This website is a directory of criminal defense attorneys who have developed expertise as successful DUI-DWI lawyers. “Success” is usually measured by results from aggressively defending motor vehicle criminal charges for operating under the influence of alcohol (or controlled substance) and obtaining a favorable outcome.
Many people do not know that field sobriety tests are optional and voluntary and are not “scientific” tests. You will only want to be defended by a DUI lawyer near me with the years of experience and credentials in criminal defense to put your “best foot forward” in fighting your criminal charges.
It should help those facing criminal charges for operating a motor vehicle while impaired. In quite a few states, the “vehicle” being operated need not even be motorized if the rider is under the influence of alcohol or influence of drugs.
Because all states (for any repeat offenders) require jail time, offenders need to be deliberate and ask many questions during their search for an OWI-DUI attorney near me. Especially with vehicle crash cases where grievous bodily injury or death have occurred, all states call for multiple potential years in prison.
DUI vs DWI: What’s the Difference? In N.Y. and Texas, D.W.I. is the acronym used, as well as nearly 10 other states. So, an accused citizen will likely want to search by phrases such as “DWI attorneys near me,” or “DWI lawyers near me” in these jurisdictions.
The majority of online DUI attorney directories do NOT restrict their “membership,” and simply permit anyone with a legal license to pay for a listing to represent drunk driving cases (or drug influence cases). This directory aims to find a high-quality, seasoned team of DWI-DUI attorneys near me, in any major city or (in states with smaller populations) in the state where your case is currently being handled.
Drunken driving (while impaired by alcohol) is one of the most serious criminal offenses of all traffic law crimes, if ultimately convicted of OWI charges. In over half the States, no expunction or record restriction is permitted for a DUI offense. This is why selecting a top DUI defense attorney for your pending DUI case is highly important.
According to the NHTSA, between 2020 and 2021, there was a 14% increase in traffic fatalities where at least one party was driving under the influence. This has led to more serious penalties and a harsher attitude taken towards DWI-DUI laws nationwide.
For example, the State of Georgia has a very robust “record restriction” law. That original 2010 law has helped many people clear prior misdemeanor and felony convictions in the last twelve years, but not for a single DUI conviction, even a 1st offense DUI.
In the Peach State, no conviction for a DUI can be expunged, no matter if it was a lifetime first offence DUI and happened 50 years ago. Also, any initial DUI accusation that was later dropped to reckless driving is likewise not eligible for record restriction.
Mississippi and Michigan recently modified their laws, but only for a person with a single prior DUI or DWI. Perhaps this trend will continue, but don’t count on your state changing its OWI-DUI laws.
A dizzying array of different abbreviations for the same crime (DUI-DWI charges) has historic roots. Most states adopted the British criminal justice concepts when states were formed after the American Revolution.
Plus, since no automobiles had yet been invented, impaired driving crimes were not part of English Common Law when the United States was founded. Today, a legal advocate in England is not referred to as a “DUI defence lawyer” but called a “drink driving lawyer.” In the United States (only) we have nearly of dozens different acronyms in use by 50 states plus the District of Columbia.
What’s the Difference Between DWI and DUI?
States cannot agree on a single acronym. Plus, over the last century, many states changed their criminal code’s language, to make the crime more expansive, to clearly proscribe using drugs or chemicals that impaired a person’s driving ability.
For example, Michigan once used DUI, but altered their statutory language to criminalize even being inside a vehicle with the key or fob to start it. Now, the word is “operating” while intoxicated is the operative phrase.
In the final analysis, a DWI lawyer in North Carolina is doing the exact same job as a California DUI defense lawyer or a DWUI lawyer in Wyoming. Impaired driving or driving while intoxicated all point to the same driving conduct which is a crime in all states.
The federal government has attempted to “mandate” uniform drunk driving laws across all states, leading to the existence of several categories or kinds of penalties in every state, such as:
- The blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for adults must not exceed 0.08 grams percent, although it can be less, and a conviction can still be achieved on the “impaired” case.
- Every criminal court conviction must include hours of community service.
- Every state implements some sort of immediate administrative license suspension (or revocation) in relation to drunk driving incidents. Penalties can be pursued either for refusing to undergo post-arrest forensic tests, or for agreeing to breath tests and recording an unlawful BAC level. In the majority of states, either scenario will initiate some form of pre-criminal case license suspension legal procedure.
- Probation or jail must last at least a year, in almost every state.
- License suspension (or revocation) must occur immediately, by operation of law, once convicted.
- A high breath alcohol level or blood alcohol level will require tougher sanctions (e.g., more days in jail) than for those at or near the 0.08 grams percent level. These are sometimes called “aggravated DUI” cases.
Seeing these (and more) mandatory sanctions, the need for hiring a top-notch drunk driving lawyer is apparent. OUI-OWI-DWI defense lawyers can be differentiated by years of experience, and track records.
What is a Drunk Driving Defense Attorney?
The Michigan abbreviation (OWI) is also used in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Iowa (sometimes). You will be searching Google for an OWI attorney in the Great Lakes State.
Some states have unique abbreviations for drunk driving offenses, such as OVI in Ohio and DUII in Oregon, leading to hyphenated terms like “DUI-OVI defense lawyer” on websites.
In some states in the Midwest, they use the term OWI to refer to certain offenses. In Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine, these offenses are handled by OUI lawyers. So, if you need legal help in these states, you should look for an OUI defense attorney. However, in New Hampshire, they call it DWI, and in Vermont, it’s called DUI. In neighboring states like New York, New Jersey, and Maryland, they refer to it as a “DWI case.”
In most states, D.U.I. is the predominant term used by the national leader, with D.W.I. being the second most frequently used abbreviation in the United States. However, the same abbreviation is interpreted as “driving while impaired” in North Carolina, while in Texas and Louisiana, it stands for “driving while intoxicated”.
Operating a vehicle while intoxicated is the most widely reported minor offense in the United States. The primary concern is if the legal expert has undergone specialized training in roadside sobriety assessments, breathalyzer calibration, and forensic lab testing for blood and urine examinations.
Which is Worse: DUI or DWI?
Driving under the influence, whether due to alcohol or drugs, is a crime that doesn’t discriminate. What our local DUI attorneys mean by this is that individuals from all walks of life, including athletes, nurses, celebrities, politicians, clergy, educators, medical professionals, business leaders, fellow lawyers, and accountants, often seek the best in legal representation.
College students and workers in sensitive (or high security) jobs may need to hire DUI lawyers to defend them. Atlanta lawyer William C. “Bubba“ Head founded this website. He and his team of DUI lawyers fight criminal defense cases in Georgia and also know successful DUI defense lawyers nationwide.
This website helps clients find highly experienced DUI or DWI lawyers in all 50 states.