How DUI Can Affect Your Employment

How DUI Can Affect Your Employment

A charge of driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol can disrupt your life in many ways. Any time you are found guilty of DUI, even if it’s only your first offence, you stand the risk of paying a hefty fine and losing your driver’s licence for a period of time. Moreover, you might find yourself with a criminal record. This can affect your employment, both now and in the future. Here are some ways in which a DUI criminal record in Ontario can change your career.

DUI and a Criminal Record

A DUI is a criminal offence in Canada, which means that it goes on your record and comes up whenever a potential employer searches for criminal convictions. However, it is important to note that the DUI only goes on your record if you are convicted. That means that simply getting pulled over and accused of driving while impaired by a police officer isn’t enough to get a criminal record. If you feel that you were wrongfully charged, you can consult a DUI lawyer and fight the charge in court. If your lawyer succeeds in getting your case dismissed or settled for a lesser charge, you might avoid a criminal record. In this case, employers who search for legal issues in your past will not find any charges that would present a red flag.

Can DUI Prevent You from Getting a Job?

Strictly speaking, there is no law in Canada that prevents a person with a DUI on their record from getting any job they choose. However, certain employers might be less likely to hire somebody with a criminal record. For example, any job that requires regular driving tends to also require a clean driving record. An employer who examines your driving record and finds a DUI is within all legal rights to deny you for employment. Similarly, many government jobs and opportunities in the educational field require you to pass a background check before starting work. As a criminal offence, a DUI will show up on these checks and might jeopardize your job opportunities.

How Do You Stop a DUI from Getting on Your Record?

If you get pulled over and charged with a DUI, the best way to prevent it is to seek out an experienced DUI lawyer who can help you fight the charge. A lawyer who takes your case can review the public records covering police activity around your arrest and compare them with your own testimony. The lawyer can identify places where the arresting officer might have violated proper protocol, which could get your case thrown out. If you find yourself in a situation where you are likely to be found guilty of a DUI, your lawyer may be able to negotiate a settlement or convince the court that the incident should be charged as a summary conviction rather than a major offence. Finally, if you do get a DUI on your record, a lawyer can advise you on next steps to help mitigate the damage to your career.

Can You Removed a DUI from Your Record?

If you lawyer succeeds in getting your DUI charged as a summary conviction rather than a criminal offence, you don’t have to worry about the impact on your record. Unfortunately, many DUIs get charged as criminal offences, resulting in all the devastating consequences listed above. There is one last thing you can try after getting a DUI on your record: a pardon from the Canadian government. To get a pardon, five years must have passed between the completion of the sentence and your application. However, if you apply successfully, the pardon seals that portion of your criminal record. The charge doesn’t go away, but employers can no longer access it as part of a background check.

Is it Worth Getting a Pardon in Canada for DUI?

The question of whether it is worth getting a pardon for a DUI depends on what the personal and professional stakes are for you. Due to the length of time that it takes to get a pardon, the immediate consequences to your career cannot be avoided. However, if you plan to remain in a career field where such a crime might disqualify you for future positions, seeking a pardon can be well worth the effort. The key to getting a pardon is making sure that you apply for one in the full and proper manner. In this case, seeking out a lawyer who knows how to file pardon paperwork properly can be an essential step. The fewer mistakes you make, the more likely it becomes that your pardon will pass all necessary checkpoints and be approved.

As you can see from the information above, a single DUI can potentially ruin a promising career. There are ways to get the charge filed as a summary offence or to seek a pardon year down the line. If you find yourself accused of a DUI, an experienced lawyer can be your greatest ally regardless of your choice of action.