Former DUI Prosecutor Tyler Burns’ Approach to DUI Defense

Because a DUI conviction or plea carries such a serious penalty, both in terms of a permanent criminal record and perhaps limited future job prospects, you are probably wondering just what a DUI attorney can do.  In the video above, South Carolina DUI criminal defense attorney Tyler Burns, a former 16th Circuit (York County) prosecutor, explains to you how he approaches DUI defense, how he analyzes a case to prepare the best possible defense, and the importance of having his unique perspective of being a former DUI prosecutor. For more information or a private consultation, please call our office at 803-548-4444 or toll-free 877-374-5999. We offer a state-wide practice and have offices in Fort Mill, Lake Wylie, Columbia, and Mount Pleasant / Charleston.

Transcript: Basically I have a list, a check-sheet, and I go through and I watch [the] video and all the evidence, and I determine if there are any holes in the case.  Being a prosecutor, I am able to put myself in the prosecutor’s shoes: Assuming the worst, if we were to go to trial, would I be able to prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt. So basically, I approach a DUI case the exact same way as I did as a prosecutor, and use that to basically determine if it is a defensible case, if it is a case they know they can’t prove.
The vast majority of lawyers can’t put themselves in the mindset, put themselves in the shoe of the other side: they can’t put themselves as the prosecutor.  And starting off from the point of view of the prosecutor, it’s much easier for me to turn around, and then say, how am I going to defend this case