Arrested for drunk driving?
Southside Chicago DUI/DWI defense lawyer can help.
Did you get arrested for drunk driving? Shake off the "I can't believe that just happened to me!" feeling — and fight back. Hire a DUI/DWI defense lawyer who knows what he's doing and get immediate help from an aggressive advocate who will fight to the finish on your behalf.
I have more than 25 years of legal experience, and I have practiced criminal law on both sides of the fight. I worked for three years as a prosecuting attorney before I opened my private criminal defense practice in 1994. If you have been busted on a DWI/DUI charge and want sound legal advice — contact me immediately.
Some Insight into How I Operate:
It's OK to Refuse the Breathalyzer Test
If I could be at the side of every person who gets pulled over on suspicion of DUI/DWI, my advice would be simple: in almost all cases, refuse the Breathalyzer test, refuse the field sobriety test, refuse to take any type of sobriety test until you talk to an attorney.*
It's true that your driver's license will be automatically suspended for a longer time if you refuse a sobriety test — six months as opposed to three months. But it is also true that sobriety test results make the DUI/DWI prosecution an almost automatic slam dunk. Think about it: If you take the sobriety test, the cops and prosecutors have scientific evidence of intoxication. If you don't take the sobriety test, then the trial comes down to the cop's recollections and observations during the stop. Your defense lawyer will have a much easier time knocking down subjective recollections and observations than scientific evidence.
* Note: Refusing the sobriety test is never a good idea if you are driving with a commercial driver's license (CDL). When a CDL holder refuses a sobriety test, the penalties are much more severe.
Fight Your DUI/DWI Arrest
If you already took the sobriety test, we can still fight to prevent a conviction for drunk driving. First-time offenders especially have a good chance of staying out of jail and paying only minimal fines — if they hire a savvy lawyer who knows how the criminal justice system works.
If you've been arrested on a DUI/DWI:
- Don't say anything to the cops except your name, Social Security number if you have one, date of birth, address, and "I want to call a criminal defense lawyer."
- Unless you have a CDL, seriously consider refusing the sobriety test.
- Other than keeping quiet, cooperate with the cops.
- Contact a criminal defense lawyer immediately for help.
