Taimoor Rana is seasoned criminal defense attorney specializing in DUI related cases. He shares his expert legal opinion here « The National College for DUI Defense
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- Until a few years ago, those attorneys who attempt to defend a client who is having against drunk driving charges were general practitioners. These attorneys had little, if any, understanding of the nature of the offense. They were not familiar with such methods of DUI investigation such as as field sobriety tests, and seminars on how to defend these clients were almost completely lacking.
The most important thing was that, defense lawyers doesn’t know anything about the complexities of blood alcohol analysis, whether of blood, breath or urine. They don’t know the answers to the following questions that how does the Breathalyzer work? What does infrared analysis referred to? What is Gas chromatography? How is the metabolism of alcohol takes place in the human body? What is the "Widmark’s formula"? what is Hematocrit? What is "retrograde extrapolation" and how does it work? What are those physiological variables that can occur between individuals? What are those medical conditions that can effect a breath reading and how? What could happen if in case blood samples ferment or coagulate?
There is an involvement of knowledge of such highly technical fields as physiology, organic chemistry, physics, biophysics, electrical engineering in the chemical analysis of blood, breath or urine but these are the subjects that are far beyond the experience and training of lawyers.
Establishment of National College for DUI Defense
Then a few years ago twelve of the most prominent DUI defense attorneys in the country had a meeting in a hotel conference room at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Over the following three days they made plans for a new professional organization: "The National College for DUI Defense".
Purpose of Establishment
They created this college as a non-profit organization which was dedicated to improve the quality of the DUI Bar, primarily it will do it through providing educational seminars.
The secondary purpose that is very important was that the organization was to address the problem of insularity in the profession i.e. the isolation of lawyers; the College would be serving as a tool with which attorneys across the country could share with each other the information, ideas and experiences of their own.
The first national seminar of college
The first national seminar of that college was held at Harvard Law School. That seminar was an intense 3-day series of lectures, demonstrations and workshops,that features a faculty of 22 of the top lawyers, scientists and forensic toxicologists in the field. That experiment gained a huge success, and for the past ten years it has been repeated every July at Harvard. In fact, this educational effort has been soon expanded by the College’s governing Board of Regents by creating a second annual 3-day seminar in the winter. This proved to be another resounding success: A recent session was held in Las Vegas in October, 2004, and over 500 lawyers from all over the country had attended that session.
Internet website of The National College for DUI Defense
An internet website had also been created by The National College for DUI Defense , along with an email discussion group – a place where attorneys are able to share their information and ideas with one another. This forum is currently being used by hundreds of members across the country and it is being discovered that what one lawyer in Texas has found effective while dealing with DUI sobriety checkpoints can provide helpful to another in Oregon.
Certifying attorneys as specialists in DUI defense
After that the college has provided the means to develop greater skills in this demanding field, the College next realized that those lawyers who had achieved the highest levels of competence are needed to recognize. Within recent years, they started certifying attorneys as specialists in DUI defense. In order to get a Board-certificate, an applicant must have to satisfy demanding requirements of practice and trial experience, as well as he has to pass intensive written and oral examinations.
Now, the College has gained success in applying to the American Bar Association for recognition of a new legal specialty: DUI defense. After having a considerable study, the ABA has taken further steps and recognized the National College for DUI Defense as the sole organization which is authorized to certify attorneys as specialists in this new field.
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