DUI
Charged with DUI
Most people I meet after a DUI arrest have never been in a courtroom. They're worried about their license, their job and what their family will think. We start with the first two.
A DUI case is really two cases. One is in criminal court. The other is about your license, and it can move faster, with deadlines that start the day you're stopped. I look at both from the first call, so nothing quietly runs out while you're waiting for a court date.
What I look at in every DUI file
Why you were pulled over, and whether that reason holds up
How the roadside tests were given, and on what kind of ground
The breath machine's records, or how the blood sample was handled
Dash and body camera video, start to finish
Whether you were told your rights, and when
What happens next
From the stop to the end of the case
- 01
Step 1: Your license comes first
We look at the papers you were given and, if there's a deadline to ask for a license hearing, we meet it.
- 02
Step 2: The first court date
I go with you, enter a not-guilty plea and ask for the evidence, so we're working from facts, not the police report alone.
- 03
Step 3: Taking the evidence apart
Video, test records, the officer's notes. Problems in any of them can mean a dismissal, a reduced charge or a better offer.
- 04
Step 4: Your decision
I'll tell you what I think of the offer and of our chances at trial. Then you decide, and I stand behind that choice.
DUI questions people ask first
Will I lose my license?
Not always, and not always right away. It depends on the test result, whether you refused, your history and whether a license hearing is requested in time. That's why the license is the first thing we talk about.
I blew over the limit. Is there any point fighting it?
Often, yes. A number is only as good as the stop that led to it and the machine or lab that produced it. Even when the evidence holds, there may be ways to limit the penalties.
Will I go to jail?
For a first DUI, most people don't spend time in jail beyond the night of the arrest, but the law allows it and every case is different. I'll tell you honestly what's realistic in yours.
Do I need to tell my employer?
Sometimes a job or a professional license requires it. Let's look at what you've signed before you say anything.
Your license deadline may already be running
Call with your citation in hand, and we'll check the dates together.