Drunk driving arrests can have serious consequences in South Carolina. To protect yourself, you must make informed decisions about all aspects of your case. This applies to everything from choosing a DUI lawyer to represent you to deciding whether to seek a plea bargain or request a jury trial.
Throughout the year, we’ve covered several important topics for individuals facing DUI charges in South Carolina. If you are facing a DUI charge heading in 2025, here are some resources that can help you make informed decisions as you move forward:
Hiring a DUI Lawyer to Represent You
Avoiding unnecessary consequences after a DUI arrest in South Carolina requires experienced legal representation. So, how do you choose the right DUI lawyer to represent you?
While you can (and should) research online, there is no substitute for speaking with a DUI lawyer one-on-one. When you sit down for a free consultation, you should walk away feeling confident in the lawyer’s ability to represent you effectively. If you don’t feel confident, you should talk to someone else. Here are some questions you can ask during your free consultation: 10 Questions to Ask a Rock Hill DUI Lawyer.
Understanding What is At Stake in Your DUI Case
Drunk driving charges carry steep penalties in South Carolina. A DUI conviction will also stain your permanent record, and this can have a variety of long-term (and costly) consequences as well.
Understanding what is at stake in your DUI case will help ensure that you take your case seriously. For an overview of the potential consequences of a conviction, you can read:
- DUI Penalties in South Carolina: What Are They?
- SR-22 Insurance: What You Need to Know After a DUI Arrest in South Carolina
Understanding the Potential Outcomes of Your DUI Case
While facing steep penalties is one possible outcome of a South Carolina DUI case, there are a variety of other potential consequences as well. To build an effective defense strategy, you must focus on achieving a specific outcome based on your case’s facts and circumstances. To learn how you can avoid a DUI conviction (and the steep penalties that come with it) in court, you can read: What Are the Potential Outcomes of a South Carolina DUI Case?
Should You Seek a DUI Plea Bargain?
If you read our article on potential outcomes, you will see that one possibility is to negotiate a DUI plea bargain. While prosecutors won’t always be willing to negotiate, seeking a plea bargain is a realistic possibility in many cases.
But is this the best opportunity for you? While negotiating a plea bargain can be beneficial under the right circumstances, doing so is not without costs. To learn about the factors you should consider before seeking a plea bargain, read DUI Plea Bargains in South Carolina: When Can (and Should) You Seek One?
Should You Seek Probation for Your DUI?
If negotiating a plea bargain isn’t a viable option in your case, you must focus on minimizing the consequences of your arrest through other means. Since all South Carolina DUI charges are possible for jail time, does this mean you should seek probation?
The short answer is, “Maybe.” If you are facing jail time, then seeking probation may make sense. However, before you resign from seeking probation, you should be sure that you don’t have better options. Learn more: Probation for a DUI in South Carolina: Should You Seek It?
Should You Request a Jury Trial?
If you decide that the best option is to fight your DUI charge in court, you will need to work with your DUI lawyer to make several critical decisions before your trial date arrives. One of the most important decisions you will need to make is whether to request a jury trial.
As a DUI defendant, you have the right to a jury trial under South Carolina law. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean requesting a jury trial is your best option. If you think you may want to fight your DUI charge in court, we encourage you to read: Can (and Should) You Request a Jury Trial in Your DUI Case?
Should You Plead “No Contest”?
During your initial appearance after a DUI arrest, the judge will give you three options for how to plead: Guilty, Not Guilty, or No Contest.
So, which option should you choose?
While pleading “No Contest” might seem like it makes sense if you got caught driving drunk, there are several reasons why this is not the best option in most cases. To learn about these reasons, read: When Should You Plead “No Contest” to a DUI in South Carolina?
Seeking to Have Your DUI Charge Dismissed
Regardless of whether you request a jury trial, you may have various options for seeking to have your DUI charge dismissed. There are several potential defenses to DUI charges in South Carolina, including defenses you can assert before and during trial.
If your DUI charge is dismissed, you won’t face any penalties due to your arrest. To learn about the defense strategies you might be able to use to seek a dismissal, you can read: Getting a DUI Charge Dismissed in South Carolina.
What to Know if You Are Facing a Felony DUI
While most DUIs are misdemeanor offenses in South Carolina, prosecutors can pursue felony DUI charges in some cases. If you are facing a felony DUI charge, you face severe consequences—including anywhere from 30 days to 25 years behind bars. To learn more about your situation, we strongly encourage you to read Felony DUI in South Carolina: What You Need to Know After Your Arrest.
Request a Free Consultation with a Rock Hill, SC, DUI Lawyer
While we encourage you to use these resources, they are not a substitute for seeking legal advice. If you are facing a DUI charge, you need experienced legal representation. To request a free consultation with a Rock Hill, SC DUI lawyer, call us at 803-328-8822 or contact us online today.