Las Vegas DMV Hearing

Assistance from Our Las Vegas DUI Lawyer

Charges for operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs will lead to various punishments. One common one that many are slapped with includes the suspension of a driver license. While it may not sound as serious as jail time that some may face, a license suspension can be damaging in a number of ways. Without the ability to drive, many people are restricted to where they can go and if they can meet their obligations such as getting to work. They can be forced to turn to other forms of transportation or friends and family for rides, which can be unreliable and inconvenient.

After a DUI arrest, you have only 7 days to contact the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles and request a hearing to challenge your driver's license suspension. If the hearing request is not filed within 7 days, your license will be suspended. In order to ensure the formal request is filed correctly and you have the chance to vacate your license suspension, it is best to consult a Las Vegas DUI lawyer and have him or her act on your behalf to file the request.

What to Understand About Your License Suspension Hearing

In Nevada, an administrative license suspension hearing will typically be conducted at the DMV Office of Administrative Hearings. They are most often held approximately 4-7 months following the date of the arrest and are conducted similarly to a typical court trial, but there is no jury and an administrative judge will preside rather than a criminal or civil court judge.

During the hearing, the officer who made the arrest will be present to testify and be cross-examined by your lawyer. Your defense attorney may call other witnesses to testify as well, and the judge may consider physical evidence just as in a typical court trial. During the hearing, it will need to be demonstrated that there is a valid reason to reinstate all or some driving abilities. Generally, the judge will not give a decision at the DMV hearing. Rather, your criminal defense attorney will usually be notified by the court of the decision in approximately 30 days.