GETTING CHARGED WITH A DUI CAN BE LIFE CHANGING
A DUI charge can change your life forever. It can impact your driver's license, family life, employment status, and leave a mark on your criminal record that will follow you throughout your life. When facing this potentially life altering event, do not go at it alone. Speak to a lawyer immediately to learn your options and a contact a lawyer who knows DUI cases.
FOCUSED ON AND EQUIPPED TO DEFEND YOUR DUI CASE
Gold Law provides focused and experienced DUI defense. Gold Law has a primary focus on Colorado 'Driving Under the Influence" defense. Matthew Gold has handled over a thousand cases involving DUI in criminal court in his time as prosecutor and defense attorney. Matthew has experience with impaired driving cases of all types, including alcohol impairment, underage drinking and driving, felony DUI, DUI involving injury or death, and DUI involving marijuana and other drugs. As a former Colorado prosecutor, Matthew knows how to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the State's case against you and use his knowledge and experience to get you the best possible result.
Gold Law provides focused and experienced DUI defense. Gold Law has a primary focus on Colorado 'Driving Under the Influence" defense. Matthew Gold has handled over a thousand cases involving DUI in criminal court in his time as prosecutor and defense attorney. Matthew has experience with impaired driving cases of all types, including alcohol impairment, underage drinking and driving, felony DUI, DUI involving injury or death, and DUI involving marijuana and other drugs. As a former Colorado prosecutor, Matthew knows how to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the State's case against you and use his knowledge and experience to get you the best possible result.
HELPING YOU MAINTAIN YOUR PRIVILEGE TO DRIVE
When you are facing a DUI charge, you must act quickly and immediately request a DMV hearing. This will ensure you have the ability to contest any revocation of your driving privileges. Next, talk to to a lawyer about your options and consider hiring a DUI defense attorney to help you fight any potential revocation or to minimize any consequences. Just because you are arrested for a DUI, or refuse to comply with a blood or breath test, doesn't mean you need to lose your driving license completely. Revocations can be contested and alternatives to complete revocation are available. Colorado's "express consent" law, which deals with blood and breath test revocations, provides you certain rights and law enforcement certain obligations that must be upheld for a revocation to be enforced, and it is imperative that you have someone on your side to find and fight these issues. Matthew Gold can help you navigate the DMV revocation process to help ensure, where possible, you can keep your driver's license and your life afloat.
When you are facing a DUI charge, you must act quickly and immediately request a DMV hearing. This will ensure you have the ability to contest any revocation of your driving privileges. Next, talk to to a lawyer about your options and consider hiring a DUI defense attorney to help you fight any potential revocation or to minimize any consequences. Just because you are arrested for a DUI, or refuse to comply with a blood or breath test, doesn't mean you need to lose your driving license completely. Revocations can be contested and alternatives to complete revocation are available. Colorado's "express consent" law, which deals with blood and breath test revocations, provides you certain rights and law enforcement certain obligations that must be upheld for a revocation to be enforced, and it is imperative that you have someone on your side to find and fight these issues. Matthew Gold can help you navigate the DMV revocation process to help ensure, where possible, you can keep your driver's license and your life afloat.
DUI IN COLORADO IS MORE THAN JUST DRUNK DRIVING
In Colorado, "Driving Under the Influence" or "DUI" covers a wide range of behavior and laws that you need to know about. Offenses can vary from "Driving While Ability Impaired" for lower levels of alcohol and drug impairment, "Driving Under the Influence" for substantial alcohol or drug impairment, "Driving With Excessive Alcohol Content/DUI Per Se" for driving with a BAC over .08 (as determined within two hours of driving), "Underage Drinking and Driving" for those driver's under twenty one years of age with a BAC between .02 and .05, "Vehicular Assault and Homicide" for DUI that causes injury or death, and "Felony DUI/DWAI" for committing a DUI or DWAI while having three or more prior offenses." Each type of DUI case has its own unique considerations and avenues for defense and a practiced eye is needed to know how to tackle each one.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND DEFENSES
Not all DUI cases can be successfully challenged or "beat" in court. But some can, and it takes an experienced DUI lawyer to know when and how this can be done. At Gold Law, we look at every DUI we handle to first make sure your rights were not violated and consider all defense options so we can mount an aggressive approach to challenging these issues if they apply to your case.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
THE STOP
The police need a valid and legal basis to pull you over.
