Practice
DUI charges
A DUI arrest sets two things moving at once: the criminal case, and a suspension of your license that can start before any trial. The first days matter for both.
Most DUI cases are won or lost on what happened before the breath test: why the officer stopped the car, what the field tests really showed, and whether the machine and the people running it followed their own rules.
I ask for the dash and body camera video in the first week, and I read the maintenance log for the machine that tested you. Then we talk about what the evidence supports, and what the prosecutor is likely to offer.
What I look at in a DUI
The reason for the stop
A stop needs a lawful reason. If the video doesn't show one, the evidence that followed may not come in.
The field tests
Balance tests on a sloped shoulder, at night, in work boots, prove less than an officer's report suggests.
The breath or blood test
Calibration records, the waiting period before the test, and how a blood sample was stored and handled.
Your license
Whether you can get a restricted license for work, school and court dates while the case is open.
How cases like this have ended
Dismissed
First-offense DUI
No lawful reason for the stop on the video.
2025 · Sample matter
Reduced
DUI, amended to reckless driving
Blood sample stored outside the lab's own rules.
2024 · Sample matter
Not guilty
Refusal of a breath test
The officer never read the implied consent warning.
2023 · Sample matter
Sample matters, shown to illustrate the kind of work. Past results don't guarantee a similar outcome; every case turns on its own facts, evidence and court.
Questions about DUI
Can I still drive to work next week?
Often there is a short administrative suspension that starts at arrest, separate from the court case. Whether you can drive to work while the case is open depends on the charge and your record. We sort that out first.
I refused the breath test. Did that make it worse?
It usually adds a second charge, and that charge has defenses of its own. Tell me exactly what was said at the station and in what order.
Is a first DUI a jail case?
It can be, especially with a high reading or a child in the car. Many first-offense cases end without jail time, but the facts decide, and I'll tell you what yours point to.
Do I need the video?
Yes. Video is the single most useful piece of evidence in most DUI cases, and some of it is kept only for a limited time, so I ask for it early.
Arrested for DUI this week?
Call before your first court date. Bring the summons and any paperwork about your license.