.

The Arrest

You will be taken to the police station and "booked". This includes fingerprinting, photos and being put in a holding cell. Do not answer questions. You will be able to make a phone call after the process and should call Koffel Law Firm as your first action.

The Arraignment

You will be formally charged in front of a judge and will make your plea. Ensure you have legal representation from the firm for this hearing. If you plead "not guilty" a date will be set for a pretrial hearing. If you plead "not guilty" you can later change your plea; if you plead "guilty" it is game over and you will be sentenced.

Pretrial Hearing

This is when certain negotiations take place regarding your case. When the evidence against you is faulty in some way, this can be presented to the prosecutor and a possible case dismissal or reduced charge negotiated. If the trial is going to proceed, the date is set. You have the right to a jury trial in Ohio.

Motion Hearing

Our firm resolves a majority of OVI cases at this stage of the process. In a motion hearing, our attorneys can challenge the state or city's evidence against you such as field sobriety test evidence, breath test evidence and more. If successful, this can result in certain pieces of evidence being omitted from entering the trial phase or it can result in your case being dismissed altogether.

The Trial

At the trial, witnesses will be put on the stand and then cross examined by your DUI defense lawyer. When there is evidence that correct procedure was violated in any aspect of the case, this will be relentlessly pursued by the DUI defense lawyer from Koffel Law Firm. Expert witnesses could be used in some cases. The prosecutor must prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" that the DUI driving took place. You will be found guilty or not guilty. If you are found not guilty, you will be released. If you are found guilty, you will be sentenced.

Never try to handle a DUI case without a skilled DUI defense lawyer from Koffel Law Firm fighting for you.

Contact a DUI Defense Attorney from Koffel Law Firm without delay if you have been arrested and charged with DUI.