THE REQUEST FOR FIELD TESTS
The police need probable cause or your valid consent to have you perform standardized field sobriety tests.
THE DEMAND FOR BLOOD OR BREATH
The police need probable cause to suspect a DUI for this to be upheld, and once the demand is made, the police must uphold specific obligations before it can lead to revocation or be used against you in your criminal case.
THE ARREST
The police need probable cause to make a warrant-less arrest for a DUI.
THE STATEMENTS OBTAINED
The police may have obtained incriminating statements in violation of your rights and these statements could be suppressed if so.
SEARCH AND SEIZURE OF EVIDENCE
The police may have searched your car or person, and must meet specific requirements to do so without a warrant.
KNOW YOUR DEFENSES
RELIABILITY OF THE TEST
Breath testing devices and the officers that administer them are not fool proof, and instances of errant results can occur. This can be due to lack of proper upkeep, introduction of mouth alcohol, and officer neglect or abuse of the process. Blood testing is also subject to error if proper protocols are not used to insure the proper sample is tested and that is it done properly to avoid spoliation, cross contamination, and more.
IMPROPER OR INSUFFICIENT INVESTIGATION
Whether the police conduct a DUI investigation fairly and appropriately matters. Whether they administer the roadside sobriety tests correctly and fairly also matters. Challenging these issues at trial affects how much weight the jury will ultimately give to their opinion of your level of intoxication.
DRINKING AFTER DRIVING
You may be contacted for a DUI sometime after you stopped driving, and appear intoxicated at that time. The police may mistakenly believe you were intoxicated prior to driving. Being able to back this up with evidence is essential to utilizing this defense successfully, but if done correctly and appropriately, it provides an absolute defense to DUI.
MEDICAL CONDITION
Some medical conditions can mimic signs of intoxication and police may wrongly believe you are under the influence.
NOT DRIVING
The state needs to prove you were "driving" or in "actual physical control" of your vehicle. This can include a scenario where you are in a parked car, but details matter, and this will ultimately be a fact question to be won in front of a jury.
INVOLUNTARY INTOXICATION
If someone drugged you without your knowledge or consent, the act of becoming intoxicated is no longer "voluntary" and as long as you did not have knowledge of your impairment before you drove, it could serve as a defense to DUI.
NOT DRUNK
You drank, you drove, but you were not drunk or even impaired to the slightest degree. In Colorado it is not illegal to have some alcohol prior to driving (if you are over 21), so long as your ability to drive was not impaired and you do not have a BAC over .08. (NOTE: a BAC between .05 and .08 gives the jury the ability to use a "permissible inference" that you were impaired, however, the jury can choose not to do so if the evidence as a whole does not support it. If your BAC is below .05, the jury gets a "presumption" you were not impaired).
Remember, every case is unique, and these issues and defenses may not apply to your case. Talk to a qualified DUI attorney before deciding if you should plead guilty or take your case to trial. If you are going to plead guilty, at least have the peace of mind that none of these issues or defenses will help you otherwise win your case.
GET ON THE RIGHT PATH
At some point in this process you may come to the decision that you will be better off taking a plea bargain for your DUI. This could be due to the likely outcome at trial, a desire to minimize your losses and get the benefit of the bargain offered, or your sincere desire to accept responsibility and move forward in a positive way. In any case, Gold Law is here to guide you through this difficult process, help you make an informed decision, proactively get you into any treatment program you need to be successful, and ultimately negotiate and argue on your behalf to minimize the impact and consequences that come with a DUI conviction.
Gold Law serves Municipal, County, and District Courts
throughout the Denver Metro Area.
Jefferson County
Gilpin County
Denver County
Arapahoe County
Douglas County
Adams County
Boulder County
Bloomfield County
Our Office:
Gold Law, L.L.C.
12640 West Cedar Drive, suite 100 #11
Lakewood, CO 80228
throughout the Denver Metro Area.
Jefferson County
Gilpin County
Denver County
Arapahoe County
Douglas County
Adams County
Boulder County
Bloomfield County
Our Office:
Gold Law, L.L.C.
12640 West Cedar Drive, suite 100 #11
Lakewood, CO 80228
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute an attorney-client relationship.