The paperwork matters after a DUI guilty plea

Working with an experienced DUI attorney on your case is very important.  Especially, when it comes to the small details.

Our client was charged with driving under the influence in Carroll County, Maryland.  After reviewing their case, our client decided that a plea agreement was in their best interest.  Our client pled guilty and was given a probation before judgment with unsupervised probation.

What happens after a guilty plea is very important

After the judge sentences you, you and your attorney wait for your paperwork.  The judge hands the court clerk their written judgment and moves onto the next case.  As you wait, the court clerk enters the judgment into the record and prints your paperwork.  The court clerk then hands the paperwork to the bailiff and the bailiff brings it to you and your attorney to sign.

Most bailiffs will hand a copy of your paperwork to your attorney.  You attorney should review the documents to make sure that what the judge said on the record and wrote on their order, makes it to the final paperwork.  What is entered into the court’s computers and handed to you is what will be reflected on your record and reported to the MVA.

Upon reviewing our client’s paperwork, our office noticed that the verdict said “GUILTY.”  This was not right as our client had been given the benefit of a probation before judgment by the judge.  Our office pointed out to the bailiff that the verdict was incorrect.

The bailiff then took the paperwork back to the clerk and our office asked the prosecutor to recall the case.  The prosecutor had no problem helping our client and quickly recalled the case.

Once the case was recalled, our office pointed out to the judge that the verdict sheet said “GUILTY,” but that our client had received a probation before judgment.  The judge reviewed their paperwork and noted that they had failed to check the box for “PROBATION BEFORE JUDGMENT.”

The correction was made and a new verdict sheet was printed for our client.

Had our office not caught this mistake, then our client would have received eight points on their Maryland driving record!  This mishap would have taken a few weeks to come to light and possibly required another court appearance for our client to fix the error.

So, having an experienced DUI attorney by your side is very important.  Not only can they best advise you on how to proceed with your case, but they can also catch relatively minor errors that could have huge ramifications.  There’s a big difference between a “GUILTY” verdict and “PROBATION BEFORE JUDGMENT.”

Columbia, MD DUI Lawyer

When seeking out a Columbia, MD DUI lawyer, consider Albers & Associates.  Ross W. Albers is an experienced and proven Columbia DUI lawyer who has the ability to get you the best possible outcome for your Maryland DUI case. For more information on Albers & Associates, or to schedule a free consultation, give us a call at (443) 665-8030 or fill out the form on our website, today!