Chicago DUI lawyer answers the question "When must I appear in court for my Chicago DUI?"

These are difficult economic times. I posted here on the costs of a DUI but those costs don't take into consideration the costs of time missed from work prior to an acquittal in a Chicago DUI or a finding of guilty.

The short answer is you must appear in court for every single court date unless explicitly excused by the court from appearing. You may have forgotten that you are not in custody while your case is pending before the court. You are out on bond. That bond consists of either money held by the Clerk of the Circuit Court or, in many instances, what is known as a recognizance bond. Recognizance bonds, referred to as an "I-bond", are frequently given in misdemeanor Chicago DUI cases for a defendant with no other arrests in their background. In many cases an I-bond consists of the Clerk of the Circuit Court securing your driver's license in lieu of any money.

What happens if I don't show up for court?

This is up to the court but if you don't have a very good reason for missing court the prosecutor will ask the judge to issue a bond forfeiture warrant giving the police the grounds to arrest you and hold you in jail until you deposit money with the Clerk of the Circuit Court for your release. The amount of the bond will be based largely on your background and what proceedings were scheduled before the court on your case the day you were absent.

You don't have a choice but to appear before the court. The proceedings can take time but if you aren't going to plead guilty on the first court date, and I wouldn't suggest that you do, you must make yourself available so that your attorney can receive all of the information necessary in order to mount your best defense. You must plan your work, school, and other obligations around your pending Chicago DUI. Your very freedom depends on it.