The attorneys at Hawkins Law Firm are admitted to practice in every court in Georgia that has jurisdiction over DUI cases. If you have a DUI in Georgia, our attorneys are admitted to practice there. That includes State Courts, Municipal and City Courts, Magistrate and Probate Courts, Superior Courts and Recorders Courts. If you have a new DUI charge in Georgia, our attorneys have a wealth of experience in these courts, and we will guide you through the process at our initial meeting so you will understand what to expect as your case proceeds.

Our attorneys have a good working relationship with judges and court staff, and with prosecutors and their staff. In many courts in metro Atlanta, our attorneys have relationships with court personnel dating back more than 20 years! If you have questions about which prosecutor will be handling your case, and which judge you might expect your case to be assigned to, our attorneys can outline the progress of your case and give you a range of when we can expect the resolution of the charges.

Our goal is simple – to work toward keeping the DUI off your record. Other important goals we need to set include a discussion of whether working toward a reduced charge is worth pursuing prior to trial. We also need to begin thinking about how important it will be to work toward keeping your driver’s license valid while your case is pending. Most DUI charges include an administrative suspension action against your license that is designed to happen right away. Our attorneys will answer your questions about your license and outline the steps will we will take to get it back.

If you refused a breath test or a blood test, it is particularly important that we immediately put a plan into action to protect your license. A “refusal” suspension is the most ominous – it is a “hard” suspension where under Georgia law there is no limited permit to go to work, school, or even medical emergencies. Our attorneys have developed a dual approach to every DUI case – where we approach the case in tandem – for many of our clients, saving the drivers license is equally important in the short-term as keeping the DUI off their record is to the long-term.

Although it may seem extraordinary to “want our cake and eat it too,” we strive to develop a plan in every case to accomplish the goals that we set at our initial meeting. There is no substitute for simply setting clear goals at the beginning of our work on our clients’ behalf. What our your goals in hiring a lawyer? It is important to be able to answer that question. Let us know what is important to you. We want to protect more than just your rights. Call us to make an appointment at 770-685-6400 or click here to complete an appointment request online.

Ron Lloyd – Investigator. Our DUI Investigator and Expert, Ron Lloyd, is a retired Georgia State Patrol Sergeant. He served as the Training Coordinator in DUI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFSTs) for the Georgia State Patrol. He was also a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Instructor during his law enforcement career. Mr. Lloyd has more than 21 years experience dealing with DUI cases and is recognized as an Expert Witness by many courts throughout Georgia. Mr. Lloyd has never been denied the opportunity to testify as an Expert Witness in any court for any reason.

Ron Lloyd’s role at the Hawkins Law Firm is simple – he is responsible for getting our lawyers everything they need to evaluate your case. The first step in working toward a successful defense is to gather as much information about the case as the law allows. That means that, once we accept your case, we begin working on it right away. Ron is responsible for sending out subpoenas and open records requests to obtain important items including:

Police Reports
Accident Reports
Arrest and Jail Video Recordings
Computer Automated Dispatch Reports
Dispatch Audio Recordings
Intoxilyzer Slips / Toxicology Reports
Intoxilyzer Certificates of Inspection
Intoxilyzer Maintenance and Repair Logs
Blood and Urine Testing Reports
Officer Training and Certification Records
Officer Work and/or Disciplinary History
Booking Photos

Nicolle James, Office Manager. Nicolle was Mr. Hawkins’s legal assistant when he was a partner at his previous law firm. When he left that firm to open his own practice, Nicolle came with him. Nicolle helped create the Hawkins Law Firm and has been running its operations ever since. She has a wide-ranging knowledge of the criminal justice system and has worked over a period of years to develop strong working relationships with judge’s assistants, clerks of court, and prosecutor’s secretaries. Anyone who calls the office will tell you that Nicolle has a way of helping reduce their stress level, answering their questions, and following up with connecting you to your lead counsel to make sure your questions are answered.