I have been a Drink Driving Lawyer on the Northern Beaches for over 27 years and could write thousands of pages on this topic (But I won’t).

Guiding a Magistrate through your matter whilst minimising the fine and hopefully reducing your length of licence loss involves extensive preparation, especially if the Magistrate has sat through 15 matters before yours on the day – common at most local courts.

Clients often come to me assuming they can get off lightly, especially with a Section 10, however I remind them that the law treats drink drivers harshly. Whilst it is possible to receive a section 10 for drink driving, it is a rare occurrence and there are often smarter ways to present your drink driving matter.  If your aim is to reduce the fine and length of licence loss, your case needs to be handled with a lot of care and skill and could involve participation in a Traffic Offenders course.

If your aim is to reduce the fine and length of licence loss, your case needs to be handled with a lot of care and skill.

Another reason that using a Lawyer for your drink driving matter is helpful is that you can save a lot of time on the day. Lawyers traditionally have their matters heard first in Local Courts, with self-represented parties appearing after.  There is nothing worse than sitting around in court until 3.30pm waiting to get on, when your Lawyer could be in an out before 11am pleading your case.

Finally, I often see self-represented drink driving parties in court and witness Magistrates getting annoyed when formalities are not followed, such as not wearing the formal clothing, not bowing or speaking at the right time etc…  Magistrates are very busy people and the last thing you want to do is get on their bad side when they are dealing with your matter.

With my 27 years of local experience as a Drink Drive Lawyer , I strongly suggest having a professional plead your case to help reduce your fine and length of licence loss.

Call me anytime to discuss your drink driving matter on 02 8052 3322, I will fight hard to protect your licence.

Jim Maspero – June 2017