RDF NEWS We Represent Good People Facing DUI Charges November 2014 Can I be arrested for DUI because I drove after taking the medicines prescribed by my doctor? The short answer is “yes”, and we seem to be seeing an increase in good people being arrested for DUI, not because they drove after drinking or taking unlawful drugs, but because they drove after taking their prescribed medications, even when they took the exact dosage their doctor recommended. While there are exceptions to every rule, here are some things to keep in mind: MacDaniel E Reynolds 1. A doctor’s prescription does not make it legal to drive while taking prescribed medications if a person is “under the influence” of the medication, and that medication is legally considered a controlled substance. While not all prescription medications are considered controlled substances, many of the most commonly prescribed medications are. 2. “Under the Influence” means that the controlled substance negatively impacts a person’s mental or physical faculties enough that it is noticeable to another person. In other words, if taking your medications makes you less mentally or physically sharp as you would otherwise be, you may be “under the influence” of that medication under the DUI laws. As always, if you have any questions about this, or anything else DUI related, please don’t hesitate to contact my office and we’ll be glad to talk this through with you. DUI 101: What Every Attorney Should Know About Oregon DUI Laws Would you know what to say if one of your most important clients or closest friend calls for your advice because someone they care about has just been arrested for DUI? Learn how to successfully handle situations like this, and more, during an always interesting and often entertaining hour-long CLE presentation. Contact our CLE Coordinator at [email protected] to learn more. Taking the Time to Write “Thank You” As an office, we’ve tried something new over the past month—we’ve challenged each other to handwrite at least three thank you notes each week. There are no other rules—the notes can go to any person or business that you choose. Though it might sound corny, we’ve had fun with this—we’ve sent thank you notes to everyone from the pizza delivery guy and landscaping companies to referral sources and judges. And we are getting something pretty awesome in return—we found that when we started actively looking for things to be thankful for (after all, we’re all competitive and we have three notes to come up with each week), we found ourselves with a better appreciation for our everyday lives. So, while our “thank you challenge” may not be as famous as the ice buckets—the video wouldn’t be quite as fun to watch—think about it. The phrase ‘you get what you’re looking for’ seems true—if you look for what’s wrong, you’ll find it, and if you make a choice to look for things to appreciate, you find those too. So, send some thank you cards, and I’d love to hear how it works for you. The Reynolds Defense Firm 1512 SW 18th Ave. Portland, Oregon 97201 Phone: (503) 223—3422 Thank you for sending us your good people! “...this firm turned a potential life changing mistake into a life altering recovery. I could not have made a better selection with this profesWe’d like to thank all of you who refer the people you sional, responsive and caring law firm. Reynolds Defense Firm care about, your clients, friends and family members, offers more that a simple attorney/client transaction and truly to the Reynolds Defense Firm for help. cares about the future and well being of each client .” - U.C. Referrals are a very important part of our business, and we appreciate your faith in us. "...I thought I was going to go talk with a lawyer when I initially was going to the firm and it ended up being this life-changing experience learning about the Blue Binder Project and being able to see myself from a different perspective." - A.M . To help us do our best, don’t hesitate to email Dan personally at [email protected] “Your treatment of my case was exceptionally handled in a manner that and share a little about the person shows your firms expertise in the law as you’re referring. He will let our staff well as your treatment of me as a person, know to expect the call, and this will help us give your person our VIP treatment and make not just a case among many. I could not have asked for a better firm to represent me.” -S.T. sure they receive the help they are seeking. Our clients have wonderful things to say! The Blue Binder Project We do fantastic legal work, but we also encourage our clients to take a closer look at what is and what isn’t working in life. In reality, being arrested usually means there is something deeper going on in our client’s life that isn’t working the way he or she needs it to, and that sense that something just isn’t right may well be what led our client to the point he or she were arrested in the first place. The Blue Binder Project is a four-week coaching program designed to help our clients identify and address whatever was making them feel stuck. The steps our clients take to improve their lives translate into very real steps to be sure that whatever brought him or her before a judge will never happen again, and everyone shares that ultimate goal. For more information about the Blue Binder Project, please contact Mike, our Blue Binder Project coordinator, at [email protected] Musings about Mullets Tammy and I attended an 80’s prom-themed birthday party this month. We both dressed for the parts and I think we looked pretty good. We had a great time at the party, and I have to say that my favorite part of my costume was my mullet wig. Now, I grew up in a small farming community in central New York. While mullets may have been viewed with distain in some parts of the country, in my town, during my high school years, mullets were cool, and all I have to say is that mine looked good— way better than the wig I wore to the party. There are some fantastic collections of mullets on the internet, and plenty of commentary as well—it seems the mullet has not moved up the social acceptance ladder. The urban dictionary has this to say about ‘mullets’: Any hairstyle whereupon the top is shorter than the back, and said person wearing this hairstyle still thinks that heavy metal bands rule; also described as business in the front, party in the back. Often associated with people named Billy Bob, and people who wear these are normally found near their female cousins. I think it is fair to say that the world has moved past the day of the mullet, and I came to peace with this long ago. But it was still fun to wear that wig... The Reynolds Defense Firm—We’re solid, we’re here if you need us, and we are very good at what we do.