How do I Get The Best Result?
The following are just some very useful techniques for getting the best possible result for a drink driving charge. If we act for you we would plan a strategy that suits you in particular. We would discuss these and other options to present the best possible case for you in Court.- Complete a Road Trauma Course
- Arrange effective character references
- Ask Doogue & O’Brien to act for you
- Receive alcohol counselling if you have an alcohol problem
- Get a liver function test
Complete a Road Trauma Course
Completing a Road Trauma Course demonstrates to the Magistrate that you are serious about improving your driving behaviour.
A Road Trauma Course is where people such as ambulance drivers talk to the people there about what happens in the aftermath of traffic accidents and their experiences. The course is approximately three hours long.
Doing the Course will show a Magistrate that you are truly reflecting on the issue of drink driving. It is important in showing that you are making a real effort. Go to the following link to find the details of
how to book into a Road Trauma Course:
Generally they will require a letter from you Solicitor outlining the charges as a referral to accept you on a course.
Arrange effective character references
It is our experience that a well drafted court character reference can have an impact upon the sentence that is imposed by the court. We believe that a court character reference must paint a picture of your character. If your character references don’t help you stand out from the other offenders in court then you will be dealt with just like all the other cases.
Most court character references make statements like this “James Brown is hardworking, energetic and generous with his time and money”. We believe that these references have very little impact upon the sentence imposed by the Court. As some Magistrate’s comment I have never read a bad character reference. But by the use of examples, illustrations and stories a referee can bring your character to life.
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Download a guide on how to write an effective character reference. |
Ask Doogue & O’Brien to act for you
Doogue & O’Brien has a team of 7 lawyers who specialise in representing clients charged with drink driving. These lawyers appear daily before all the Magistrates’ Courts in Victoria.What this means for you:
- Your lawyer will know the Magistrate and how best to approach them;
- Your lawyer has specialist knowledge as to what penalties and orders to ask for;
- Your lawyer knows what to say and more importantly what not to say.
Arrange alcohol counselling if you have an alcohol problem
It is common practise where an offender has a number of alcohol related offences on their record for a Magistrate to question the offender as to whether they have an alcohol problem.
If you do have an alcohol problem it is wise to have alcohol counselling to help you abstain from alcohol or reduce your alcohol intake. Under the Sentencing Act the Court must take into account your attempts to rehabilitate yourself when imposing a sentence.
Liver function test
We would discuss with you getting a liver function test. The liver processes alcohol. A liver function test can explain why a person had a much higher reading than they would have expected given the amount that they had drunk. It does not give you a defence but it can explain why your reading was high even though you were trying to be very careful counting your drinks.
These are just some of the matters that we will discuss with you. We have handled thousands of drink driving cases and consistently get great results for our clients.
