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A DUI can seriously damage your reputation: Protect yourself

When people talk about DUIs, they talk about how serious they are in terms of the financial toll. They might bring up the risk of imprisonment as well.

Those aren’t the only ways that DUIs can affect you, though, and as a professional, those might be among the least problematic. What is more serious is the risk of damage to your reputation.

Imagine this scenario. You’re listed in the newspaper as being accused of a DUI. There’s a photo of you after a car crash added in. Anyone who’s looking up your name or business can stumble on this news report, making you look bad.

Now, imagine your competitor has nothing like this in their history. Certain clients may look at those negative reports and turn to your competitor instead of calling you. After all, if they’re paying someone to complete a project, they don’t want any trouble. This kind of damage to your reputation is problematic.

How can a defense attorney help with protecting your reputation?

Part of your defense attorney’s job is to protect your reputation as well. They can take steps to prevent biased or unfair reports. For example, if a news report goes up that says you were convicted of a DUI (but you were only accused), they can reach out and have the news recanted and updated.

Another thing they’ll do is help you in court, so there is a better chance of you being able to go without a conviction. This is important, because if you’re asked about a DUI in the future, you will honestly be able to say if you did or did not get convicted in court.

Your reputation matters for licensing, too

Another thing to keep in mind is that a conviction can affect any kind of licensure you have. For example, if you have a medical license or construction license, that licensure could be threatened by a conviction. How a DUI affects your professional license may depend on the kind of license you have and the seriousness of the conviction, so if your attorney can reduce the charges, then your chances of keeping your license may be higher.

Your attorney will do what they can to look out for your best interests throughout the case, and that includes taking steps to protect the way society views you. With the right help during your case, you can fight the unfair biases that come with a DUI accusation.

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