Inside a Jury Trial

If you've been charged with a Pennsylvania DUI, you may wonder if there's any point in challenging your driving under the influence case. You should know that there may be excellent reasons to fight your PA DUI charge. An experienced Pennsylvania DUI attorney from Zachary B. Cooper, Attorney at Law, P.C. is ready to review your case and determine an appropriate defense strategy.

It is critical that you hire a PA DUI lawyer that intends to fight for you throughout your case. You should hire an attorney that will thoroughly review the evidence in your situation, and who will provide you with all of your options on how to proceed. Make sure that your PA DUI attorney is willing to go to trial in DUI cases. Your case may not require a trial, and you may not want to proceed to trial, however it is crucial that your attorney is appropriately aggressive in the approach and defense of your case. If the district attorney is aware that your attorney will fight for you and will take your case to trial if necessary, negotiations to resolve the case without a trial can possibly be more successful.

Understanding the jury trial process may help ease your concerns about fighting your Pennsylvania DUI charge in court. The trial process begins with pretrial motions, also called motions in limine; and jury selection, where a panel of your peers will be selected by the district attorney and your defense lawyer to determine your guilt or innocence.

Jury selection involves your Pennsylvania DUI attorney and the district attorney examining the prospective jurors in a process known as voir dire to determine each one's qualification for jury service. Some prospective jurors will be excused "for cause" or at the discretion of either side in what is known as a peremptory challenge.

After a jury of your peers has been selected, both your Pennsylvania DUI attorney and the district attorney will deliver opening statements. The jury will then hear testimony from prosecution witnesses and experts and defense witnesses and experts. This involves direct examination and cross examination. Then both the defense and district attorney will deliver closing arguments. The jury will then deliberate and if they reach a unanimous verdict, they will announce it. A driver who is convicted will then be sentenced.

The prospect of facing a jury in your Pennsylvania DUI case is likely making you understandably nervous, but it may be possible to fight your driving under the influence charge and win. A skilled Pennsylvania DUI attorney from Zachary B. Cooper, Attorney at Law, P.C. can accompany you through every stage of your driving under the influence case. Please contact us today for a free consultation.