When you're first arrested for a DUI or drunk driving charge you are given a literal TON of conflicting information from the courts, the DMV, DUI lawyers, and of course the good old internet. So this article will hopefully serve to clarify a few things for you so you can make the best decisions for yourself and your future.

Of the most urgent concern for you to now think about is preserving your driving privileges with the DMV. Go through all the paperwork you have that the police officer gave you the night of your DUI arrest. You should find a paper license (it's probably a pink piece of paper) that allows you to drive for a certain amount of days from the date of issue.

The amount of days that the piece of paper allows you to drive is different depending on the state you were arrested for DUI in but typically it's roughly about 10 days. So ten days after your DUI arrest you will lose your driving privilege UNLESS you file for a DMV administrative hearing which the details should be listed for you on that piece of paper.

You do not need a DUI lawyer to file this for you or anything like that. Even if you end up canceling the hearing later on it's a good idea to go ahead and schedule one. What this will do is extend your driving privilege until the hearing actually takes place. Depending on how backed up the DMV is with these driver license hearings it could be months... and you will be allowed to drive for these months.

So the point is find that piece of paper (the paper license) and locate the telephone number on the back that instructs you as to exactly how to schedule your DMV administrative hearing.

After you have successfully scheduled your hearing you'll then want to consider defending yourself from being convicted. To do that you should strongly consider hiring a DUI lawyer and learning everything you can on the subject of DUI law and how it will affect you.

The Information Association, LLC publishes DUI cost saving information for those with DUI related offenses. Their list of publications include the leading industry publication "The DUI Process Manual" which can be found at http://www.duiprocess.com

The DUI Process Manual has helped thousands save considerable amounts of money on everything from legal fees to auto insurance and court costs as well as enabling people to clear their DUI records and successfully pass pre-employment background checks. It is a must have resource if you have a DUI or even an old DUI conviction record.