Should I Plead GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY To My DWI / DUI Charge?

You should definitely plead NOT GUILTY to your DWI / DUI charge! The first court hearing is called an arraignment. If you hire our law firm, we will enter a “Not Guilty” plea for you at your arraignment and YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO GO TO COURT, as long as you are not charged with a felony. The purpose of an arraignment is to plead “Guilty” or “Not Guilty” to the Judge. If you were to plead “guilty,” the Judge would set your sentence on each of your charges to whatever he or she wants within the minimum and maximum sentence allowed by law. On a misdemeanor DWI charge, the Judge can put you in jail for up to one year – even on your first offense! In fact, there is a Judge in several Northwest Arkansas courts that gives most people, with first offense DWI charges, at least 5 days in jail.

Some people worry that if they plead “Not Guilty,” when they feel they are really guilty, that it could hurt them later. Please do not worry. The criminal justice system is designed for you to plead “Not Guilty.” This is the case because in America you are considered innocent until the prosecutor can prove you guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. First, this allows Norwood & Norwood, if you hire us as your attorneys, to examine all of the evidence to see if the prosecutor has enough evidence to prove you guilty AND to see if the police got that evidence lawfully without making errors. In other words, we look for a way to WIN! You would be shocked at how many cases we win, even when our client is technically guilty, because the police do not do their job properly. Next, the system is designed for us to negotiate with the prosecutor to get the best possible plea bargain (sentence) for you. We have negotiated many thousands of dismissals for our clients’ charges. The prosecutor negotiates so that the state will be spared the time and expense of a trial. Our firm has defended well-over 8,000 DWI / DUI cases. The Norwood & Norwood criminal defense legal team uses that experience, and problems we find with the prosecutor’s evidence, to work toward really great outcomes for our clients. Those may include winning your case, getting dismissal of other charges, keeping you out of jail, keeping other charges off of your record, keeping fines low, etc.

The consequences of conviction can be costly! You potentially face jail time, fines, court costs, suspension of your driver’s license, and even the loss of your job. Norwood & Norwood has either won or negotiated dismissals for many thousands of charges for our clients and most of our clients NEVER GO TO JAIL. Let us see if we can do that for you! Your first visit with us to discuss your case is absolutely FREE, and you are under no obligation to hire us. If you decide to hire us, we offer reasonable rates, payment plans, and accept VISA, MASTERCARD and DISCOVER. We have proven many thousands of times that, just because you have been charged with a crime, doesn’t mean you will be convicted of that crime. If you have the opportunity to hire one of the best criminal defense law firms in Northwest Arkansas at a reasonable rate you can afford, why wouldn’t you? We fight hard for our clients and we would love to help you!