Hinesville DUI Attorney

Former JAG Prosecutors Defending DUI Cases Across Coastal Georgia

A DUI arrest in Georgia sets two separate legal processes in motion at once: a criminal case and an administrative proceeding that can suspend your license before the criminal case is ever resolved. Both timelines move fast. At Balbo & Gregg, Attorneys at Law, PC, our founding partners, A.J. Balbo and Chester J. Gregg, spent years prosecuting cases for the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps before building this defense practice. That background gives us a firsthand understanding of how prosecutors construct DUI cases and where those cases can be challenged.

Chester J. Gregg has conducted over 1,000 bench trials in state courts and carries extensive jury trial experience across military, federal, and state courts. Between our attorneys, we bring more than 60 combined years of legal experience to every case we handle, and we’ve successfully resolved thousands of cases since founding the firm in 2006. When you’re facing a DUI charge in Hinesville or anywhere across Coastal Georgia, that depth of courtroom experience matters.

We offer free initial case evaluations and virtual consultations. Call us at (866) 580-3089 or reach out online to speak with a DUI defense attorney in Hinesville about your situation.

The 30-Day ALS Deadline You Can’t Afford to Miss

After a DUI arrest in Georgia, you have 30 calendar days from the date of arrest to request an Administrative License Suspension (ALS) hearing. That deadline is a hard cutoff. If you don’t request the hearing within that window, your license is automatically suspended with no opportunity to contest it.

The ALS hearing is a separate administrative proceeding from your criminal DUI case, conducted before the Georgia Office of State Administrative Hearings (OSAH). Its outcome doesn’t determine what happens in the criminal case. Filing the request also pauses the suspension while the hearing is scheduled, which is one reason acting quickly matters so much. We begin building your defense as soon as you contact us, working the ALS hearing and the criminal case simultaneously so nothing falls through the cracks. Call us at (866) 580-3089 to get started with a free consultation.

Criminal Classifications of DUI Charges in Georgia

Most DUI charges in Georgia are misdemeanors. Under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-391(c), a DUI becomes a felony on a fourth conviction within 10 years. A third DUI within 10 years is charged as a high and aggravated misdemeanor, carrying substantially harsher penalties than a first or second offense. The consequences grow more serious with each subsequent charge.

Penalties for a DUI conviction may include:

• Jail time
• Large fines
• Victim restitution
• Administrative license revocation
• Mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device
• Alcohol education class completion
• Civil forfeiture of your vehicle (felony convictions only)

Repeat offenders face significantly harsher consequences. A second offense within 10 years carries increased fines and a longer jail sentence, including a mandatory minimum. That pattern of escalating penalties is one reason many people choose to contest the charge from the start.