When the majority of the population gets arrested for a DUI, they can hire any DUI lawyer to represent them because the only license they are afraid of losing is their drivers’ license. It will not affect their job, as it will for a nurse practitioner. They can choose the cheapest guy, like the one who is working out of their mom’s basement. They can choose the smarmy guy on the freeway billboard or the guy who’s paid for the first page of Google. For nurse practitioners, the type of attorney will always matter, for they should not hire that billboard guy because they are going to need to dig a little deeper for the right fit. A licensed health professional is going to need a law firm that specializes equally in two areas of law:
- Criminal (for the DUI) and
- Administrative (for the Professional License), because at the end of the day, what really matters is the professional’s career and license.
For a licensed health professional such as an RN, LVN, or NP, the DUI is the least of their concerns. The real concern is how the DUI conviction will impact the licensee’s professional healthcare career. That is why it is so critical for a licensed nurse practitioner to hire a DUI defense attorney who understands how the DUI will impact the professional license.
For example, a nurse who is arrested for a .11% BAC should find a lawyer to fight tooth and nail to get the charge reduced to a Wet and Reckless, because the BRN will only impose a citation and fine of a few hundred dollars for a W&R. The same NP who pleads no-contest to a DUI conviction will be placed on probation for 3 years and have to comply with 19 probation requirements which can cost $15,000.00 AND pay up to $4000.00 in costs to the BRN.
While for paramedics or EMT’s, their jobs rely on them being able to drive. He or she needs a lawyer who knows the loopholes in a DMV hearing and how that impacts a Class A driver’s license. The DUI lawyer needs to know that a conviction will eventually cause a paramedic’s professional license to be suspended for 2-6 months. If a valid paramedic license is a condition of employment, the ignorance of the DUI attorney could cost the paramedic their job.
Because we work with licensed health professionals, I’ll use a medical analogy:
Let’s say Joe has a multi-million dollar tennis career but his arch in one foot has issues and his elbow is acting up. Would Joe go to the podiatrist for the elbow knowing that his career is dependent on an expert for both issues? Of course not! He would see a podiatrist for the foot and an orthopedist for the elbow and would be very selective about each doctor and would gladly pay a little more for “the best.” I’m certain if Joe stumbled upon a One Stop Shop practice with an expert podiatrist and an expert orthopedist, his choice would be pretty simple.
Nurse Practitioner and DUI
Here’s a newsflash: nurses with degrees and certifications as well as dentists and doctors, all have million dollar lifetime careers. Knowing that career can be jeopardized by not having an expert representing you is something to be aware of. Fortunately, RN Guardian has experts in both Criminal Law, DUI Defense and Administrative Law – Professional License Defense… making us that very rare, One Stop Shop. And while you may pay slightly more for a criminal defense attorney with a stellar 27-year career than you would for smarmy-billboard-guy, we can virtually guarantee that the little extra on the front-end will save you that amount ten times over on the back-end. The $1000.00 is not a bad gamble when there is a million dollar career at stake.
If you find yourself googling: “Nurse and DUI,” and are wondering what happens next and what you should do, please call me for a complimentary no-pressure consultation. We can help both RN’s, LVN’s, and Nurse Practitioners. I will explain the entire process, answer all of your questions, and give you all of your options moving forward with your case.
Get in touch with one of RN Guardian’s expert nurse attorneys by filling out this simple form and one of our representatives will contact you shortly.