Drink Driving

Drink driving cases come before the Courts either by way of:

A charge sheet procedure (you will have been charged with an offence at a Gárda station and bailed to appear in court) or;
A summons (you will receive a summons in the post). Most prosecutions will involve three appearances before the local District Court in the area which the offence is alleged to have occurred.

Penalties

If you are convicted for drink driving you will receive;

monetary fine and
a mandatory disqualification from driving.

A mandatory disqualification can range from 1 year upwards, depending on:

(a) the amount of alcohol in your system;
(b) what type/class of licence you hold; and
(c) your previous driving history.

Process

Generally, a drink driving case will involve at least 3 court appearances.

On the first date, the Judge will order disclosure of evidence being relied upon by the Gárda.
The Judge will also set a date not the next court appearance wherein you will either plead guilty or contest the charges.
Once we receive the evidence we will examine same before advising you before the second court appearance.
On the second date in Court, we will advise the judge that we will either contest the case or plead guilty depending on and according to your instructions. The judge will then fix the date for the third court date.
On the third court date the case will be heard in full by the Judge.

I have been disqualified, can I get my licence back early?

Where you have been disqualified from driving, it is possible in some limited circumstances to apply for an early restoration of your driving licence.

However, you must meet the strict criteria in order to qualify for this.

The following are some of the criteria that you must comply with in order to get your driving licence back and we have a proven track record in making these applications:

You must have served at least two years or two thirds of the disqualification period on your driving licence;
It must be your 1st drink driving disqualification in the previous 10 years;
You must have paid your fine; and/or
You must have submitted your licence to the local authority to have the disqualification endorsed.

What are the legal fees involved?

Contact us for a free consultation and an agreement on professional fees. This fee includes the initial consultation, all court attendances and also includes the barrister’s fees.

MB Solicitors conveniently located in Dublin are available to advise you on all aspects of your case, represent you in Court (in Dublin and surrounding counties) and work to ensure we achieve the best outcome in your case. MB Solicitors instruct only experienced barristers, with a proven track record in drink driving cases, and who specialise in the area of Criminal Law. We also give fixed fee quotes for all of the legal work involved, including Barrister’s fees.

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Paul Martin

09:48 08 Oct 24

Excellent service could not have been more helpful

Donal Reynolds

12:18 07 Oct 24

Michael and Sinead were a great help and guided us expertly through the property purchase process from start to finish. They were most thorough and made the whole experience seamless .I would have no hesitations in recommending them!

Nikhil Pai

09:56 07 Oct 24

First off, big thank you to Michael and Sinead for helping us close our new home. It's a stressful process and they truly helped us at every step, especially in the closing stages where we were following up multiple times a day! Overall, I'd highly recommend working with the team here since they are helpful, quick and efficient.The only feedback I would have, and this is coming from someone who isn't from Ireland, is that it would be super helpful if the team would have an initial consultation where they would explain the entire process in detail. A lot of times we were learning new things on the go which was a bit worrisome (even though Michael and Sinead had it under control).Other than that, great experience. Thank you, both!

Paula K

00:51 06 Oct 24

Sinead and Michael so helpful thank you again for everything definitely recommend

adrian hannon

09:27 02 Oct 24

Extremely helpful and knowledgeable was Michael. Very straight answers , once chatting to him you wont want to deal with anyone else.

Laura

15:08 29 Aug 24

Michael was brilliant from start to finish with all our property selling and buying so we could get our dream home! Available when needed and extremely helpful. Would recommend 100%.

Alessio Pullara

15:26 21 Aug 24

I recently had the pleasure of working with MB Solicitors for the sale of my apartment, and I couldn't be more satisfied with the experience. From start to finish, the process was smooth, efficient, and stress-free. Special thanks to Dora, who went above and beyond to ensure everything was handled meticulously. Her professionalism, attention to detail, and clear communication made all the difference. I always felt informed and supported throughout the transaction. I highly recommend MB Solicitors, for anyone looking to navigate the complexities of property sales with ease.

Dave Murtagh

20:06 07 Aug 24

I recently worked with Michael in MB Solicitors for the sale of my apartment, which included managing the tenant termination process.Their attention to detail and communication throughout the process were outstanding. I always felt informed and confident that my interests were being well-protected.The team was professional, efficient, and always available to answer any questions I had. I highly recommend MB Solicitors to anyone looking for reliable and knowledgeable solicitors. Their expertise made what is a stressful situation much more manageable.

Chris Leonard

12:04 30 Jun 23

I highly recommend Michael. He dealt with a very tedious case that took much longer than expected. Always relaxed, professional and upfront with everything. I would not hesitate to use him again in the future.

Alan Henderson

14:52 16 Jun 23

I would highly recommend MB Solicitors. Michael and the team were very easy to deal with and nothing was too much trouble. They provided both a friendly and professional service which removed a lot of stress from the mortgage process. Fees were also very reasonable.

Hazel Egan

16:12 04 May 23

Michael and Sinead were great in helping us buy our new build house. As is expected there were loads of delays on the developers side but as soon as things were needed Michael or Sinead were on top of it. They were both great at explaining every step to us and answering all of our questions as this is our first house so a lot of things were new to us. We just received the keys today and in time to avoid another mortgage rate increase! We're delighted and grateful to MBSolicitors for their work. I would recommend reaching out to them if you are buying a house

Mufleh Koda

11:10 15 Mar 23

I've been working with Michael and Sinead Burns to complete my mortgage last year. My mortgage was a complicated one with so many moving parts, and they were excellent!Even after I moved into my apartment, they remained supportive and helpful with multiple related issues and did not hesitate to assist.I highly recommend MBSolicitors.

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