You need to stay organized. You have a handful of documents right now that your lawyer is going to need and you will be receiving more from the court and your DUI Lawyer, Murphy & Downs. Make sure to keep all citations, and any court notices you may have received for your Florida DUI case.

A. COLLECT EVIDENCE

You need to collect any receipts from the night you were arrested for your St. Johns County DUI. Also print out all photos, text and social media conversations before you were arrested for your DUI in order to preserve everything for your defense. Your DUI lawyers, Murphy & Downs, will review this evidence to determine if anything will be helpful. If you left a voicemail on a friends phone, ask them to save it and get a recording of it. Do not destroy any info that may be helpful in your DUI defense. Without knowing it, you may have evidence that can be extremely helpful.

B. WITNESSES

Write down the names and contact information of the people you were with, spoke to, called, texted or social media communicated with before your DUI. They may be able to provided helpful testimony or information in your DUI case. If you knew the bartender, waiter or restaurant owner provide their name. If you don’t know their names, find out! They may testify that they did not over serve you or you were steady on your feet and had no problem walking out of the restaurant before your DUI arrest.

Talk to your friends, family, and acquaintances – especially if they saw you right before, right after, or even during your DUI stop/arrest. Witnesses can strengthen your Florida DUI defense. Your DUI Lawyers, Murphy & Downs will want to obtain their statements- because people forget things by the time trial rolls around. A non-drunk alibi witness can make a big difference in your Florida DUI case.

C. WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN

First, at the top of each page write in big letters, “WORK PRODUCT”. Second, when you write, skip every other line. This will give you room to add things in later as you remember more and more details of your DUI arrest. Last, make it legible. Generate on your computer or print neatly.

Remember, DUI cases are won and lost with their details. So write down everything you remember from your DUI stop/arrest, no matter how insignificant. DO IT NOW! Write down everything while your memory is still fresh. In just six months, many little details about your DUI case will start to fade. Your DUI Lawyers, Murphy & Downs will want to know everything you know. Just don’t share it with anyone except your DUI Lawyers, Murphy & Downs. Here are some of the topics that you need to get down on paper:

• 24 hours before the arrest – You need to journal the events that led up to your DUI arrest starting with the beginning of your day. List your schedule that day including everything you did, a timeline, and whom you were with. Be sure to include a description of how much sleep you had the night before, how much you ate that day, and how much you drank. Describe the weather, day of the week and clothing you wore during your DUI stop/arrest. This may all be very useful information for your DUI Lawyers, Murphy & Downs and your DUI defense.

• Reason for the stop – What time was the DUI stop? Where were you stopped? What reason did the police give for stopping you? What traffic tickets did you get other than for DUI? Did you think you violated any traffic laws?

• Interaction with the police – What questions did the police officer ask you after your DUI stop? What did you say? Describe handing the police your driver’s license (DL), Registration and proof of insurance. Were the police emergency lights on?

• Set the Scene – Did the police recruit other police to help? How many police were there? Was there anyone in your car with you?

• Standardized Field Sobriety Exercises (SFSEs) – What test did they ask you to perform during the DUI investigation? What order? Did you have a choice? Did you refuse any tests? Where did you do the test? Was there other traffic on the road? How coordinated are you? What medications where on that night? Blood pressure medicine? Do you have diabetes, stomach problems, indigestion, gerds, high blood pressure, asthma or anxiety? Do you have any physical injuries that impact your athletic abilities? What physical activities do you typically do? Any prior orthopedic surgeries?

• Breath test process – Did they ask for a breath, urine or blood test after your DUI arrest? Did you agree to it? Did you refuse any test? If a breath test, how many times did you blow? Did they tell you your results? What were the results? Did anyone watch you consistently for 20 minutes prior to taking the breath test? Did you have any cuts in your mouth, recent dental work, dentures, tongue ring, or braces? Did you have any gum in your mouth that night? Do you smoke, chew tobacco, or dip