Following a DUI arrest, many individuals may wonder how a West Palm Beach DUI affects employment. If someone is a commercial driver or airline pilot, it will affect them greatly. If someone cannot drive and they need to drive to do their job, that can impact their job as well. In severe cases, a DUI can result in termination, a suspension, or perhaps even disqualification from certain professions. If you have been charged with a DUI and are concerned about the impact that a DUI could have on your occupation, do not hesitate to seek experienced legal counsel for guidance. Read on to learn more about how a West Palm Beach DUI affects employment, as well as the ways a skilled attorney could make a difference in your case.
Having a DUI Arrest vs. a Conviction on a Criminal Record
An arrest means that someone has been accused and charged with a DUI because of a suspicion based on facts that they might have been driving under the influence on their record. Having a conviction on their record means that the individual either pled guilty to that charge or they were found guilty of that charge. An arrest is just an accusation. While it is certainly better to not have any accusations made against an individual, a conviction means that the accusation was founded and proven beyond a reasonable doubt. There is a big difference between being accused of something that results in a later exoneration and actually receiving a conviction.
Can First-Offense DUIs Affect Employment?
How a West Palm Beach DUI affects employment can depend on what an individual does for a living. If someone uses their car for a living and they cannot drive, it will absolutely affect their employment. If they are in the service industry and they possessed and served alcohol, a DUI could prevent them from carrying out those actions. The potential conditions of probation that an individual may have to face could also impact someone’s employment.
That being said, a first-offense DUI’s consequences are sometimes less severe than many would think. It is common to drink in American culture, and a lot of individuals have the attitude that this could happen to anyone who drinks. On a first offense, it would be typical to go into a substance abuse program and simply be monitored to make sure that one’s relationship with alcohol is not affecting their professional background.
How a DUI Conviction Can Affect a Job
If someone is employed as a lawyer and they receive a DUI conviction, they are going to have a problem with the bar association and their professional license. If someone is a school teacher and get a DUI conviction, depending upon the circumstances, they could have a problem being in front of children. A DUI conviction can affect one’s employment depending upon whether or not the employer runs a background check or whether or not the employer has mandatory reporting requirements that require an employee to disclose if they have been arrested. If someone works at a company with that kind of requirement, not disclosing the DUI could lead to them losing their job. If an individual wants to know more about how a West Palm Beach DUI affects employment, they should consult with an experienced attorney as soon as possible.
