R. v. J.M.

(Calgary, P.C.). Client was charged with impaired driving and over 80.  The charge was withdrawn on the day of trial due to a substantial Charter Notice submitted on the client's behalf. The important takeaway from this case is that there are often substantial benefits to any accused charged with impaired driving or impaired driving related offence in pleading not guilty and scheduling his or her case for trial. As most Calgary DUI lawyers will tell you, if you are first offender, there is little benefit to pleading guilty because the Government has legislated statutory minimum punishments, which include a fine, a driving prohibition and a criminal record. If you are virtually automatically entitled to a criminal record for pleading guilty, the question is: why plead guilty? The only real reason for pleading guilty is that you cannot afford your Calgary impaired driving lawyer or it's not worth investing the time and money to defend the case. Of course, your Calgary DUI lawyer will give you an opinion with respect to the likelihood of successfully defending the case so that you can decide how to invest your money, but in my opinion, understanding that anything can happen at trial means that deciding to invest in the trial solution is often very wise. Whatever the case, don't just accept a criminal record before getting some legal advice from a qualified Calgary criminal lawyer.  Many of us offer a free telephone consultation. Defend yourself