Can an underage DUI affect future employment opportunities?

Answer:
If you’ve been charged with an underage DUI and are worried about how it could affect your future, that’s a completely understandable concern. That’s why we fight to protect your interests and pursue the best possible outcome for your case. If this is your situation, give us a call and let us help.

Georgia’s Zero Tolerance Law for Drivers Under 21

Under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-391(k), drivers under 21 face a blood alcohol threshold of just 0.02, compared to 0.08 for adult drivers. In practical terms, that’s effectively any measurable amount of alcohol at all. A single drink can be enough to trigger a DUI charge for someone under 21, which is exactly why these cases catch so many young people who wouldn’t come close to the adult legal limit.

Why a DUI Conviction Can’t Just Be Erased Later

Georgia’s record restriction law lets many misdemeanor convictions eventually be removed from public view, but DUI is a specific, explicit exception. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37(j)(4), DUI convictions are excluded from misdemeanor record restriction entirely. Once a DUI conviction is on your record, it stays there permanently — there’s no waiting period after which it disappears on its own.

How That Record Shows Up to Employers

Criminal background checks are now standard practice for most employers, and a DUI conviction is public record that surfaces easily in a routine search. For someone just starting a career, that record can follow them into job applications for years, long after the incident itself is a distant memory.

Fields Where It Can Matter Even More

Certain professions carry extra exposure. Nursing, teaching, law, and any job requiring a commercial driver’s license often involve licensing boards that specifically ask about criminal convictions and can open their own review process once one shows up. A DUI conviction in these fields isn’t just a background-check issue — it can trigger a separate professional consequence on top of the criminal one.

Why the Outcome of the Case Itself Is What Actually Protects You

Because there’s no expungement safety net waiting down the road, what actually happens with the case right now carries outsized weight. A dismissal, an acquittal, a reduced charge, or a resolution that avoids a formal conviction altogether are the paths that actually keep a permanent record from forming in the first place — which is exactly why fighting the case early matters so much more than it might for an offense that could eventually be restricted.

What to Do Next

If this is your situation, give us a call and let us help.

5 Star Rating

Brett and his team were beyond supportive, helpful, gracious, caring and knowledgeable! We went through the most challenging and difficult time in our life and he was there every step of the way. With results we could never have imagined but definitely prayed for.

Not to mention his level of professionalism. From the first time we spoke to the first time we saw him in court. He stood out from almost every other attorney there. We were so appreciative that our attorney looked and was so professional, pulled together and prepared. When so many others were none of these things.

Thank you just doesn’t seem like enough to convey our feelings and appreciation.

Karen L.

5 Star Rating

I tried to write this several times and it brought me to tears. First may I say this has been the hardest three years of my life. Five lawyers I interviewed and none even understood the law as it applied to my case. So I thought I would try one more and it was Brett. From our first conversation together I knew he understood the law and was the perfect one for the case. I want to say how he prepared the case and presented it, achieving a full dismissal and ruling the police violated my first amendment rights. Complete genius!!!!

If you're reading this review and unsure, stop...call Brett. He always returned my call or texts within a couple hours, never more than 24 hours. He was always courteous and knowledgeable, trust me he talked me off the ledge a couple times. I would have given him 10 stars but 5 was the only option. Thank you Brett for all you did for me!!!!!