Fulton County Juvenile Court DUI Information
What to know if you've been charged with a Fulton County Juvenile Court DUI
Under 17 years old and arrested for DUI in Fulton County? Need an accomplished, professional Fulton County Juvenile DUI attorney familiar with juvenile legal proceedings? With 20 years of experience defending Georgia DUI arrests, George C. Creal Jr., P.C. are the Real Deal Fulton County Juvenile Court DUI Attorneys, and we know how to minimize the impact of a Juvenile DUI arrest! We’ve worked at the Fulton County Juvenile Court. We know the Judges, the Prosecutors, and the police, and they know we will fight for our client's rights and interests. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHSTA) training manuals in DUI Detection and Field Sobriety Evaluations are used by police departments all over the country in DUI investigations. The information and procedures in these manuals are the centerpieces of our DUI defense strategy. We know these DUI training manuals inside-out and use our knowledge to show how sobriety evaluations are unreliable, inaccurate, and infringe on your rights when misconstrued by police. We expose the flaws inherent to DUI investigations in order to prove your innocence. For more information on a strong Georgia DUI defense, check out our Helpful GA DUI Guide.
Dedicated Fulton Count Juvenile DUI Lawyers Determined to Fight for Your Interests – Aggressive DUI Representation You Deserve
We understand that a Juvenile DUI case is not the same as an adult DUI case. It is never legal for a juvenile to drink. In a Juvenile DUI case, the first thing we do is get a drug and alcohol evaluation to show that the client does not have a drug or alcohol problem. We make sure our clients are proactive by suggesting they go to DUI school and perform community service before their court appearance. With these tools, we often can show the Juvenile Court that our clients are not the typical case of irresponsible youth, but may merit a second chance without a DUI on their driving record. We have handled thousands of DUI cases, had hundreds of DUI arrests reduced to non-DUI traffic offenses like reckless driving prior to trial and had many juvenile DUIs informally adjusted before the child is found to be delinquent.
TEN DUI SECRETS YOU SHOULD KNOW
1. Refusing a Blood or Breath Test is Not an Admission of Guilt: Georgia law only provides for a presumption of the presence of a prohibited substance in your system if you refuse to take a State-Administered Blood or Breath test in a DUI case.
2. If You Refuse the Test You Will NOT Definitely Lose Your License for One Year: …
Hiring a Fulton Juvenile DUI Attorney
For Our Firm, Client Communication is Essential
We do not hesitate to give you our office numbers, cell phone numbers, and email address. If you call, text, or email us about your case, we will contact you as soon as possible and never in more than 24 hours. We understand your anxiety about your child’s Fulton County Juvenile Court DUI charge. We represent a diverse group of DUI and traffic clients every day throughout the State of Georgia and show our clients the care and attention they deserve. Our goal is at that the end of your case feels comfortable in recommending us to your closest friends and family. Customer Service is priority number one for our firm.
We will handle your child’s DUI case so you can relax and return to work, family, and friends. Our initial consultation is always free and we will send the ten-day ALS DUI license hearing request letter for free as long as you pay the State Department of Driver Services’ $150.00 filing fee.
We handle all Georgia DUI cases including those with or without breath test and blood test results, refusals of both blood, breath, or urine, cases with Standardized Field Sobriety Evaluations, and DUI cases with no Field Sobriety exercises. We have handled DUI accidents and DUI fatalities. DUI Drugs, Fleeing and Eluding the police, marijuana possession, felony, and misdemeanor obstruction. Believe us, there is no set of circumstances our Fulton County Juvenile DUI attorneys have not seen at least once. Our DUI case procedure is extremely refined and time-tested, so it leaves no stone unturned and finds even the elusive DUI victory out of a Fulton County Juvenile Court drunk driving case.
How to Hire a Lawyer for a Fulton Juvenile DUI
A Fulton County Juvenile DUI is Serious and May Result in Jail Time, Fines, and License Suspensions
Even for a 1st DUI, you can be fined up to $1000.00 plus up to 40% tacked on as court costs and confinement in a youth detention facility, 40 hours of community service, drug, and alcohol testing for one year and 12 months of probation. Your child’s license can be suspended anywhere from 120 days to 5 years. Do not try to handle a Juvenile DUI without an experienced Fulton County Juvenile DUI attorney.
