Between the time of your arrest and your trial, you can both prepare for the trial and show you are trying to change your behavior.

Driving History: Your attorney must learn about any negative aspects of your driving history: outstanding warrants, unpaid fines, or other violations. You must address every outstanding issue on your record before you go to trial. This will help you in a couple of ways. First, it will assist your attorney when it comes to negotiating with the prosecutor regarding your case. Second, if you are found guilty, it will act in your favor in sentencing. It may influence the judge to be more lenient.

Prior DUI Convictions: Your first DUI with no prior convictions on your record will be classified as a simple Class B misdemeanor. Though you will face no jail time, a conviction will mean your license is revoked, fines will be owed and a drunk driving class will have to be attended. Your DUI conviction will have a mandatory jail term if you have any convictions in the past ten years. An equivalent offense in another state where you earned a conviction within the time period will usually count against you.

Drug and/or Alcohol Assessment: A DUI arrest does not imply your status as an alcoholic. Perhaps it was the one time you went out and did not know you were impaired. Your attorney will help you consider whether or not an alcohol or drug assessment will be helpful in your defense. If that assessment shows that you have an addiction to drugs or alcohol, be sure to go through treatment programs for these problems prior to your trial date. You may need to enroll in an alcohol treatment center, or join organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous. In the initial assessment, if no alcohol or drug problems are shown, this evidence will act in your favor. Your lawyer may use this evidence as leverage in dealings with the prosecutor pre-trial. It may help you in having the charges against you reduced or dropped.