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Do I Need a Lawyer for my Illinois DUI Court Appearance?

You or someone you love has been arrested for DUI here in the state of Illinois, and you're wondering, do you need a lawyer for your first court date? Maybe you're wondering, do I need a lawyer at all?

My name is Steve Fagan, from the Law Firm of Fagan, Fagan & Davis. Welcome. Let's talk about that question, do you need a lawyer for your court date or do you need a lawyer for your DUI at all?

First of all what you need to know is that if you don't have a lawyer, then you should get one, and that's not just me talking. The other day I was in court and a young lady stepped up without an attorney, and the first thing the judge said was "do you have an attorney and If not why not?"

The first thing an attorney can do is make sure that when you walk into court for the first time, the police reports are available and if there's a video its available and if there's a video that its preserved not just thrown away and evidence is destroyed that could help your case.

Another thing an attorney can do, especially when it comes to DUI, is file a challenge to your suspension called a petition to resend the statutory summary suspension. This is so important because the earlier you file that petition the better it is that you will win that petition.

Another thing you have to understand about why it's important not to wait and get an attorney before you ever walk into court is that most of the time your court date is 30 days or more away from when you were stopped and arrested. That's 30 days without a plan, that's 30 days without thinking about the case, that's 30 days without having peace of mind knowing someone is going to deal with it, someone experienced in dealing with DUI is going to be there on your side. That's 30 days of not arranging to learn about your case.

Frankly walking into court without an attorney is not something anyone who knows the legal system would ever recommend. It's almost always a bad idea, your almost always giving up some advantage and some right. Thank you for joining me. My name is Steve Fagan, from the Law Firm of Fagan, Fagan & Davis. Call me or one of my partners at (847) 635-8200 or email us at [email protected] let us know how we can help you.

Where do we appear in court?

We regularly appear for Illinois Criminal defense, DUI defense and Traffic violations throughout the Chicago area including Cook, Lake, DuPage, Kane and Will county courts, Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Bridgeview, Markham, Maywood, Waukegan, Wheaton, Naperville, Elgin, St. Charles and more.

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