Bill Hardman is focused and experienced trial lawyer that defends clients accused of DUI in Dahlonega Municipal Court

Bill is an experienced north Georgia DUI lawyer located in Gainesville, Georgia, who has represented many clients in DUI cases in Dahlonega Municipal Court, Lumpkin County Probate Court and Lumpkin County Superior Court. Feel free to call our office for a free consultation about your Dahlonega DUI case or Lumpkin County DUI case.  

• DUI in the City of Dahlonega ​
  

​Our firm has represented clients accused of DUI in all of the courts in Lumpkin County and across the State of Georgia. If you are charged with DUI by the University of North Georgia Police or the Dahlonega Police Department, your court date may be in the Dahlonega Municipal Court.

• Students and Campus Areas in Dahlonega

Law enforcement is on heightened alert in and around the University of North Georgia campus located within the City of Dahlonega. These areas are patrolled by all of the law enforcement agencies in Dahlonega including the University of North Georgia Police, the Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office, the Dahlonega City Police and the Georgia State Patrol. Any of these agencies may charge and arrest you for DUI in Dahlonega.

• Wineries

​​Many clients are now charged with DUI leaving one of the many wineries that are popular in Dahlonega. It is important to remember that police officers in Lumpkin County also frequently use roadblocks to check for impaired drivers. Roadblocks are a stop and search under the 4th Amendment to the United States and Georgia Constitutions so they must be conducted legally or the stops made at those roadblocks may be illegal. There are important legal challenges that may be made if you are stopped at a roadblock conducted by law enforcement. To read one of Georgia's primary cases on the requirements for a DUI roadblock to be valid see: 
LaFontaine v. State, 497 SE 2d 367 - Ga: Supreme Court 1998

Important Deadlines in your DUI case: 
You may be subject to an administrative/or implied consent suspension license suspension if you refused a requested blood test or breath test. You may also be subject to an administrative license suspension if you took a blood test or a breath test and the results were above the legal limit. The legal limit for alcohol if you are over 21 years of age is 0.08 and in in Georgia Code Section 40-6-391.  If you are under 21, the legal limit is .02.  The important thing to remember is that you only have 30 days from the date of your arrest to appeal these administrative license suspensions or they may go into effect automatically, even though your temporary driver's permit last for 45 days. These license suspensions may also go into effect before you ever go to a court and enter any plea or have the evidence in your DUI case heard by a judge or a jury. When you request an appeal of the administrative suspension of your license, that hearing is held in a completely separate court from your criminal case. These appeal hearings are held in the Georgia Office of State Administrative Hearing Courts, which provide over Georgia administrative agencies issues. One of those Georgia administrative agencies is the Georgia Department of Driver Services that issues Georgia driver's licenses. To read about these license suspensions and the 30-day letter to appeal these suspensions see here:
Do I need to send a 30-day letter to save my driver's license?

Penalties for DUI in Georgia
DUI carries serious penalties in the State of Georgia including mandatory jail time and suspension of your driver's license. Certain requirements are required in almost all Georgia DUI convictions including:

1. ​A Georgia Risk Reduction Class (commonly referred to as DUI School)
   
2. A Substance Abuse Evaluation by a licensed Georgia counselor
   
3. 40 hours of Community Service Work
   
4. 12 months of probation
   
5. Statutory requirements for a period of time in jail
   

Because the the City of Dahlonega is home to many members of the United States Military, there may be additional concerns if a service member receives a DUI charge. Members of the military may be subject to additional penalties that may affect the ability to advance in their careers. Many times our service members have committed years of service to our country that may be jeopardized by a DUI charge.  

Bill Hardman has defended DUI cases in Lumpkin County. Our office will be able to give you a free consultation about your DUI charge in Dahlonega, Georgia.  
​Your DUI case in Dahlonega will start in one of three courts:

1. The Lumpkin County Probate Court;
2. The Dahlonega Municipal Court; or,
3. The Lumpkin County Superior Court

If you want to demand a jury trial in your Dahlonega DUI or Lumpkin County DUI case, your trial will be held in the Superior Court of Lumpkin County.  It is important that your lawyer make any legal challenges to your DUI charge at every stage of your case.  To read about how a DUI case proceeds in Georgia courts see below:

Procedures for a Georgia DUI case in court

Do you a question about your Dahlonega DUI case?

If you need for us to send a 30-day letter for you or don't know if you need one, please read: HERE

The Lumpkin County Courthouse:
325 Riley Road
Dahlonega, GA 30533

Front of the Lumpkin County Courthouse