Have You Been Charged with Driving Under the Influence?

A DUI conviction in Massachusetts may mean the loss of your job and difficulty finding new employment. If you are charged with DUI in this state, you must contact a Woburn DUI lawyer who will defend you against the DUI charge and bring your case to its best possible outcome.

In Massachusetts, intoxicated driving is called “OUI,” or operating under the influence. But whether it’s called DUI, DWI, or OUI, the impaired driving laws in Massachusetts are enforced aggressively and consistently by this state’s courts and police agencies.

If you hold a professional license, that license can be suspended or revoked after a DUI/OUI conviction. Entirely apart from any penalties imposed by the court, a DUI/OUI conviction remains on your record and may make it difficult to find work or housing in the future.

How Does a DUI Conviction Affect Employment Prospects?

A DUI/OUI conviction can substantially limit your employment prospects. Anyone who is convicted of driving under the influence may not be hired for a driving job or any work that requires driving.

But even for jobs that do not require driving, when prospective employers find out about a DUI/OUI conviction, they may choose to hire someone else. The reality is that any DUI/OUI conviction can make getting hired for almost any job difficult.

Will Your Current Job Be at Risk?

A DUI arrest could mean the loss of your job if you are employed as a delivery driver or truck driver, a taxi or bus driver, or even as an external “on the road” salesperson. A DUI conviction will make that loss certain.

For a first DUI conviction in Massachusetts, the court suspends your driver’s license for one year. You cannot drive if your license is suspended. Some employers cannot insure drivers with DUI convictions; others have a policy against hiring or retaining anyone with a DUI conviction.

Your employer can fire you legally if you miss work because you’re in jail, in court, or in a court-ordered treatment program. An employer’s reaction to a DUI arrest or conviction depends on the type of work and your relationship with your employer.

Do You Hold a Professional License?

Police officers, teachers, pilots, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, lawyers, architects, engineers, and others in positions of authority and trust will be scrutinized closely after an arrest for operating under the influence.

Licensing boards in Massachusetts are concerned about alcoholism and addiction. After a DUI conviction – or even an arrest – anyone holding a professional license in Massachusetts may face disciplinary action and a revocation or suspension of his or her professional license.

If you’re a professional who has been arrested or convicted for DUI, you may have to persuade a licensing board that what happened was a single, isolated incident and not a reflection of your character. To accomplish that, you may need help from a Woburn DUI attorney.

What Are the Other Consequences of a DUI Conviction?

For every DUI offender, there’s a social aspect to every operating under the influence conviction. DUI carries a stigma. Many people believe a DUI conviction is a powerful and negative indication of your character.

A DUI conviction will almost certainly meet with the disapproval of family members, colleagues, and close friends. However, after some time has passed, you may be able to have the conviction expunged or sealed so that it cannot be seen by most employers or landlords.

Can a DUI Conviction Be Expunged?

Expunging a criminal record deletes that record so that it may not be seen by the court, police departments, or any other government agency. However, a Massachusetts court will expunge a DUI conviction only if:

  1. Someone stole your identity and received a DUI conviction with it, but you are innocent.
  2. A law enforcement or court employee or a witness committed a “demonstrable error.”
  3. Demonstrable fraud was perpetrated on the court.

In these cases, a Woburn DUI lawyer will submit your expungement petition to the court and take steps to have the court expunge the conviction. These cases are rare. For most DUI offenders, having your record sealed will be your only option.

Can a DUI Conviction Be Sealed?

While most Massachusetts DUI convictions cannot be expunged, sealing the record of a conviction substantially restricts access to the record. After a waiting period, you may ask the court to seal the record if you pled guilty or received a conviction for operating under the influence.

If you received a DUI misdemeanor conviction, you must wait three years after your sentencing and any period of jail, probation, or parole before asking the court to seal your conviction. If the DUI charge was a felony, you must wait seven years. Sealing or expunging your DUI conviction will require the services of a Woburn DUI attorney.

Charged With DUI? Can a Conviction Be Avoided?

If you’re facing a DUI charge, how will a DUI lawyer handle your defense? Defense strategies are determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the details of the charge and the circumstances of your arrest.

After meeting with you, your lawyer will develop an appropriate defense strategy. In most operating under the influence cases, your attorney will probably present one of the following common DUI defenses:

  1. The police did not have sufficient reasonable suspicion or probable cause to stop you.
  2. The police violated your rights.
  3. The breathalyzer results were inaccurate.
  4. You weren’t the person who was driving the vehicle.
  5. You were not impaired  while driving. 

Take Your DUI Matter to Contant Law

If you face a DUI charge in Massachusetts, you must have the sound legal advice and aggressive, effective defense representation that Contant Law provides.

Award-winning DUI lawyer Michael A. Contant has over 26 years of experience fighting for those who are accused of DUI. The Contant Law team is committed to superlative client service and legal excellence.

If you are facing a DUI charge in Massachusetts or need a DUI conviction expunged or sealed, call Contant Law now – at 617-221-8221 – to schedule a free, no-obligation case evaluation. Let us put our legal knowledge and experience to work on your behalf.