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Is My Boss Going to Find Out I Got a DUI?

In Oregon, a person may be arrested and charged with DUI for driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants or controlled substances. Unfortunately, a drunk driving conviction can have significant long-term ramifications on your reputation, freedom, career, future, and employment opportunities. In addition, you may be wondering whether to inform your employer and what will happen if your boss eventually finds out about the DUI charge.

At Haskett Williams Monaghan Attorneys at Law, we're committed to offering comprehensive guidance and representation to clients in their drunk driving cases. Our reliable Oregon criminal defense attorneys can enlighten you about the next steps to take after a DUI charge and strategize an effective defense to help fight your charges and ultimately protect your employment. We're proud to serve clients across Bend, Sisters, Prineville, Sun River, and Redmond, Oregon.

Am I Obligated to Tell My Boss About a DUI?

For the most part, you're not required to tell your employer about a DUI charge. However, there are a few exceptions where you do. These include:

Your Employment Contract Requires You to Report an Arrest

Some jobs, such as driver jobs, working in schools, active military service, or government contracts, require you to report an arrest or conviction. This is often indicated in the employment contract. Hence, if your employment contract requires you to inform your employer about an arrest or conviction, including DUIs, then you're obligated to do so.

Your Employer's Policy

Additionally, some employer or work policies require employees to report traffic violations, DUIs, and other driving-related offenses. Due to this, you must comply with the employer's policy and inform them about the DUI. Failure to do this may result in your employment getting terminated.

Your Need to Maintain a Professional License

Some job expectations and requirements, such as lawyers, physicians, and nurses, mandates employee to have a clean record to apply for or renew their professional license. Hence, you may need to disclose any arrest or conviction at any point during your licensing.

Your Employment Requires Driving

Also, if you're a commercial driver or the nature of your employment requires driving for work or maintaining a driver's license, then you may need to notify your employer about the traffic violation, DUI arrest, or conviction.

Can I Get Fired for Getting a DUI?

Unfortunately, you may lose your job for getting a DUI arrest or conviction. The probability of losing your job will be even higher if your job nature requires driving for work, working with children, a security clearance, or other kinds of employment with high responsibilities.

Moreover, Oregon is an "at will" employment state. This means that an employer may terminate an employment at any time and for any legal reason, except for unlawful reasons. Hence, having a DUI arrest or conviction can be a legal reason for an employer to discharge an employee.

What to Do & Not to Do After a DUI Charge

Here are some things to do or not do after a DUI charge to avoid complicating your case:

After your arrest, remain silent. Do not answer any questions or speak with anyone without your attorney.
Hire a defense lawyer to investigate your case and build your defense.
Document the events leading to your DUI arrest and what happened while in custody.
Ask the arresting officer what you've been charged for.
Communicate and work with your attorney to post bail.
Do not post on social media or inform your co-workers about the DUI arrest. In fact, only inform your employer if your situation falls under the exceptions mentioned earlier.
Do not leave out or hide any slight details about the drunk driving accusation from your defense attorney.
Keep your defense lawyer well-informed and up-to-date about the whole situation.

However, you should never take a DUI charge lightly. A strategic Oregon DUI defense attorney can outline a solid defense to fight your charges and attempt to keep your record as clean as possible.

Fight for Your Rights

Facing drunk driving allegations can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, a DUI conviction can have significant ramifications on your employment and career. Therefore, when arrested and charged with a DUI or traffic-related offense, you need to retain a highly-skilled criminal defense attorney for detailed guidance and to help build your defense.

At Haskett Williams Monaghan Attorneys at Law, we have devoted our careers to protecting individuals charged with DUI from the worst-case scenario. As your legal counsel, we can investigate all of the facts of your case and dispute the accusations against you with factual evidence. In addition, we will help you navigate the law, fight your DUI charge vigorously, protect your employment, and improve your chances of a brighter tomorrow.

Contact us at Haskett Williams Monaghan Attorneys at Law today to schedule a simple case evaluation with practiced criminal defense attorneys. Our reliable team can offer you the aggressive representation and comprehensive legal counsel you need to fight your DUI charges. We're proud to serve clients across Bend, Sisters, Prineville, Sun River, and Redmond, Oregon.