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    Preparing For a Stamford DUI Initial Court Date

    The process of preparing for a Stamford DUI initial court date can be especially difficult if you have never been charged with a DUI before. You may have questions about what time you are supposed to be in court, or what kind of attire is appropriate for a hearing, and an experienced DUI lawyer can answer those questions. If you have been charged with a DUI in Stamford, consult an attorney and know that you are in good hands.

    When the Arrested Person Needs to Report to Court

    The first and most important aspect of preparing for a Stamford initial court date is showing up on time. The defendant will be expected to report to court or stay on summons to report, either at 9 am or some will say 9:30, depending on whether they have an attorney or not.

    Appropriate Time to Appear in Court With Legal Counsel

    If the individual does have legal counsel, their attorney will speak to the prosecutor without the arrested person there(between 9:30 and 10 am)because during that first hour, typically people conference cases with the prosecutor and will not yet need to appear before the judge until at least after 10 am.

    Once the arrested person’s case is called, the attorney will communicate to the judge directly without the person arrested having to say anything. If a person does not have an attorney, they want to be there as early as possible to make sure that they have an opportunity to speak to the prosecutor and get in front of them as quickly as possible.

    What If the Person Does Not Have an Attorney?

    If the person does not have an attorney, they should be there promptly at 9 am when the court opens. If the person does have an attorney, the attorney will let the person know when they should be there because they will not need to be there as early as they otherwise would need to if they are going alone.

    The reason for that is that if the person arrested decides to go court alone, they will be responsible for communicating with the prosecutor and communicating with the judge on their own.

    Appropriate Attire For a Court Date

    A person arrested for Stamford DUI/DWI should aim to dress presentably when preparing for a Stamford initial court date. That means that they should avoid wearing shorts or casual wear like sweatpants or even jeans.

    Business casual is always appropriate for court: slacks, a nice buttoned-up shirt, tie, or a jacket is optional but preferable if possible. Women should also dress appropriately for court. Meaning, they should be wearing what they would wear in a professional setting, so females should avoid anything that is informal, any type of leggings, yoga pants, shorts, or anything that they would not wear in a professional business setting.

    What Happens at the First Court Date For a Stamford DUI Arrest?

    At the first court date for a Stamford DUI arrest, a person will be presented to the judge for arraignment. The judge will be making a determination as to whether there was probable cause for the arrest.

    The judge will be relying upon solely the police report to make that determination and in all likelihood, the judge will determine if there was probable cause for the DWI arrest. After the judge makes that determination, the judge will then set any potential conditions of release that will be placed upon the person arrested for a DWI or DUI while their case is pending.

    After any conditions of release have been addressed and any bond that was set can also be adjusted by the judge, they could be set higher or to be set lower. After those things are addressed the judge will assign a new court date that will be anywhere from a week to five or six weeks later on. The lawyer that helped the individual while they were preparing for a Stamford initial court date can further assist the individual with their new court case.