Understanding Atlanta Municipal Court

Representation from a Skilled Atlanta DUI Lawyer

One of the most intimidating aspects of being charged with DUI is suddenly being expected to participate in a judicial process you may know little about. Most of this process will take place in the City of Atlanta Municipal Court. If you have chosen to fight your charges and enter a not guilty plea, then familiarizing yourself with this court procedure can be instrumental to arriving at a dismissal or a reduction of your charge. At Willis Law Firm, we work within Atlanta Municipal Court day in and day out. Not only can we provide guidance through every step of this process, but even appear for you during key stages in order to ensure that your life is interrupted as little as possible.

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Time is of the essence. Contact us today for assistance with your court responsibilities.

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The Court Process

After your DUI arrest, your case starts being processed almost immediately. The arraignment will be your first scheduled court appearance and occurs 8.00 AM the business day after your arrest. That means that arrests that occur on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are arraigned the following Monday morning. The stages of Atlanta Municipal Court for your DUI case are as follows:

• The arraignment. You appear before a judge to enter a plea. Our firm is prepared to appear for you on your behalf at this stage. If you plan to fight your charge, then it is perfectly legal to have your attorney to appear for you. We can enter a not guilty plea and request discovery to review the evidence in your case.
• Status hearing. This will be set by the judge 2-3 weeks after your arraignment. If you have not retained counsel by the time of your arraignment, this is now the stage to do so. If you have secured representation, your lawyer can also appear on your behalf at this stage and inform the court that you have acquired counsel.
• Inquiry date. This is set roughly six weeks from the time of your arraignment. At this stage, your representation can appear on your behalf to check on the status of “discovery,” or the evidence relevant to your charges.
• Final plea. The final plea is set at the time of the inquiry date. Here, all the evidence has been reviewed by counsel and presented to the judge. From there, your case can either be dismissed based on issues with the evidence, or move on to a bench or jury trial. You should be in attendance for the final plea and your representation can prepare you for the next, appropriate stage of your case.

As you can see, with vigilant and reliable counsel, you only have to be in attendance for one of these four stages. At our firm, we appear in Atlanta Municipal Court on behalf of our clients nearly every day. We know the procedures, the schedules, the solicitors and other personnel, and make sure that your case is streamlined towards a favorable resolution. In the meantime, all you have to focus on is what matters most: your schedule and your life.