Getting a DWI is serious, and it has consequences that can stay with you for a long time.
But you should know that DWI cases are winnable. An experienced DWI attorney knows how to challenge the reasons a police officer stopped you and the tests they used to believe you were intoxicated. For most people, getting a DWI is the only way they will ever have contact with the criminal justice system. Based on the opinion of a police officer, they get cuffed, fingerprinted, get a mugshot taken, and get tossed in jail until they can make bond. Basically, because a police officer thought you were intoxicated, you get treated like a criminal.

You need an experienced attorney to balance things in your favor.

A DWI is a “Class B Misdemeanor,” which means it carries a punishment up to 6 months in county jail and up to a $2000 fine.

A second DWI is a “Class A Misdemeanor,” which carries a punishment up to a year in county jail and up to a $4000 fine.

A third DWI is a “Third Degree Felony,” which carries a punishment up to ten years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.

Besides these serious punishments, a DWI can carry other serious consequences. It could cost you your job, or your ability to get a better one. It can affect your ability to drive a vehicle to support yourself and your family.

To make sure you protect yourself, you need an experienced DWI attorney.

Automatic License Suspension
In most cases, the officer that arrests you takes away your driver’s license and informs you that you are now facing an automatic suspension of your license. But you have a defense.

You have 15 days to request a hearing on that suspension. An experienced attorney knows how to request this hearing and fight the “automatic” suspension.

And in some cases, you can be eligible for an “Occupational Driver’s License” during the term of a suspension. Either way, you shouldn’t let an arrest prevent you from driving to support yourself and your family. You have options.

Fight the case!
A police officer relies on many things when they decide to arrest you for DWI. But they are not foolproof. If a police officer pulls you over, he may think you are intoxicated, but there could be many reasons why he is mistaken. The officer puts you through the “field sobriety tests.” But those tests are not completely accurate – they must be given properly and evaluated fairly. Perfection is not required.

If you gave a breath test or blood test, these can be challenged as well. Like the field tests, they have to be given properly in order to be valid, regardless of what the result was.

You need an experienced attorney that knows how to challenge these tests. Your attorney needs to know how to evaluate where a police officer made a mistake or missed something in their investigation, and be prepared to use it to your advantage in front of a jury if need be.

There is almost always an issue in a DWI that can give you a chance to win – if you have an experienced attorney who knows what to look for and how to use it to your advantage.

Call me and let’s talk about what we can do for you.

(940) 591-0005 OR (972) 462-8222