DUI and Your Career

When most people think about a DUI arrest or conviction, they immediately think about spending the night in jail or having to pay a fine.  But those are just the most obvious effects.  In Mississippi, there is also mandatory alcohol safety education, a victim’s impact panel, and high-risk insurance, all of which add significantly to the costs and time involved; the insurance alone can cost thousands of dollars in increased premiums.  But what many people overlook is potentially the most significant cost associated with a DUI arrest and conviction: your career.

Quite regularly you see a news article or a blog post here about some high-profile person getting arrested for DUI, but it is not just high-profile people whose careers are on the line. In my years of practice, I have represented a number of clients whose careers were affected or altogether ended because of a DUI arrest or conviction.  Among them were law enforcement officers, military officers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, college students, truck drivers, and a host of others.  To put it simply, a DUI can have far-reaching implications on any number of careers or jobs.

The reasons for this are numerous.  For some, it is the stigma associated with a DUI arrest and conviction.  For others, the issue may be that they are either uninsurable or the premiums are too costly to their employer.  Conveniently, this article by Donna Ballman gives are pretty concise explanation of just some of the ways a DUI can destroy your career.

So everyone should be aware that a DUI means much more than just a fine.  It means much more than a day or two in jail and a mark on your driving record.  For many people, it could mean your job or your career.  So if you are facing a possible DUI charge, you need to discuss the implications with an attorney that is well-versed in the area of DUI defense.