Rhode Island DUI/Drunk Driving Lawyer

Top RI DUI Defense Lawyer Michael Zarrella can help you win your DUI case.

If you have been arrested for a DUI in the state of Rhode Island, your future and freedom is at stake. Rhode Island has serious penalties for drunk driving cases with a mandatory license suspension for first offenders, as well as mandatory jail time for repeat offenders. You need a top DUI lawyer will help you through this troubling time. You need a Rhode Island DUI lawyer that will fight for you. No one recognizes this fact more than the DUI lawyer Michael J. Zarrella. Attorney Zarrella is a top DUI lawyer with over 24 years of DUI defense experience. Attorney Zarrella has had hundreds of DUI cases dismissed or reduced to lesser sentences. Attorney Zarrella knows that people cannot afford to lose their license, that why many of his clients don't even lose the ability to drive to work, not even for a day. There are many defenses for a DUI case, even if you fail the breathalyzer test, and there are alternatives to the mandatory loss of licenses law. You need an Attorney that knows both. Attorney Zarrella will use his vast knowledge of Rhode Island DUI defenses to help you win your case, while at the same use the new license suspension laws to prevent you from losing your ability to drive to work.

A Top DUI Defense Lawyer Can Win a DUI case

The right lawyer can mean everything in a Rhode Island DUI case.

A Rhode Island drunk driving arrest is both overwhelming and intimidating. More often than not, individuals charged with driving under the influence (DUI) are experiencing their first encounter with the judicial system. If you are arrested for drunk driving, you need to hire a top DUI lawyer who has the experience and the means to get you through this trying time. Contrary to what people often believe, DUI cases frequently get dismissed, and many plead out to lesser or reduced charges. There are numerous defenses that can be raised in any given drunk driving case. A good drunk driving attorney knows the important legal rules, defenses and procedures that can result in a dismissal of your case or a lesser sentence.

A top DUI lawyer can also prevent a client from losing his or her license by getting the client a hardship license in many cases. A conditional hardship license will allow a motorist to drive for the purposes of work or school for a period of twelve (12) hours a day. These licenses may be granted in both DUI or refusal cases. The hardship license is crucial for those individuals who have to drive themselves to work or school. Without a hardship license, many people could lose their job or be forced to take a semester off from school. A top DUI lawyer will often achieve results that will allow their clients to be able to drive to work. It does not matter if you have a DUI with readings, a refusal, or any other alcohol related charges. You need a DUI lawyer that can get these positive results for you.

There are numerous ways that a defendant can win his or her DUI/drunk driving case. In order to prove a DUI, the prosecutor must successfully jump through many hoops. There are often pitfalls that the prosecutor's case can not and will not overcome. This is where Rhode Island DUI Attorney Michael Zarrella can really make a difference. Attorney Zarrella will take advantage of the weaknesses in the prosecutor's case and use that to obtain a positive disposition of the case including dismissal of the charges or a reduction of the charges.

Michael Zarrella Featured On Fox News Justice with Judge Jeanie

Don't Lose Your License, Not Even For a Day

In Rhode Island DUI and refusal cases, when an individual refuses a breath test and is charged with a refusal to submit to a breathalyzer, the traffic court judge or magistrate will often suspend a motorist's license at his or her arraignment. This is done before a trial or pretrial has occurred. This is why it is so important to hire the right DUI lawyer. A Rhode Island DUI defense lawyer will often fight and obtain a hardship license for their client so that they can still drive their automobile to work and school. Many lawyers go to court and never address or help their clients receive a hardship license.

Rhode Island now has a law that allows a driver to secure a hardship license at his or her arraignment in refusal cases. A motorist can receive a conditional hardship license in certain cases. The conditional hardship license will allow a motorist to drive for the purposes of work or school for a period of twelve (12) hours a day.

Under Rhode Island law, a hardship license can not be issued without the installation of the ignition interlock system. The ignition interlock is a device which prevents an automobile from starting or from being operated, if the operator has been drinking. The interlock is very important in Rhode Island DUI and refusal cases, because it allows a motorist the ability to receive a hardship license. In addition, a person with an ignition interlock system can have his or her mandatory license suspension in DUI and refusal cases lowered. Remember, not all lawyers are up to date on the DUI and refusal law. For your best chance not to lose your ability to drive, you need a top Rhode Island DUI lawyer. You need attorney Michael J. Zarrella.

RI DUI Penalties-First Offense within 5 years

The penalties for a DUI in Rhode Island are severe even for a first time offender. Attorney Zarrella with his experience, aggressiveness and understanding will help you though this trying time and try to help you avoid the penalties and stigma that are associated with a driving under the influence conviction. These are the following penalties for first offense DUI in Rhode Island:

First DUI offense within five years with a BAC between .08-.10%

    • Fine between $100 and $300
    • Suspension of license from one month to six months(see below interlock option)
    • 10 to 60 hours of community service at a non-profit organization
    • Highway Safety Assessment ($500 fee)
    • DUI school and/or drug treatment
    • Mandatory SR-22 Insurance for 3 Years
    • Up to one year in jail (No mandatory Jail)

Interlock option: If the court orders the installation of an ignition interlock device, the penalty for suspension of license can be reduced to as short as a 30 day period. In addition, the defendant may be able to receive a hardship license during his suspension to allow him to drive for work purposes.

Length of interlock: 3 months to 1 year

First DUI offense within five years with either no Breath Test or BAC between .10-.15%

    • Fine between $100-$400
    • Suspended license for 3 months to 1 year(see below interlock option)
    • 10 to 60 hours of community service at a non-profit organization
    • Highway Safety Assessment ($500 fee)
    • DUI school and/or drug treatment
    • Mandatory SR-22 Insurance for 3 Years
    • Up to one year in jail (No mandatory Jail)

Interlock option: If the court orders the installation of an ignition interlock device, the penalty for suspension of license can be reduced to as short as a 30 day period. In addition, the defendant may be able to receive a hardship license during his suspension to allow him to drive for work purposes.

Length of interlock: 3 months to 1 year

First DUI offense within five years with a BAC of over .15%

  • Fine of $500
  • Suspended license for 3 months to 18 months
  • 20 to 60 hours of community service
  • Highway Safety Assessment ($500 fee)
  • DUI school and/or drug treatment
  • Mandatory SR-22 Insurance 3 Years
  • Up to one year in jail (No mandatory Jail)
  • Mandatory interlock if over BAC is over .15
  • Interlock option: If the court orders the installation of an ignition interlock device, the penalty for suspension of license can be reduced to as short as a 30 day period. In addition, the defendant may be able to receive a hardship license during his suspension to allow him to drive for work purposes.

    Length of interlock: 3 months to 1 year

Call One of Rhode Island's Best Drunk Driving Attorneys Now!