Advice as to who you decide to hire as your Fulton County Juvenile DUI Lawyer: 1) Don’t hire a DUI lawyer based solely on price. Sometimes the cheapest lawyer–especially if they plea you to a DUI you don’t deserve at the first opportunity–can be the most expensive. Cost per hour is the best way to compare lawyers. If a lawyer charges $1000, but only spends an hour on your case, that’s $1000 dollars an hour! We, unlike bargain basement firms, spend an average of 10 hours on every DUI case. 2) Ask any attorney that you speak with whether he/she has tried any DUI jury trials and how many not guilty verdicts he/she has received in the past 2 years; 3) Ask any attorney that you speak with whether he/she has studied police field sobriety training manuals and breath test machine, owner’s and area supervisor’s manuals. If not, they cannot adequately cross-examine DUI police officers or breath test operators. A DUI lawyer who can’t answer these questions is not ready for a real DUI jury trial and is not worth your time and money.
A Fulton County Juvenile DUI lawyer is standing by. Call or email today. (404) 333-0706 or [email protected]
Fulton County Juvenile Court Information
The exclusive, original jurisdiction of Juvenile Courts extends to delinquent children under the age of 17. The Juvenile Court has concurrent jurisdiction with the Superior Court over certain capital felonies. Juveniles who commit certain serious felonies can have their cases transferred to Superior Court. The Juvenile Court has jurisdiction over minors committing traffic violations and serious traffic violations like DUI arrest, aggressive driving as well as shoplifting and Drug offenses like Marijuana Possession.
The Goal of any Juvenile Court representation is generally an informal adjustment which is effectively a dismissal of charges prior to being adjudicated delinquent or found guilty.
The process works like this. In all proceedings over which the juvenile court has jurisdiction, such proceedings shall be initiated in the juvenile court upon the receipt of a written juvenile complaint form, petition, transfer from another court, a uniform traffic citation, or a Georgia Natural Resources/Game and Fish Division Notice of Summons which shall be submitted to the court and shall be referred to an intake officer of the court.
The intake officer makes a preliminary determination as to whether a petition shall be filed. If the allegations appear to be legally sufficient for the filing of a petition, and it further appears that judicial action is in the best interest of the public and the child within guidelines established by the court, the intake officer may endorse a petition. The intake officer may elect to informally adjust, divert, or recommend dismissing the case, within guidelines established by the court. All complaints or petitions shall be filed and docketed with the clerk of the juvenile court.
Before a petition is filed, the intake officer shall screen the complaint. This may result in a decision to recommend dismissal to the judge or associate judge, to make a referral to another agency for services, if appropriate, to informally adjust the case, to file a petition, or to take other appropriate action. Factors involved in the process of screening the complaint shall include:
- Whether the complaint is one over which the court has jurisdiction;
- Whether the complaint is frivolous;
- Whether the child should be detained pending a hearing and, if so, where he or she should be detained;
- Whether the child’s case can be informally adjusted;
- Whether the child should be diverted to an agency that meets his or her needs;
- If a petition should be filed with the court.
In cases where a child is alleged to have committed a delinquent act which is not of a serious nature, or has been alleged to have committed an unruly act, but appears to be amenable to informal handling, the intake officer may withhold the filing of a petition with a view toward first seeking an informal adjustment of the matter, where it is in the best interest of the child and the community. If, after the filing of a petition, it appears that informal adjustment best suits the needs of the child and the public, the judge may direct the withdrawal of the petition so the matter may proceed to informal adjustment.
In order for an informal adjustment to occur:
- The admitted facts must bring the child within the jurisdiction of the court.
- It must be determined that counsel and advice without an adjudication would be in the best interest of the public and the child.
- The child and the child’s parents, guardian, or other custodians must consent to the informal adjustment with the knowledge that consent is not obligatory.
- If the child is alleged to have committed a designated felony act as defined in OCGA § 15-11-63, the case shall not be subject to informal adjustment, counsel, or advice without the prior written notification of the district attorney or his or her authorized representative.
Office Hours
Chief Judge Belinda E. Edwards
Presiding Judge Bradley J. Boyd
Chief Associate Judge Charles G. Hodges
Associate Judge George G. Blau
Associate Judge Juliette Wiltshire Scales
Associate Judge Phillip Jackson
Court
395 Pryor St., SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30312
