I got a call this past week by someone, in a panic, because they were facing their third DUI in 10 years and showed up to court without an attorney only to find out that the judge was going to put them in jail.

This person had been stopped and arrested on suspicion of DUI in July but cited to appear in court two months later in September, which is very typical.  He did not contact a DUI attorney after he was arrested thinking he did not need an attorney or he would just use the public defender when he got to court.  Well when he got to court that morning he learned from the public defender (who he just met for the first time and had only a few minutes in the courtroom to talk to) that the judge was going to put him in jail and keep him in jail for however long it would take to resolve his case.  During a break, he called a friend for help who referred him to me, he called desperate to stay out of jail.

There are many things that can and should be done in a situation like this, and in every DUI case, before the first court appearance to keep you out of jail.  That is why it is so important that you contact an attorney, without delay, after you are arrested for DUI to get the advice you need.