After the Arraignment, the Court will schedule a Pretrial Conference Hearing. This hearing is designed to allow possible negotiations with the prosecutor, scheduling of further hearings, scheduling of motion to suppress hearings, and/or scheduling of a trial.
The DUI Defense attorney will meet with the prosecutor to engage in negotiations. Generally, the client does not participate in this meeting. I do not want the client to participate for two reasons: First, I do not want my client to say anything to the prosecutor that would be incriminating. Second, I want to learn what I can from the prosecutor without the client interfering by voicing an opinion as to how things happened to the prosecutor.
After the meeting, the DUI Defense attorney will come out and discuss the options with the client. If the offer to plead to a lesser charge is accepted by the client, then the attorney and the client address the Court and enter a plea. The Court will then sentence the client or schedule another time for sentencing. If negotiations are unsuccessful, the client and the attorney will address the Court to either schedule further hearings or to schedule a trial date. ![]()
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