If you or your child, have been charged with minor in consumption for minor in possession of alcohol, chances are you have several questions about what to expect. This may be your first time ever going to courts, or your first time ever having experience with a police officer. This process can be scary and nerve-racking. There are two very serious mistakes a person can make when faced with this situation. First, and this is the mistake we hear most often, getting legal advice from a fellow student or family member. Chances are, whatever advice you are receiving from them is completely wrong. Even if they’ve gone through the situation and they didn’t hire a lawyer for their case, that doesn’t really mean that was the right thing to do. We represent people all the time for their second minor consumption or minor in possession of alcohol charge and they did not hire a lawyer for the first one – we would’ve been able to achieve a better outcome for them the first time around. Also, people get legal advice from attorneys who are either attorneys outside of Arizona or have no experience handling these types of cases. All attorneys are not the same. I cannot emphasize this enough. If an attorney has never practiced law in a particular court that you’re in and has never handled a minor consumption or minor in possession of alcohol case, they have no business giving you legal advice. They simply do not know what they’re doing.
MIP & MIC Lawyer
My office has handled hundreds if not thousands of underage drinking cases. There are three courts that we see these cases out of the most. The courts include Tempe Municipal Court, University Lakes justice court, and Scottsdale Municipal Court. We are at each of these courts every week. The judges all know us, the prosecutors all know us, and the court staff all knows us. This does not mean they give us any special favors, but what it does mean is we are extremely familiar with each particular court’s policies and procedures.
I always tell people, when it comes to minor consumption and minor in possession of alcohol cases, if you are receiving advice that’s different from the advice our lawyers give, it is simply wrong. I like to think that the attorneys at my office have more experience handling underage drinking cases in Arizona than any other lawyer or law firm. Please call our office to discuss exactly what we can do for you or your child. 602-926-8902
Author Bio
Matthew L. Lopez
Matthew L. Lopez is the Managing Attorney and founder of Matthew Lopez Law, a criminal defense and DUI firm serving clients throughout Arizona. His track record of case dismissals and charge reductions has earned him honors, including a National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 nomination, a “Superb” 10/10 Avvo rating, and a Rising Star designation by Super Lawyers.
Matthew is a member of the National College for DUI Defense and holds active memberships with the Arizona Association for Criminal Justice and the Arizona Association for Justice. His firm handles criminal defense, DUI, drug charges, and traffic offenses, offering free consultations and affordable payment plans to make quality defense accessible to all Arizonans.
