Consequences of Not Requesting an ALR Hearing in a DWI case
As a Houston DWI Attorney, the biggest (and one of the most costly) mistakes I see individuals make is waiting too long to hire an attorney. The problem is, when you are charged with DWI in the state of Texas you have 15 days to request an Administrative License Revocation (ALR) hearing. If you do not do this within the first 15 days, then your license is automatically suspended for a set number of days depending on certain factors.
An attorney can fax the Texas Department of Public Safety and request a live hearing for you. It is almost always better to have a live hearing as your attorney can subpoena the arresting officer to be there. Many times the officer will not show up and you win your license case automatically. A "win" in an ALR hearing simply means that DPS will not suspend your license.
If you procrastinate in hiring an attorney you MUST call DPS and request the hearing yourself. Once you hire an attorney, the attorney can call DPS and take the case over. The number to call to request the hearing is very simple to find. When you were arrested you should have received a paper called a "Temporary Driving Permit", on the bottom of this page in the fine print will be the instructions and the number you must call.
Another good thing about ALR hearings is the fact that if the officer does show up your attorney gets to question him under oath. This is a great opportunity for your attorney to be able to question the officer that stopped you and have a record of his answers. If the case does end up going to trial, then your attorney can use the officers ALR testimony against him in court if they decide to change their answers. So not having a chance before trial to question the officer is another small consequence of not timely requesting an ALR hearing.
If you lose your hearing, or never request it, you will have your license suspended and you will have to get an occupational license. You will also have to pay a reinstatement fee in order to get your license back at the end of the suspension period. Not acting quickly (by hiring a Houston DWI Lawyer [http://www.dwiattorneysinhoustontx.com/] ) when you are charged with DWI ends up costing you more in the long run! So if you or someone you know are in the unfortunate position of being accused of DWI, contact a DWI Lawyer in Houston [http://www.dwiattorneysinhoustontx.com/] as soon as possible. Your license and your checkbook will thank you later.
An attorney can fax the Texas Department of Public Safety and request a live hearing for you. It is almost always better to have a live hearing as your attorney can subpoena the arresting officer to be there. Many times the officer will not show up and you win your license case automatically. A "win" in an ALR hearing simply means that DPS will not suspend your license.
If you procrastinate in hiring an attorney you MUST call DPS and request the hearing yourself. Once you hire an attorney, the attorney can call DPS and take the case over. The number to call to request the hearing is very simple to find. When you were arrested you should have received a paper called a "Temporary Driving Permit", on the bottom of this page in the fine print will be the instructions and the number you must call.
Another good thing about ALR hearings is the fact that if the officer does show up your attorney gets to question him under oath. This is a great opportunity for your attorney to be able to question the officer that stopped you and have a record of his answers. If the case does end up going to trial, then your attorney can use the officers ALR testimony against him in court if they decide to change their answers. So not having a chance before trial to question the officer is another small consequence of not timely requesting an ALR hearing.
If you lose your hearing, or never request it, you will have your license suspended and you will have to get an occupational license. You will also have to pay a reinstatement fee in order to get your license back at the end of the suspension period. Not acting quickly (by hiring a Houston DWI Lawyer [http://www.dwiattorneysinhoustontx.com/] ) when you are charged with DWI ends up costing you more in the long run! So if you or someone you know are in the unfortunate position of being accused of DWI, contact a DWI Lawyer in Houston [http://www.dwiattorneysinhoustontx.com/] as soon as possible. Your license and your checkbook will thank you later.
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