How Does the New Fairfax County DUI Arraignment Schedule Work?

FAIRFAX DUI CASES ARE MOVING MUCH FASTER THROUGH THE COURTS THESE DAYS!  

We are getting a lot of calls already arising from the Holiday Parties and New Year's Eve in Fairfax County, so I wanted to give this update about the accelerated arraignment process in the Fairfax County Courts for DWI cases.  

Beginning in February 1, 2017, the Fairfax County General District Court has set an arraignment date for all new DUI arrests.   This is intended to speed things up and help folks get an attorney lined up quicker so the case can move forward without getting stale.

Some folks are going to get stuck out in the cold if they don't pay careful attention to these short dates.

The arraignment date is 7 to 10 days after the arrest, and the client is required to appear at 9:30 AM unless they have already hired an attorney.

Then, at arraignment, the client is given another date for “Information on Attorney” date.  The IAD date is about a week or two after the arraignment, and they are required to hire an attorney or interview for Court appointed attorney. 

On IAD date, the client is expected to appear again, if necessary, to explain to the Court why they do not have an attorney yet.  This is where some folks will have a problem, because I hate to see anybody in Court without an attorney in a situation like this. 

If the Client has hired an attorney, then the arraignment and the IAD date come off the calendar and the case is set for the “First Court Date” about a month later.   That “First Court Date” will be our traditional first discovery date, after which most cases will be continued a month or two for a trial date.