Effective Natick MA DUI case preparation begins with collecting data from the client, scene, witnesses, police reports, and other documents. The best DUI attorneys leave no stone unturned and make every effort to insure that they know all of the relevant facts and circumstances of the case.

Next, the DUI lawyer will put his knowledge and experience to work by thoroughly analyzing all of the relevant materials. The goal here is to come up with a realistic defense and explanations for what might appear as damaging evidence. For example, a client who is overweight or who has medical problems including bad knees, hips, or feet may have difficulty performing field sobriety tests such as the 9 step heel to toe or one-legged stand. A good Natick Massachusetts DUI lawyer will size up the prosecution’s case and make a determination, based on a wide variety of factors, whether or not to take the case to trial. In most cases it makes sense to try the case. This is because the result is often the same, or not much worse, than if the case was pled out.

Good Natick Mass DUI lawyers spend considerable time interviewing the client and going over the relevant facts of not only the drunk driving arrest, but the events that led up to it and the client’s background. Through discovery motions, DUI attorneys can learn more about the prosecution’s case than what is contained in the police reports. It is possible to obtain copies of the DUI field sobriety training manual which the police officer was given in the academy as well as documents and information regarding the breathalyzer, if any, used in the case. Abnormalities are sometimes found in the breathalyzer maintenance records which can be used to exclude breath test results.

Weather conditions at the time of the DUI arrest as well as the scene itself should be reviewed. Field sobriety tests are supposed to be conducted on a flat and level surface which is free from debris such as road sand, snow, or ice. Natick MA DUI cases have been won because a motorist was instructed to perform field sobriety tests on an improper surface.

Some police departments videotape DUI traffic stops, field sobriety tests, and bookings. DUI lawyers should carefully scrutinize this important evidence to asses the prosecution’s evidence and see if the video recordings contain exculpatory evidence. Jurors afford significant weight to video evidence and it can sometimes be used to discredit testimony regarding alcohol intoxication.

Entire books have been written on effective DUI case preparation and this is just a small sample of what a Massachusetts lawyer who specializes in Natick Mass DUI defense will do to prepare a case for trial. Depending on the particular case, other steps may include filing motions and attempting to suppress evidence.