Resources
Our attempt here is to give you resources on the Internet that can accomplish several things:
First, we believe that the best defense comes with an educated client so we want you to take the time to understand you own circumstances so that even the smallest stone doesn’t go unturned in crafting a solution that fits you best;
Second, we know that most people who are arrested for the first time on a DUI/DWI charge will never get arrested again, but, we also know that most of you will also not totally abstain from having some drinks and operating a motor vehicle. So, we want you to understand how not to get caught over the legal limit again; and
Third, we know that a great deal of guilt or remorse can accompany a criminal charge and we believe that you will be better able to deal with this if you can see all sides to the issue. Why the laws were enacted the way they were and why they are or aren’t fair can go a long way to understanding what happened to you.
Legal Jargon Demystified
Court Directory
Bar Associations and other Legal Associations
United States Law Enforcement Agencies
United States Department of Transportation DOT
Mothers Against Drunk Driving MADD
Not MADD
Not Alcohol
Public Defenders – Alternate Defenders
Try the Nolo "Shark Talk" dictionary, your life raft in the sea of legal jargon. Do you need to know the meaning of some puzzling legal term? Look it up here. The Nolo dictionary contains plain-English definitions for over a thousand legal terms, from the common to the bizarre. And, in case you’ve got some other problems, this is a great site for self help when that’s all you need!
http://www.nolo.com/lawcenter/dictionary/wordindex.cfm
This site has been developed to provide access to web sites maintained by courts nationwide. The directory listings at Courts.net are organized in sections, covering courts in all states, the Federal system, Guam, D.C., Canada and Australia
Bar Associations and other Legal Associations
The Washburn University School of Law provides a tremendous resource for locating local Bar Associations throughout the U.S. Most all of these associations have referral programs and while we don’t believe that they are your best source for finding the “best” attorney, we want you to have access to as many resources as possible in directing and managing your situation.
http://www.washlaw.edu/bar.html
United States Law Enforcement Agencies
Often an unused source of information is your local law enforcement agency. Here you’ll find out about the attitude, training, and initiatives of your local police, sheriff or state trouper. It can’t hurt to know the other side.
http://search.officer.com/agencysearch/
United States Department of Transportation DOT
Here you’ll find information on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the NHTSA. These are the folks who devised the Field Sobriety Tests and provide the training material for local or state police.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving MADD
Since this is the one, single source for political pressure that has made criminals out of otherwise law abiding citizens, we thought you ought to get a chance to find out what they do and why they do it. Since being founded in 1980 by a small group of mothers, MADD has grown to one of the largest crime victims’ organizations in the world.
OK, and now for something completely different. Try the site published by the Citizens Against Wrongful Arrests (CAWA). CAWA is currently an association made up of citizens who are extremely concerned and embarrassed, by the fact that the United States of America has a higher percentage of it’s population incarcerated or on parole than any other nation on the planet. Their purpose is limited to educating the public about DUI related issues and providing information and support for otherwise law abiding citizens who have been criminalized by unnecessary, draconian, Low BAC drinking driver laws.
We also recognize that many DUI/DWI arrests and stops uncover either the use of or possession of drugs such as marijuana. So, to round out the resource links we thought we’d give these two to you in case you fall into the “caught with the goods” category.
http://www.norml.org/
http://www.hightimes.com/mainsite/
Public Defenders – Alternate Defenders
Well, just to be fair and well rounded, we thought we’d share a few of these sites with you. However, if you got this far on this site, chances are you don’t qualify for Public Defender services. However, there are starving students, artists, and others who might just have to claim poverty and go this route.
| Colorado |  |
http://www.state.co.us/defenders/ | Orange county CA | http://www.pubdef.ocgov.com/index.htm |
| Delaware | http://www.state.de.us/govern/agencies/pubdefen/indexpd.htm | |
| Massachusetts | http://www.state.ma.us/cpcs/PDoffices.htm |
OK, just go to Google and type in Public Defender and your State or County – there’s a good chance that a site will come up and explain the services and availability of public counsel services in your area.