Following a DUI arrest, an individual will receive a court date, giving them the opportunity to defend themselves against the charges that they face. However, sometimes a person may receive a court date that does not work with their schedule. Missing court is not an option, which means that changing the date of their trial might be their only opportunity to defend themselves. An experienced DUI attorney can be an invaluable asset when changing a West Palm Beach DUI court date. If a person has a DUI court date that does not work for them, they should contact a lawyer that could advocate for them.

Under What Circumstances Can Someone Change Their Court Date?

Changing a West Palm Beach DUI court date is not always possible. Some people have been successful in writing a letter to the court saying that they are not going to be in town, they have a vacation planned or have a business planned and they will be back in two weeks so it is going to be reset for two weeks. Sometimes, a person can write a letter to the judge and the judge will agree to reset it. It has to be done on a formal basis.

The best way to avoid anything like that is if a person has a lawyer, they generally do not have to appear in court. The lawyer could represent the person and advocate on their behalf. Typically, if a person has a lawyer, they do not have to go on the first court date but they have to go eventually to try to resolve the case or maybe even go to trial on the case but that will only be when the lawyer tells the person that they need to go and they know what is going to happen in court when they get there. The person should not have to go to court unless they know that there is something that the person can do in court that day and they know exactly what is going to be done so there are no surprises.

Consequences of Missing a Court Date

The consequences of missing a court date whether the person is in state or out of state, if the person fails to appear in court when they are supposed to either because they do not have an attorney or the judge – or the person could be there even with an attorney, if the person willfully fails to appear, the court can issue a warrant for arrest and it can follow them home. Typically, if a warrant for an arrest is issued on a DUI, it would flag a person’s driver’s license and even their home state driver’s license might get suspended because of that.

Warrant for Arrest

Because there is a warrant, if a person is pulled over even if it does not affect a person’s license and the police run an ID, they will see that there is a warrant in Florida and then the person’s home state will probably hold them for anywhere from 10 to 30 days in jail to give Florida a chance to come and get the person extradited because they failed to appear in court. If a person fails to appear in court when they are supposed to either with an attorney or because they do not have an attorney, the person is a fugitive so the court has no choice but to look for them and may issue a warrant for arrest.

The warrant will follow the person wherever they go. It can follow a person to another state if they get pulled over. If a person leaves the country and comes back when they try to re-enter the country through immigration, they can find it there. There are people who have been arrested in airports or pulled off of cruise ships when they come back from out of town with a warrant for their arrest. Often, changing a West Palm Beach DUI court date might be easier than having to deal with the consequences of missing a court date.

How a West Palm Beach DUI Attorney Could Help

It is a lawyer’s job to get the best result possible for you. If they are working on changing a West Palm Beach DUI court date, they are not going to schedule it in a way that is going to create conflict for you. They would most likely ask you what potential conflict dates are and if they come back with a court date that is a conflict that they did not know about, the attorney will make best efforts to get the court date changed so that it works for you. When an attorney is representing you, they are trying to make the whole situation better and provide you with good service along the way. Work with a capable DUI lawyer and know that you are in good hands.

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